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JSHEDDY New user 52 Posts |
Hi, whenever I perform for people I get really nervous even if they are my family. Is this normal for starting magicians and if so how can I get over it? Thanks
"Few people realize that even a simple trick in the hands of a capable performer can become a minor miracle."
- Dai Vernon |
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Steve Friedberg Inner circle 1402 Posts |
Yes, it's perfectly normal... and the best way to get over it is to practice, practice, practice... and then do it in front of people.
You're human... you will make mistakes...but you will also get better at relating to your audiences the more you perform in front of them. Have total confidence in your technical skills, and the other side of the coin will follow in due course. Best of luck.
Cheers,
Steve "A trick does not fool the eyes, but fools the brain." -- John Mulholland |
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tglund Regular user Broomfield, CO, USA 115 Posts |
Jsheddy,
Unfortunately, there is no magic pill for this. You can overcome stage fright, but it is a process. Steve has it exactly right. Practicing your effects until you have them down cold, will allow you to focus on presentation. Performing in front of several audiences will also help you get the experience needed to overcome stage fright. Sorry I don't have an easier answer for you, but if you work through the process you will be greatly rewarded for your efforts. Don't feel like you are alone. Everyone here started out just like you and everyone has had to deal with stage fright so you are in good company. Hang in there and keep practicing. |
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JSHEDDY New user 52 Posts |
Thank you tglund and Steve for the advice and I will keep practicing. Thanks again.
"Few people realize that even a simple trick in the hands of a capable performer can become a minor miracle."
- Dai Vernon |
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Callin Regular user Portland, Oregon 123 Posts |
After about 15 years of doing magic, I quit for a while. I worked as an actor and singer, so I was in front of people all of the time, but when I started performing magic again, my hands shook so bad that I couldn't even hold onto the cards.
That was about 11 years ago and the good news is the shaking goes away, but the nervousness is still there. Its no longer a frightened feeling, but an excited one. The more magic you do, the more you will enjoy it. I'm living proof of that. Thanks, Richard Green
Callin's House of Magic
The Pacific Northwest's Largest and Oldest Magic Shop. Established 1953. Visit us at www.callinsmagic.com Ask me about the New Jerry Andrus Movie "A Thing of Wonder" is Available Now! |
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Brian Proctor Inner circle Somewhere 2323 Posts |
I find that if you have a job that deals with people on a consistent time frame (I work at Taco Bell), you don't get nervous as much. I used to be extremely shy. But my people skills improved after working day after day in front of the public. So I don’t really have a problem with showing magic tricks to people. This worked for me. I don't know if it would work for you, everyone is different. But maybe you need a job where you deal with people a lot.
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Bascomb Grecian Loyal user Redding, Ca. 202 Posts |
Great question!
"tglund" above said it best, no magic pill. Years ago, I got the butterflies and nervous. Learn to love it. In fact, I crave it. I just can't get nervous on stage anymore. It is, just not there. Take the feeling and turn it into power! I know that sounds strange, but "learn" to like the feeling. At that point, you can control it. Just remember, YOU control your own physiology. Not the audience. They just want to be entertained.
Welcome to The Magic Cafe'!
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secondbaseman Loyal user Amsterdam 225 Posts |
I am nervous too but also afraid that they will see how I do things or that I'll make a mistake.
Hope that this feeling will go away. Niels |
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longbeach Regular user Toronto, Ont 141 Posts |
I know I am repeating things that have already been said, but learn your tricks well before you present them to people. You should not even have to think about what your hands are doing, then, as other people have stated, you can work on your presentation. Secondbaseman said, "I worry that people will see my mistakes or how I do things." Honestly, people who don't know about magic will not understand what sleight or move you are using for the trick. I find that I can fool laypeople with the simplest of card moves, but what makes me doubt myself is that “I” know how the move is done, so I assume that my audience will pick up on the move I am using. THIS IS NOT TRUE WITH A WELL-DEVELOPED TRICK OR ROUTINE. My only advice is to be very confident in yourself, and be as natural as possible.
Dai Vernon has written a lot about sleight of hand, and the best thing I learned from him is to try to perform the trick as it should appear to the spectator. Be as natural as possible when performing a sleight or move. Make it fluent with the pace of the trick. Don't rush anything or try EXTRA hard to conceal anything that is being done. Always think - "WHAT SHOULD THIS LOOK LIKE TO THE SPECTATOR." Sorry for writing so much. There was just a lot in my head at the time. Trust me, confidence will come when you develop a great routine. |
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Paul Menzel Special user Boise, Idaho 530 Posts |
As has been said, familiarity with your routine should help some with the nervousness, but your frame of mind also plays an important role. Some of the nervousness may come from a sense of guilt. You are about to openly attempt to deceive people (i.e. lie)! It is natural to fear being caught.
