Hello all,

I am pretty good at the classic palm when I can place it with my fingertips on the same hand. However, I have a lot of problems retaining the coin in palm when I can't use the fingertips to place it. Do you have any tips for retaining the coin in classic palm when it is resting in hand?

Thanks

Hi Epsilon,

I had quite a bit of trouble with this as well not too long ago. I just tried putting the coin in different positions on my hand until I found one where giving a simple squeeze retained the coin when I turned my hand over. Hope that makes sense.

- Gain weight: having meatier hands should give you more "forgiveness" in terms of coin placement

- use something that gives more tack to your palms. There have been numerous suggestions along this line; I've found that rolling children's non-drying modeling clay in my hands to help a lot.

and as suggested above, play around with the positioning, to teach your brain where the coin should be, and then practice

John

Try different sizes of coin. It's probably easier to start with a large one.

Barry

Keep practicing, you need to build up the hand muscle(ha) but it will only take a week or two. Maybe sooner. hold it while you work or, a good one is, while trying to drink a soda, beer or a glass of orange juice that is more difficult tho. You should get it sooner than later. Check out ReelMagic.com $5- bucks a month. Kainoa Harbottle on coins is easily worth every penny. Not to mention everything else. No, I am not affiliated but I am a member and customer service is excellent. $.02

The coin itself makes a huge difference when starting out with the CP, in terms of its size and edging. Fresh milling helps quite a bit: I picked up a jeweler's saw and hand-milled a few Halves, which made it a lark compared to a smooth edged English penny. Over time I developed callouses which have helped as well. Also, if the edge is sharply ninety degrees to the face, and not rounded off, it makes CPing a little easier. Lastly, you may want to start with coins that fit nicely in that sweet spot, and for most of us that would be around 30mm, i.e. a Kennedy Half. Morgans etc. are more difficult so start out with the because they do not sit as centred in the palm as the smaller coins.

Practice dropping the Cp'd coin into FP and back again. This not only helps with the CP, but is used often in many routines, so go for it!

I think John Carney put it best on his Vanishing Coins video. Lots of people complain that their hands are too small or don't work in a certain way. I believe his exact words are 'poppycock'. The classic palm is a skill which needs to be developed. It takes time, dedication and patience but anyone can do it and you will get there. Practise, practise and maybe a bit more practise!
Good luck.

I actually disagree that (a) the sweet spot is ~30mm and (b) being centered in the palm is a significant help.

For (a) I think most people use half dollars because they're the most common and a "large enough size that isn't too big", but all things told, I think I'd prefer something a tad larger, but not as large as a dollar.

As far as positioning goes, it's about figuring out what muscles are used to hold the coin, and where it should sit. The first coin size is hard to learn, the next size is easier, and then it's progressivly simpler the more you try. But having a coin of the right size for your hand (that's comforable) is far more important for getting that first coin down than it being in the middle of your palm.

I third the sentiment from Carney!

Tonssofquestions: I'm sorry you find my comment not to be of significant help. I stick by what I said, that for most peeps, a 30.6 mm American Half sits nicely in that sweet spot, which happens to be located in the middle of each palm. Of course there are always some exceptions to both size and position, hence my use of the phrase 'most of us'.

The muscles used in the CP form a 'V' which is slightly tilted towards the index figer. A good CP is invisible, where the hand looks natural, i.e. uncramped. When learning where that sweet spot is, one must position the coin in such a way as to encourage that empty look. In my hands, which I do believe are of average size and shape, a Half fits nicely very near the centre of my palm. The exact position is of course variable depending on the previous move, the next move and/or the size of the coin.

I have to ask how a noobie would know what the optimal coin size is ? It's kinda like the chicken-and-the-egg thing here, you need to know how to do it before you can tell if you're better off with a larger or smaller coin!

While I'm in this thread, I want to add something to my last post; when practicing the CP keep that thumb in! Having it pop out will bring serious heat to that hand.

Hope this helps.

It wasn't that I didn't find it helpful, per-se - I didn't need the advice; I'm fairly well acquainted with where the coin should go.
I'm trying to give a different perspective on the topic, since I think your answer is fairly narrow, and and future folks reading the thread could have more complete information.

In Kainoa's Coins 101 (Reel Magic Plug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzzecGZoU7g) he talks a little about (one way of) finding the best size of coin for your hands. He also prefers coins a tad larger, but likes Barbers because they're more common, and thinner. But he also likes the English Crowns. He feels (of himself) that he has moderately small hands, and I also think mine are about average.

There's no chicken-and-egg problem here, it's pretty easy to try out. If you have a local coin shop, go by and try holding a bunch of coins. Figure out which feels nicest, in terms of size. Don't have a coins store? Go by the hardware store. They'll have a wall of washers of various thicknesses and sizes. Try them out in the same way. Or just buy one or two of each to take home and play with for longer. They run around 20 cents, depending on the size, which is pretty minimal compared to a few half dollars. It's a great way to start off, and you don't care if the washers drop or get damaged, since they're easily replaced and cheap!

Also, I second your reminder about thumbs.