I love to practice, and always have my cards with me. It isn't unusual for me to practice some new move while talking to a friend. While waiting for anything, I take out my deck of cards, normally trying to improve my classic pass, something that really needs work for me.

I guess it depends on what kind of practice is it.

For me, practicing oil and water (DL) for 15 mins drives me nuts. (yes, I did gave up that trick very soon)

But I enjoy every second of practicing hummerbird card and floating bill. It's fun to have the image in mirror fools myself badly.

Setting up your own priority. Practicing what you enjoy first.

Btw, I do find myself spend more time on reading than practicing. Any newbie share the same experience?

Dear Gaddy,
I sense from your letter that you are looking for easy ways to entertain which do not entail practice.
Please do not go down the selfworker road. It looks OK but if you can walk into the store and buy the latest 'no skill required' effect - so can anybody else! By all means use the self workers, but get the skill to back it up in case you are challenged.
Just a personal thought but it has stood me in good stead.
George.

When using so-called "self-working" tricks, although you don't need the manual dexterity that you do using sleight-of-hand tricks, you do get to spend all your energies on the presentation of the trick. That's where the skill (and practice) comes in.

Man, do I have a problem making myself practice. So this topic certainly caught my attention and THIS POST makes such an apt analogy. Thanks for the encouragement!
...James Gornto

I love to practice. At work I spend most of the day with a palmed coin. When I'm at home and watching TV or something I'll just practice random shuffles with my cards. I don't see it as hard work, it's more like something to do with my hands! And it's starting to pay off. I'm working my way through RRTCM at the moment and some of the effects I was good at before come much more naturally now.

I love practicing especially with new things cause you get ot play around with them and figure out new ways to present them!

There's nothing wrong with self working tricks. You do miss the satisfaction of learning a new skill and innovation comes from repetition. The quickest way to repetition is practice.

So, if you really want to wow someone without expending the effort, why not just buy a performance DVD of Chris Angel and watch it with them?

If you want to wow them with YOUR ability then, well, maybe you should take the time to gain some.

I love practicing. I always have a deck of cards on me. Any spare second I spend doing magic.

I too don't like to practice. I won't say I hate it but I find the discpline is sometimes just not there. I have recently gotten some of my old card books out and have made an attempt to practice some of the slights. It really boils down to the discipline we have if we are goiong to practice or not. I am trying and hopefully I will someday be fairly adept at some of the moves I want to learn. After going on a hiatis from magic for some time I find it a little harder to get back to doing what I should be doing, and that is the practice side of it.

Steven

*Raising hand* I do! I do! On my spare time, I try to practice. Even when I'm not doing anything, I'd usually play around with the coins in my pocket, a pack of cards on my desk, or the rubberbands lying around, etc. All the practice you do will help you out in the end.

I've recently started using a journal to record my thoughts, what I've practiced, etc. At the end of each day, I like to write what I'm going to work on the next day. I have a limited amount of time, and so I can't practice everything. Keeping the journal seems to be helping me with self-discipline. It's good to see what you've achieved.

Tarbell remarked in Vol. I of his great encyclopedia that buying a magic trick and thinking you ar a magician is like someone buying a violin and thinking they are now a violinist. The difference is practice. The great magicians of the past practiced to perfection. Did they enjoy it...probably not. However, they had the drive and determination to excell at their craft.

Think of all the time we waste each day which could be devoted to practice. Is it fun? Of course not. Otherwise everyone would be great magicians. It is, as with all things, a matter of setting priorities. When our lives are over and we look back, our happiness and success will be determined more by what we chose not to do than by what we chose to do. I, for one, could choose to waste less time during my day but that is easier said than done. As others have said before, an amatuer practices until he gets it right. A professional practices until he can't get it wrong.

Please forgive this little lecture. I write it as much as a reminder to myself as anything else.

Good words Johnwolf. I especially like what you said, "an amatuer practices until he gets it right. A professional practices until he can't get it wrong". So very true. It is the descipline that I now find hard to follow through on. I am sure it is something that I will overcome because if I want to do the magic that I chose to do I must overcome the laziness to make it to,or as close as I can come,perfection.

I LOVE to practice. I can sit in front of the tv watching whatever is on and work on my card and coin technique for hours. Very relaxing.

I HATE to rehearse. That is getting into costume and performing my show as if I am really AT a paid performance. Sigh...

Yes, I love practise.
I do all of the false cut and sleights I have learned before practise some of my faviorite tricks.
I like the feeling of getting smoother and better, and sometimes new idea comes up during my practise.

You have stated what constitutes the developement of magical effects. If you look at someone who is a fine artist that paints in oils you will see the result of many hours of practice and experimentation. In the beginning that person began to practice and master the basics such as color theory, composition, finding out all the properties of his chosen medium (oil paint in this case). Once he had a handle on this, a style and technique of his own began to evolve and he began to create & express his own unique view of the world around him. So it is with magic the creation begins with a knowledge and mastery of the "tools" (sleights). An idea or plot is born and with the acquired tools the idea/plot becomes a creation & thus a reality. If you see it in this perpective then creating becomes the natural progression. Try to practice with a purpose, let your mind & imagination go and never give up. BTW I love to practice!! And remember this famous quote...Never attempt, in public, anything that cannot be performed with the utmost ease,in private.">>>> Maskelyne/Devant.
<<<KRaZy4kardz>>>

I support your thoughts fully, Bill.

Magicians that are recognised and respected are those that spend hours and hours practicing.

so if you are practising anywhere, how about the people watching you? Aren't they very likely to catch on on what you are doing?
Especially if you are practising?

Edith

I think you make a good point, Edith! I don't practice anywhere that other people can see what I'm doing. If you're palming a coin in public that's one thing, but I wouldn't be practicing false shuffles in public. I believe Henning Nelms makes that point in "Magic and Showmanship."