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Fraser New user UK 1 Post |
I really struggle to palm cards. I have hands that are a touch on the small side. Does anyone have any tips or am I simply not practising hard enough?!
ps. Hello, by the way - my first posting! |
Tom Cutts Staff Northern CA 5925 Posts |
Welcome Fraser
There are many different palms. One is certain to fit your hands and angle of work. Different palms for different angles as well. Mostly it is not true that small hands are a detriment to palming. The deceptiveness in palming comes from the palmer's ease and relaxed state while making the palm and while holding it. So many get caught not because the card was visibly palmed, but because there was tension that drew attention to that hand. Upon closer scrutiny the audience then perceived there was something unnatural about the action of the hand. Best bet is to find a routine where the palming happens during very strong misdirection, such as during an off beat. Practice the palm within the routine. Do the routine right up to where you palm, then just walk away. Yep, just stop practice and take your palmed card with you. That will break the constant fear that attention is on your hand. Once your body learns to stay relaxed then recall that in a context outside the routine. Practice palming for no reason around magicians. Don't tell 'em, just see if they catch on. This will give you a risk free place to attempt palming. You could even just palm some cards at the end of a routine, when the heat is off, just to do it. Once you have captured the essence of tension free palming go back to the routine and insert it into the whole routine. Be sure to bring all that relaxed energy with you for an effortless palm and natural hold out. The last element would be to create sufficient motivation for the hands to make a deceptive palm. That involves the knowledge of movement and theater which would take up too much room here. There will be an in depth study of this technique for learning and perfecting a deceptive palm in AM/PM magazine soon. Great to have you on the board :dancing: Best of Luck. _________________ Tom Cutts Publisher, AM/PM About Magic...Performing Magic |
yellowguy New user Canada 17 Posts |
Well, this may be a stupid question, but have you tried bridge cards? Some of the best magicians actually do use this size... Julianna Chen uses them.. even that ninja ellusionist guy Brad Christian does.
The best advice really is to practice angles and different palms. If you do a lot of table magic, since you have small hands, the Tenkai palm or a lateral palm would work very well. If you really can't get it, then I suggest finding a way to control the card to either of one spots. Second from top or from bottom. Both places allow you to find the card again if need be, or they are in a good place to have "disappeared" to. If you're doing an effect where a card needs to disappear off the top, try palming an indifferent card and placing that on top. Then the 'trick' part happens before the 'magic' and the heat is off of you for the impressive part. Here's some words I live by... Do a move first. THEN let the magic happen. |
Steve Brooks Founder / Manager Northern California - United States 3780 Posts |
I agree with Tom here, to palm well, YOU must feel comfortable with it. If you feel 'guilty', I believe your audience will catch-on. Walk around palming a card, palm while reading if you can, even try eating with that card in your hand.
Be 'one' with the card as it were. As far as bridge size cards, I would advise against it. Once you start using those, you'll find 'Poker' size cards harder to work with, just my opinion. Good luck! _________________ Life is not a problem to be solved... but a mystery to be lived.
"Always be you because nobody else can" - Steve Brooks
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Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
[ This Message was edited by: greatscott on 2001-12-16 02:04 ]
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
My Lybrary Page |
Jack Veteran user 371 Posts |
Hello Fraser.
It looks like the above guys have covered this issue pretty well. The only thing I can think of to add to this subject is, are you familiar with the bottom palm (gambler cop)? When you perform that sleight, hand size is irrelevent. J.C. Wagner's book 'The Commercial Magic of J.C. Wagner' has a chapter devoted to it. I bottom cop cards more often than top palming them. Magically, Jack |
Scott F. Guinn Inner circle "Great Scott!" aka "Palms of Putty" & "Poof Daddy G" 6586 Posts |
[ This Message was edited by: greatscott on 2001-12-16 02:04 ]
"Love God, laugh more, spend more time with the ones you love, play with children, do good to those in need, and eat more ice cream. There is more to life than magic tricks." - Scott F. Guinn
My Lybrary Page |
Harry Murphy Inner circle Maryland 5444 Posts |
Given that a poker size playing card (Bicycle backs) are about 3.5 inches by 2.5 inches, one must have a very small hand indeed to not be able to do a palm. Try this, hold your left hand out flat, palm up. Then simply lay a playing card on it. Move the card so that the upper right hand corner is just above the first joint (from the tip) of the little finger, the lower left of the card ought to be somewhere on the base of the thumb. If the card fits onto this part of your hand then your hands are the right size. A little pressure from the little finger against the top edge of the card and it should stay fast. Turn your palm over and, viola’, the card stays. Gently tap the back of the hand and the card should fall easily. That is all the space and pressure needed to palm a card. If Poker size is a shade too large try a bridge size. You can even have a deck trimmed (shaved) a bit to make them fit.
I actually watched a lady magician palm cards that were longer than the measurement from the base of her hand and the tip of her little finger. She used her third finger instead of her little finger in performing the palm. No one ever thought that she was palming because her hands were so tiny. She had discovered that cards will bend to fit most hands. I have fairly small hands and palm cards with little difficulty. I prefer the bottom palm as the deck gives me tons of natural cover.
The artist formally known as Mumblepeas!
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Mystero Regular user 104 Posts |
Let me suggest you view Mike Close's video Power of Palming. I've been palming the pasteboards for years but still found some of Mike's psychological points to be very helpful. In addition it's a lot of fun to watch Mike work. Email if more detail needed.
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Martin Pulman Inner circle London 3399 Posts |
Daryls Encyclopedia Of Card Sleights has all the info you could need.
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Sanj Singh New user 53 Posts |
Try lateral palms - small hands should not be affected. Tenkai palms aren't bad either, just watch your angles. Gambler's cop isn't bad either.
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