Practicing Magic

*Before Practicing*:

• A. Study the move/trick you are trying to learn:
  1. Reread/rewatch the move/trick you are trying to learn. Read and watch it over, and over, and over again.

  2. Take notes on the move or trick if it helps you.

  3. Figure out what your learning style is and use it to your advantage.

  If you are a:
  Visual Learner: Read or watch the move or trick. If you don't have a video of it maybe you could find one on you tube.

  Auditory Learner: Record yourself reading the move or trick from the book. The re listen to it to help you understand it better. Or if you have a video just listen to the audio of the video. Turn your monitor off or just close your eyes while the video is playing.

  Tactile/Kinesthetic Learner: Try the move or trick while reading/watching it.

• B. Wash your hands:
  1. Wash and dry your hands before you practice.
  2. Make sure your nails are trimmed.

• C. Cards/Coins: 1.Make sure your cards and/or coins are in the condition and quality that you want.

*Warm up*:

Ok the warm up section make sure you warm up before you practice to make sure that you get the most out of your practice session.

• A. Mind:
  I seriously considered putting this in the Before Practicing section but I did not. Consider this an ongoing warm up. You perform best when your mind is open and alert so, here are some ways to keep your mind always up and running:
  1. Listen to music genres that you do not normally listen to.
  2. Calculate math problems in your head while waiting( in line, for your coffee, or in traffic, etc.).
  3. Watch movie genres that you do not normally watch.
  4. Do crosswords and/or sudoku when ever possible.
  5. Try foods you've never tried before.
  6. Open up to new political and religious views.
  7. Play strategy games like checkers, poker, chess, risk, scrabble, yatzee, bridge, and monopoly.
  8. Go to a random website and just look around.

• B. Eyes:
  Your eyes are an important part to doing your magic. You need them to watch your hands, have contact with the spectator, watch magic videos and notice the little things, and when practicing the sharper your eyes are the more mistakes you notice, and the more mistakes you notice the more you can correct, and the more you correct the better your moves and trick become. So here is how to warm up your eyes:
  1. Close your eyes tightly for 4 seconds then open them for 4 seconds. Repeat 7-8 times.
  2. Close your eyes and massage them VERY LIGHTLY for 1 and a half minutes.
  3. Try writing on a blank wall with your eyes.
  4. Focus on an object outside the window that is very far away from you for a couple of minutes.

• C. Fingers:
  Your fingers are the most important part of your magic. Without your fingers you are useless so it is important to keep them well strengthened and in good condition. There is a good section of hand workouts on the Extreme Beginners XCM DVD so if you have it check it out. Enough said.
  1. Massage your hands to keep them warm and loose.
  2. Try making different signs with your hands like, rock on, I love you, hand loose, the star trek thing, etc.
  3. Lay your hands on the table and spread your fingers. Then do the wave putting one finger up and then putting it down as you bring the next one up. Start with your pinkie on your weak hand and go to the pinkie on your weak hand. Then go back.
  4. Try touching every finger to your thumb.
  5. Hold your hand tightly in a fist for a few seconds then release. Do this 3-5 times on each hand.

*The actual practicing*:

So here is the time where you practice your actual moves. I am just going to give you a few tips to make your practice time better or, if your like my friend, then help you make a perfect practice time.

• A. Pick a set amount of hours you want to practice and find a time to do it.
  First pick out how long you want to practice everyday. I like to practice for 3 hours everyday. Then decide whether you want to do it all at once or do it like cat naps. I do 2 hours right when I get home from school and then an hour before I go to bed.

  B. Practice daily.
  Practice 7 days a week. Never skip a day, ever. If you don't have enough time to fit all the practicing in or you don't feel like practicing then just shorten your time for that day and go back to your normal schedule the next day. If you skip a day find a way to make up the time like if I missed a day then I would do 4 hours for 3 das to make up the 3 hours I missed.

  C. Never obsess over a move or trick:
  Don't obsess if you cant get the move or trick that day then it will come to you eventually. Remember all the good ones take time and there's always room for improvement. Just keep practicing and don't obsess!

  D. Review frequently:
  Its horrible to practice, practice, practice a move and then forget how to do it because you never reviewed. Mix learning and review equally to get the most out of your practice.

  E. Practice the move or trick right:
  You learn what you practice and if you practice something wrong that's how you will learn it and then its even harder to change it. So practice right and carefully.

  F. Complete your practice with a review:
  Its always good to go over everything you did in that days practice as the last thing you do. Then it really sticks in your head.

  G. Start slow:
  Always, always, always start slow then work your way up. Very few people can just, right off the bat, do a move at full speed. It takes time. Start slow and then work up to full speed. Believe me it helps.

  H. Practice in complete darkness:
  Practice in the pitch black for ten minutes every day. It helps you with not looking at your hands while doing a move. Which in turn helps misdirection, so there you go. Its hard at first but you will get used to it.

  I. Jammin'
  Not guitar jammin but magic jammin. Try just practicing every move you can think of one after another. If you mess up do not redo the move, just keep going. This will train you to keep on going when you mess up and it helps you practice your moves.

  J. Metronome:
  This helped me a lot when my body wanted to do the move faster but my hands couldn't keep up so I was practicing the move wrong. An Metronome. Break the move down into segments then get a metronome (they have free ones online use Google) and then do every segment on a beat. The once you get better you can speed up the beat. It helped me out a lot so just give it a try. If it doesn't work for you then don't use it.

  K. Break it up:
  If you are learning a new trick first learn the moves separately and then string them together.

  L. Stay cool:
  If a move doesn't come to you don't get mad and bang your head against a wall. Stay cool, it will come to you eventually.

*After Practicing*:

Only one thing here:

• A. Sleep:

1. Always get 7-8 hours of sleep it will make your practicing and performing ten times better.

Well there you go you guys the way that I think is the best way to practice. Hope it helps!

Credit:
www.magichat.co.uk website by jamesismy on May 12th, 2007, 4:05 am