Hi Guys

New to this forum and was hoping to get some advise from any left handers or other people knowledgable about the subject.

As you might have guess from the subject I am a left hander who has been practising card magic on and off for about a year and looking to get a bit more serious about it.

One problem I have encountered for example is with the push off double lift. If I hold the pack in my left hand, as a normal right hander would I can get the move correct however I cannot seem to get a feel for the cards (i.e. the amount of cards pushed off). When I try it with my right hand I get a good feeling for the amount of cards I push off however the move is not as smooth as when done in my left hand.

I am not sure whether to practice more in a left hand manner or just carry on with holding the deck in a right handed way to try and get the feeling in that hand.

appologies for the wall of text, its just a bit of a mouthfull to explain.

Thanks in advance

Wow, I been there done that...I am left handed, as a musician, I play instruments right handed, golf right handed and bat right handed, when it comes to magic,however I usually ,but not always reverse everything and do it all left handed, I always try a new sleight right handed first, then left handed, soem feel more comfortable lefty, some better righty, not sure if this helps, but hope so, don't give up ,keep at it,,,,, best of luck

Either way you still have to practice. Anything of value does not come easy. Choose what feels right to you and what you can do consistently. The double push-over is not easily attained but it is attainable.
Cardamagically,
Dom.
:)

Thanks for the advise guys

nice to know there are a few left handed magicians out there,

will keep the practice up and get there eventually

Hi I'm left handed and I have practiced magic for 25 years
I've always switched the words "left" and "right" in every explanation and it works perfectly well.
However sometimes you'll have to find some new ways of doing some moves such as peeking cards and things like that, due to the way the cards are printed.
Good luck!

My daughter is left handed, she just started practicing her sleights as well. She tried it the Right Handed way, and told me it was too hard, so when she puts on her DVD, she just reverses everything.

Easier said than done. I end up having to take a deck in my hands, and explain to her how to reverse the moves.

I believe there are two considerations that need to be taken into account on whether to reverse the moves or learn them the right handed way.

First, How does it look? Is there a real difference in how the effect looks to do the sleights right handed as opposed to left handed? If there is no appreciable difference in how an effect looks, then the next would be...

Which is easier to learn? If you perform a sleight right handed , and left handed, and they look exactly the same in terms of the effect.....then there is no reason to learn it right handed... although reversing all the sleights may be harder.

I am a Left-Hander.

May I suggest that you look at the material of Bill Malone? He is also a lefty and an OUTSTANDING cardman. Check out the "On the Loose" series and perhaps his latest "Here We Go Again".

You will be inspired by Mr. Malone.

José

I am left handed as are the two other magicians I work with. James tends to stick with his left hand and Kane has become ambidextrous. I was told in a course I attended that a lot can depend on who teaches you as sometimes you imitate your teacher. I agree with the point Clarissa makes to settle for what is comfortable for you.

I find it is sometimes helpful to watch a "righty" DVD in a mirror.

Before I started card magic I learned some card handling like a right handed
person and other card handling like a left handed person.This is a process that
is still being sorted out. (I don't do as many card routines as most magicians due to
the difficulties this has caused.)

P.S. Here are some "lefty" links:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&forum=2
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&forum=4
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......&forum=2
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=41
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=41
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=41
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=41
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......orum=108
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......forum=41

Mr Ree, thank you very much for that idea, a Mirror nxt to the TV... so simple... and I didn't think of it. * Bonk head*

I'll have to check these links out later.

Big thanks to everyone for all your great replies.
All that information really helps a lot !
Got lots of things to watch and practice now,

Just out of interest I did actually learn from a right handed magician so it seems to be try that you imitate your teacher in my case.

Thanks again

Hello:

Except in the case of taking a break after a spectator peeks the card and an arcane gambling glimpse for the most part I don't know of any compelling reasons to not just BE a lefty with the cards. That is to hold the deck in the R.H. and deal, etc. with the left. If you can make the transition to righty magically there are some arguments, again arcane, to the effect that it will in fact stimulate your brain in a positive manner as your brain struggles with the bi-lateral nature of the change, but again....I'm not sure that it's worth it.

With students in the past I have suggested that they see what feels the best and do that. Good luck,

Hi Green,
I have similar problems.I think if you practice with the hand your more comfortable with you'll eventually get the smoothness.I'm having trouble with the dribble pass.
I'm not able to dribble with right hand ,can't pass from right hand dealer's grip.
So I keep practicing angel

I am left handed also. Most moves are the same. but there are a few that are different

Read the books and watch th DVDs by René Lavand. He is not only left handed, he is one handed, and one of the most skilled cardicians in the world.

I'm left handed, but learned the sleights right handed, now it just feels awkward if I try left handed

I'm left handed. I have found that if I work up an effect myself, I tend to favor my left-handedness. Otherwise, I've become adept at learning things as taught to me by right-handers. Do it however you feel most comfortable. If you do any "do as I do" routines, the person can follow you easily if he/she is facing you and is a mirror image of you.