Help!

I am strictly a hobbyist magician. I love learning new stuff, I love performing, but somehow I still have to force myself to practice. I can't seem to make it as fun as the other aspects of magic. And that is the kicker, I still think practice is the most important part.

So please, anyone with suggestions. I have been doing magic for about three years now. I need suggestions to make my practice sessions fun!

Thanks in advance!

That's a tough question, as I enjoy practicing!

Have you tried videotaping your practice sessions? Perhaps being able to watch your progress afterwards will give you some of the feedback you enjoy from performing (impressing yourself) and make your practice more rewarding. In the process, you can benefit from seeing points that need more work.

Practice is one of my favorite things to do in magic, I am also a hobbyist. I like to practice in front of my friends and family. I get the advice I need to improve my act and get great reactions.

You might want to join a magic club near you. Other magicians will watch you practice and give you advice.

Look at practice as a game. Your object is to win the game. You get a point each day for practicing at least 30 minutes. If you reach seven points in seven days you won the game.

Practice by doing other things. For example: watching television, on computer, fallen asleep in bed, talking on the phone, etc.

If the effect is a long rountine, practice each segment in order. Don't try doing the routine until each you are able to do each segment in a smooth manner.

Try pretending you have a group of spectators in front of you as you practice. The object is you want to fool, amaze and entertain them. Hope this helps.

Dynamike

This is an excellent point! I am actually a member of IBM, but the local chapter meets a long way from my house. It is very hard to find time (father of three with a job and a wife who works evenings). I do hope to finally work some time in to meet with these local folks. Mainly I am looking for ways to make my personal practice more fun.

Again, thanks for the suggestions.

Uuhhh??? Serious???

I always enjoyed my practice, even if I kept failing a thousand times, there's always the 1001th one for me...

Well, here are a couple of opinions:

1. Get one trick that you want to be able to do and focus on the result you're gonna get. Focus on the faces of those people if you show them the trick properly. Focus on the reactions you're gonna get. That should motivate you.
   
   
2. Think, if someone "shot" you on the spot and asked you, "Can you do a trick?" how many tricks can you do off the top of your head? If the same person asked you tomorrow, "Can you do a trick?" do you have some different tricks off the top of your head? Or you will say, "You've seen everything. I haven't come up with any new ones." If that's your answer, that should motivate you to practice more.
   
   
3. Always be prepared. You never know when "the wind of luck" will hit you. Hahahah, that sounds cool...Anyway, you never know when people will ask you, "Do you do a show, I'm looking for a magician?" That could be a rare and good chance that might turn your whole life upside down. It might be the first step for you to become a professional and successful magician. Chance doesn't come everday.
   
   When someone asks you, "Do you perform?" that's not the lucky bit. The lucky bit is the bit where you pratice everyday, spend hours, days, weeks, months, even years...to make yourself good. If you're not prepared, no matter how many people come and offer you chances, you still won't go anywhere better. If you are prepared, chances are everwhere and anytime the chance comes to you you're ready. Grab it, it might change your whole life.

Geezzzz, do I sound like I'm speaking in a motivational seminar.

This will probably seem like obvious advice, but sometimes we forget...

When you're practicing, be sure to do an effect, sleight, etc. that you enjoy. Have fun with something. Even if you've done it a hundred times, do it and have fun with it. Experiment with a favorite effect, play around with it, try something crazy.

You'll reward yourself by playing around with a favorite effect. That'll help when practicing things that are more unfamiliar by making it a reward to yourself.

Peppin,

I have many interests and hobbies, yet of all the things I enjoy, I like magic most. I have been in and out of magic over many years and each time coming back, I craved it more. I wanted it all. I would overwhelm myself with trying to "catch up" on all the sleights and effects I'd missed. Eventually, my skills suffered and I became frustrated and the "fun" would wane. There just wasn't enough time in the day to do it all.