Before you perform, close your eyes and take a deep, calming breath. Remind yourself that the gallows in the backyard are not set up to hang you should you make an error. Then smile and entertain them! And if you botch the effect, just work on your disappearing act...and practice some more, especially working on the points that caused problems. That is what experience is all about. And experience only comes from...well, experience. Good luck! Paul M. |
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Leon of PrimRose New user mayfield, new york 69 Posts |
Just keep performing for your family as practice. You'll get over it eventually.
Being forgotten is worse than death
There was never anything but life...life and death...Good...Evil...It all depends on how you look at life... and death. The strong, the weak. It's all just a concept. Believe the unbe |
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Gambit242 New user Monroe, La 68 Posts |
One other trick to help you overcome nervousness...
Is to tense up every muscle in your body. Hold it for about 10 seconds, then release. As everyone else has mentioned, being prepared will also solve most of your nervousness. Hope this helps. Gambit242 |
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spatrick Special user Tom Sawyer let me whitewash these 517 Posts |
I can't add much to that. I will say that nervousness will always stay with you, as it is human nature. However the best thing to do is to turn that into excitement. Start your show with an effect you know cold. That way after you get the first applause, the feeling of nervousness changes into excitement. Prepare before the show by telling yourself that you are going to give a great show, take some deep breaths, and think about how much fun you and your audience are going to have. That’s the best cure for the shakes I have ever found.
S. Patrick |
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devin_devil New user 49 Posts |
It’s just natural to get nervous while performing,
and the only way to overcome it is to keep performing. |
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Billgussen Elite user Central Japan 497 Posts |
For lack of a better term, there is good nervous and bad nervous.
Good nervous is when you look at your audience wondering if they are having a good time now, and if your performance will put them into an even better frame of mind. Wondering how well you will "connect" with them. Bad nervous is when you are wondering if you will screw up during this performance, or even worse, knowing you will screw up, just not knowing how. Like everyone above mentioned, the best way to get rid of "bad nervousness" is to know your material flat; to have a routine, to know where things can go wrong in your routine; and to know your way out of those tough situations (if you lose the chosen card in the middle of a deck, you might have the invisible deck in your pocket as a back-up to your original trick). You don't want to get rid of the good nervousness, because that is actually your excitement in performing. When you are no longer worried about doing a good performance, that usually means, not that you are performing at your peak, but rather that you don't care about performing magic anymore. Best of luck, Bill |
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Dbzkid999 Elite user Canada 407 Posts |
Sometimes when you perform, you tend to hesitate and then screw up.
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jonesc2ii Loyal user Oxford, England 235 Posts |
I also find that if I just accept that I WILL mess something up I can also accept that it doesn't matter! So in the unlikely event that everything goes exactly how it should that's a bonus, if I drop something or get my angles wrong I can just shrug, make a joke of it and make sure I do it better next time.
www.ixyl.co.uk/forums - for when you fancy a debate or a quiet chat.
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oldguy New user 83 Posts |
I'm a magic hobbyist. One of the things I admire when I see a pro is their apparent ease. I've never done a stage act but I have had a lot of experience in public speaking. Years ago, in business, I had a mentor who insisted I learn and called on me constantly for speeches. One year I did 22, the biggest audience was about 700. Although my wife said it didn't show, I never got over being nervous. I felt my voice was quavering, always. However I found the better I prepared the better I did. Also the more speeches I made the easier it was. My advice is to practice and do. Tom
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rowdymagi5 Inner circle Virginia 3616 Posts |
Believe it or not, there are seasoned pro's out there that still get nervous during performances! It happens!
My advice is to keep working hard, and know your material inside and out. Don’t let the nervousness control you, you control it. Takes practice! |
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Jesper Amstrup New user Denmark 89 Posts |
Learn a few very easy or self-working tricks and build a good presentation. The easy effects let you focus on presentation.
As anyone that has been into magic for more than a little while knows *presentation is everything*. Other than that…?? I never practiced in front of my family or very close friends. Misdirection doesn’t work as well on them as strangers. You can misdirect strangers very easily. Just ask them if they remember the card, and they will look you in the eyes while you do some dirty work. Family don't necessarily behave that way. Practice a couple of outs you can use if you mess up. An ID or a cull/card to pocket and you have your safety net. And now that you know that you have backup, you won't mess up. Sure, sometimes you get caught. So does the pros. Learn to live with it. As you get better the periods of time between you get caught will get longer and longer. Have confidence in yourself. What may seem obvious to you will be fantastic to your audience. Today I blew some 12 year olds away with that "pulling the thumb off" that your grandpa does. I used it as a gag and their jaws dropped. Hmmm,I thought everybody knew that one? Anyway, don't care if you mess up. You will blow them away with your next trick. Jesper |
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