Before I get too overwhelmed and excited about all there is to do in magic...do any of you have advice on how to "divide" up your practice time? I'm going to divide my time between card work and Bobo's book (for the most part) but am not sure how else to supplement my time. There's just too much out there! I have found that I'm trying to do too much all at once.

Maybe I should ask how YOU divide up your practice time?

Thanks for your opinions and advice.

I am a new magician, or well, an aspiring new magician.. Deference to all the good people who practice regularly and who have for years...I digress.

I highly suggest picking ONE trick, or two at the MOST, and practicing them until you have it cold. Patter and everything.

I bought several tricks and many books, an am having a hard time focusing on one.
IMHO, Magic books are not really something to pick up and read, rather, pick up and learn one thing and practice it.
I think this is sage advice, but difficult to follow because of all the intriguing stuff there is.

After a re-read of you post:
I selected one trick. I dedicated myself to learn it, and to be good at it. After a few weeks, I added another trick, then in a few more weeks, another. Now, when I practice the original routine once, the 2ed twice, the third 3 times, ... so on.
I do it this way to become excellent at the first and add tricks slowly.
Also, I draw definitive time for practice. I say, 'Now I will practice this for 20 mins', and I do. When the 20 is up, I put it down and consider it a sucessful session.
That way, I don't worry about it and keep coming back to it.
Hope it helps.

Hey,
just thought it might help to tell you theres a study guide to bobo's coin magic on http://www.coinvanish.com

In my opinion, you should practice a trick until you have it down so that it is completly flawless. I have always been taught this in the magical community and otherwise.

-Josh

I like to split my practice time between two different effects. For example, I will spend about half an hour on a card flourish. When my fingers start to get tired, I will switch to a coin vanish. I find that when I go back to the cards after a half hour break, I notice an improvement from before.

Here's what I do- I make a list of all the tricks I know...than I'll go through the list like 6 times a day just to practice. Then I'll put the list in an order like I was doing a routine. Thats the Chuwee Blaine method...

My practice sessions are shaping up to be much different than these posted here so far. I practiced martial arts at one time in my life (Kenpo, a very serious art form I might add, not a sport karate) and I seem to draw constant correlations between magic and Karate. I am gravitating towards learning card magic in a similar style and structured environment as I did martial arts. It is a lot to explain here, but it involves a lot of sleights being practiced in a disciplined manner for the beginner. I call this method I’m working on “Cards as Karate”.


1)there is a physical aspect of magic that must be mastered
2)magic follows several fundamental principles or laws so to speak
3)magic ultimately occurs only in the mind and in it’s purest form it is a mental pursuit

This is exactly what I learned when I studied martial arts. I hope this system of practice will work out for me in the long run. I am looking forward to reading further posts on the manner in which people practice.

I keep a deck of cards, some quarters and half-dollars, and a few rubberbands on me all the time. I'm constantly practicing a few essential sleights - Double lift, elmsley count, slip-force, riffle force. As I got better I added card peeking, charlier, classic pass, and more. Keep the coins handy and ractice palming constantly, in a variety of ways.

Then in the evening I set aside some time, might be 1/2 hour, might be two, two practice my (currently) favorite tricks, or even complete routines if I have the time.

Actually it's on The Coin Purse @ http://www.coinmagic.com


To answer your question, it kind of depends on what type of magic you do. For example, if you do coin magic, like I do, you'll want to carry a coin with you at all times, just keeping it Classic Palmed.

If I'm learning an effect, I will first read over the instructions, not even doing the moves, until I know the sequence flawlessly. Then I pick up my coins, do all the moves in the proper sequence, skipping over all the moves I have too much trouble with. Then I will practice the moves I have trouble with, over and over, until I can do all the moves flawlessly.

That gives me the technical ability to to the effect. Once I reach that level, I practice the entire effect, from the beginning to the end, until I know the sequence, moves, and patter.

Only now do I perform it.

Believe it or not, this doesn't actually take all that long.

Just the way I do it -- Alex

the study guide to bobo's coin magic is on http://www.coinvanish.com, at least, it was there yesterday. Along with a bunch more stuff. Go to the Articles section.

Hi there, something that I like to do is to practice a lot of different effects that all use the same principle. First of all, this helps me to find the best effect, and secondly I find that it helps to make my hands more co-ordinated. However, once I find an effect that I really like, I just practice that one, but it usually doesn't take me very long to perfect it because I've already learned the basic principle. By the way, Bobo's book is a great choice. Hope this helps.

Hi all, I think Bobo´s is a good stepp in but when I was a beginner I learned a lot from videos and watching other magician. But I also tray to palm a coin one day and it realy helps. Now I can not be without something between my fingers.

When I practice, I do one trick/effect/technique for at least an hour so I know that I can do it. All in front of a mirror by the way!

I don't know if there is a definitive answer on how to practice. I wuold ask what you are practicing for? Are you learning a new routine/effect, or are you practicing an act? If you've seen my other posts, you know that I'm a dove worker. I practice my entire act everyday at least twice and work with the birds after that. I have a closeup act and a kids act which I try to run through completely at least once a week. For me, I only try to work on one new effect at a time until I have it down flawlessly. Only then will I add it to one of my existing acts.

I always practice regularly in front of a mirror. If you can't see the trick to it nobody will!

I rehearse my acts daily. However, I usually am practicing three additional effects at a time, but they are at different stages.

The first effect is just being researched, broken down and blocked out.

The second effect is being practiced technically.

The third effect is in the final stages of rehearsal. Music is being added, script finalized, whatever. It is very close to being added to one of the acts.

Once an effect is put into an act and added to the rehearsal routine, an additional effect may be added to the practice (development) list.

Additionally, books and effects are constantly being evaluated for their potential as an effect for one of my acts.

I do practice technically in front of a mirror when I need to check for angles, etc., but I rehearse in front of a video camera, so I can see how I appear to an audience member (my eye contact, body position, etc.)

But that's just me.

Steven

I normally have about ten techniques on the go, all at various stages of perfection. I also go through my whole routine fairly regularly and slip in a few new ones as I rehearse. It keeps me interested and alert to what can happen in the real world. I also record my routines and cut a CD to listen to in the car on the way to work. This gets the patter burned into my brain over time.

I learned early on that there is a difference between practicing and rehearsing. I might practice the sleight or move, over and over until it comes naturally, so I don't have to concentrate on it to perform it flawlessly. But rehearsing is more like going through the whole routine and actually talking to an imaginary spectator, in real time, without breaking the flow of the moves. This seems to help me. Of course you may find people looking at you strangely if you do this in public and get caught talking to yourself.

The difference between practice and rehearsal is that practice is basically doing the trick, the move, the sleight but rehearsing is the performing with everything included your tricks, with all the moves, your patter, your music if you have any, you talk and move and pretend you have an audience, and you do it without stoping, even if you mess up. If something falls you keep going, that will give confidence with handling unexpected situations on a show. Thanks.

I'm working on learning some of the foundations of card magic. I've been practicing breaks and double lifts. I just started out doing the "whatever" extremely slow, making sure that my technique is accurate. Then I begin adding some speed to the trick. I'm just learning magic, but his technique has always helped me in other areas of entertainment.

Later,
Gambit242