This time back in, I decided to do it differently. First, this Café has helped me, tremendously. Second, I zero in on a trick I like and then I practice only the sleights and the trick. This has made practice fun, because I accomplish something. I become good. It is a great reward. It is a great motivator. And, with a single purpose, I am not overwhelmed. It also fits very well into my tightly scheduled days.

If I see a sleight that looks like fun, I look for a trick that uses it. I found it isn't much fun practicing sleights, just for sleights sake (although, I have practiced d/l for hours at times...it kinda soothes me).

Perhaps you will try out my method and let others know how it works for you. I hope you find the fun again! All the best to you!

Like all thing in life that are work, you have to have a goal. If you have a goal that you can see, not so far away you cannot, you'll find it easier and more fun to work at achieving it. That being said, practice, for me, only becomes real fun when I'm already pretty good at it. Tom

Hi there,

I've found that if I'm not enjoying practicing, all I need to do is put on my favorite music CD and practice while listening to that. It takes your mind off the move or effect to a certain extent and makes time pass quicker. Oh, and it makes you get really, really good at whatever you were practicing. lol.

Try it. It works for me.

Mike

This will probably sound simpler than it really is, but here goes: Have a goal that you want to reach. I'm a hobbyist as well, so I focus my practices on what I want to do. What is it that I'm trying to accomplish? Make it fun, something you *want* to do.

When you're working towards a personal goal, you'll find yourself more motivated to work towards it, and you'll also enjoy it more.

Sometimes it can help to keep practice sessions short. 10-15 minutes a day focused on the goal will produce surprising results over a few months time.
Make it quality time as much as possible. Focus only on what you need to learn and nothing else. Keep the background distractions minimal as possible.
GF

Hey Peppin,
There are a couple of ways I like to practice,
I find that people waiting in a bus queue that is heading to a completely random destination make good guinea pigs. So do the people in the Caféteria, either at work or in college. People in pubs or restaurants can be fun to entertain. (Just remember to clear it with the head bartender or manager first.)

The other thing I use to practice is a triple mirror. (That is a large 3 foot wide * 2 foot high mirror that sits on the table, with another two 1 foot wide * 2 foot high mirrors, one hinged on either side of the main mirror so you can adjust the angles.) I find this is great. What I do is practice the moves and observe for tells by watching my reflection in the mirror. If you do decide to use this method, I recommend using a good close up pad and sturdy table, cause the last thing you want to happen is for something to fall over, and have you end up with 7 years bad luck.

I hope this Information is of some use.

Michael A.

Another way to practice is to practice mentally, running through the entire routine in your head. I find it helps to have a mental "practice space" that includes a stage I've performed on before, and an audience that loves me. (Why have a mental audience that hates you?)

If I am just practicing sleights I work in short 10 minute sessions with a 50 minute break to do whatever else I need and then another 10 minutes of practice and so on and so on.

With routines it is of course more time consuming but by that point it is usually fun because I will only perform tricks that I enjoy performing.

Ditto on the music suggestion.
Lately I have been using Swing Music, Big Band, Electronic and Blues. (No, not all at the same time)

Many folks drive a long way to Ring 129's meeting.

They seem to think it is worth it.

I am blessed to be near a IBM and an SAM club.

How about inviting folks to a place in between for a special meeting on some type of magic that you are into.

Goals can be helpful.
Someone once said Basketball would be a very strange game/activity if they did not have the goals.

I have only been to 3 magic conventions since 1981.

2 of them have been in the last year.

Going to a place with so many magicians has helped bring back the fun.

You might also consider joining a theatre or improv group.

Currently I am trying to go from a coin roll out to a coin star. I can't remember where I saw someone do it.

My fingers say no way. My brain and spirit says someday.


Enjoy the journey,

Harris Deutsch
Laughologist
http://www.nearlynormalmagic.com

I don't like practicing much either, but I realize that if I don't practice, I will never do well. I meet with a magic buddy regularly to show each other new effects we've learned, and also old effects that we know from before, so that helps. I'm also learning a new flourish right now, so I just have a deck of cards in my hand most of the time. When I'm watching TV or just reading stuff on the computer, I just practice doing the flourish in my hands.