Hi All:

I would like to get your opinions on practice time schedule.
How many hours do you usually practice a day and how do you schedule it? I'm currently a graduate student pursuing a engineering degree, so I don't have much time practicing; but I really want to practice. Sometimes if I practice for too long, I kindda feel guilty for not doing my research enough. I remember back in high school, I literally had to put all cards beyond my reach when I do homework; otherwise I would somehow end up with a deck in my hands.
I always wonder how a skilled magician like Guy Hollingworth got any time to practice; I believe he had lots of law books to read too. I read that Ed marlo modified his machines to finish many hours' work within one hour and then he would practice for the rest of the time. Man I wish I could do something like that, but unfortunately I'm not that smart of a guy.

Just sit down and really look at what you spend "wasted" time on. Lots of people say they don't have time to do anything but spend hours a day scrolling through Facebook or posting on forums... If you have time to do stuff like that then you definitely have time to practice. Just a thought

I write up a practice schedule...

- I perform all my go to routines WELL at least once...
(If I stumble, then I practice again putting special emphasis on getting it right.. Even if I stumble something simple... if it can happen in practice it is bound to happen in performance)

- Perform 3 different go to DLs 52 times each.

- Practice the Versa Switch for about 10 minutes.

- Practice for about 10 minutes a move that seems out of my ability (currently the one handed riffle, I have no idea why this is so difficult for me lol)

- Practice the RoadRunner Cull for about 15 mins.

- spend 20 minutes on the "Ultimate Aranson Stack Learner App"


For me this is about two hours of practice (OF closeup practice, I do another hour of hardcore card manipulation practice), But I have worked up to this point.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND starting your daily practice routine off simple (EXAMPLE: 52 DLs, and your go to routines once each).
The less your daily routine consists of the more likely you are to do it daily, even on days when you don't want to (and those days will come eventually).
Once you really have good practice habits down... start to increase your practice routine one bit at a time.


Tips:
- I really recommend turning the top card FU and performing DL's (moving the top card to the bottom after each DL) till you hit the face up card, once a day.
The DL is an "easy move" supposedly... but it is also one of the most used moves in magic... having a great DL is a HUGE asset. By doing a certain DL just 52 times a day then in one months time you will have done that DL nearly 2000 times! And it will show in your performance.
The three I practice are a strike, simulated pushoff with PC get ready, as well as the Stuart Gordon... I feel that these 3 will (usually) cover my performance needs.

- I also cannot recommend enough practicing a move that you consider too difficult for just 5 or 10 minutes a day. Do a different move each day even... You will find the muscle memory that goes into effect will make it that much easier when you come back to it. Its almost like learning a move without really practicing it... once you can atleast perform the move, throw it into your daily practice routine so that you will eventually be able to perform it a smooth pace and without hesitation.

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I wanted to format this post better but it is late, so sorry about that.
This is just what I do for me, and I feel it has really increased my performances 10x Fold, and my cocnfidence 100x fold.
Also important is each day for 30 minutes I pick a different move/effect/routine/patter that I do and really try to analyze its weaknesses and how it can be improved. I do not perform very many different effects, but I feel my current practice routine helps me to perform all my favorite effects in a manner that honors the effects creator. Thanks for reading and hope this helps

Ryan Lockwood

Scheduling is a matter of taste. But just make sure that you are aware of yourself while you're practicing. It can be easy to get lost in the meditation of doing moves over and over without actually trying to improve them.

Very true and very true. Hope my post didn't come off as "this is how you should practice"... rather its how I practice and maybe hearing that can spark an idea or something for you...

Larson makes a good point though, with a deck of cards its easy to just kindof get zoned out... stay focused on what your practicing, why you are, and how you could possibly make the move less detectable... more motivated.. ect.

@RJLockwood
Thank you very much for your solid suggestion. I just happened to make my practice more organized. I agree DL is one of the most important moves in card magic, and I admit I didn't put enough emphasis on practicing it. I used to to thumb count and push-off get ready frequently, and recently I started to be able to pulling off the pinky count (I don't know why this move was so hard for me before). I never got guts to the strike type no get-ready DL though.

Merchant of Magic (online magic shop) have a very good free ebook on practising magic, which I have found very helpful. http://blog.magicshop.co.uk/2015/08/appr......ook.html

@Otto wow thanks so much for that resource. Already read 40 pages and the author really seems to have a good grasp on the subject. He said some things in there that I have thought myself but not known how to articulate in words.
Also I already use ever note for the exact same purpose! haha

1. Whats your style? How do you want your magic to look? Where do you perform most of the time? That is an important question to ask before you chose what to practice. If you want to become more than decent, you can't dabble in everything.

2. Realize that you do not have to learn everything to be a good magician. There is no need to perfect 17 double lifts, 25 controls, 19 shifts and 895 false cutes etc. Practice what you use or think that you will use. Be honest with yourself. Don't learn something just because it is interesting from a magicians point of view. No one cares about that. I watched Jason Englands, who is in my opinion one of the greatest card handlers alive, penguin live lecture where someone asked him about in the hands false riffle shuffles. And he honestly told them that he had not practiced any and barely had learnt how to do a normal in the hands shuffle. Why? Because he always performs using a table when doing shuffle work. (amazing lecture by the way, everyone should watch it!)

3. Set realistic goals and create a plan on how do get there. I personally believe that most people fail, in many areas in life, not because they don't have the passion and disciplin, but because their plan is not realistic.

If you are a student or a family man/woman, father, mother etc it might not be realistic to learn 5 different shifts, as well as working on the bottom, center and second deal while at the same time working on 15 routines. However, you might have time to perfect the second deal and a shift and 5 routines. Again, DO NOT think that you have to learn everything to become a great magician.

4. Focused practice. Turn everything off. Just sit there and practice your moves. 100% pure concentration. It might be BORING, But it is way more effective to practice with 100% focus for an hour as well as analyzing the practice process than just practicing randomly a little bit of this move and a little bit of that move, while watching tv and checking Facebook every 5 minutes.

I too went to school for engineering and to be honest It just does not afford you enough time. As always it depends on the focus. I went to school for Civil Engineering with a focus in Geo technical engineering. For those six years I pretty much did nothing else. I would find my most meaningful practices walking to class, or sitting on a bus. Even when studying I would find that having a deck in my hands and practicing the same thing over and over again made my handling a bit more comfortable. But as always without a mirror I was always working out kinks and such. After I completed school I found so much free time that it was kind of scary lol I threw most of it into playing music and practicing in front of a mirror.

I suppose what I am getting at is yes there are always ways to practice, but magic will never go anywhere. You can always focus on your degree then completely consume yourself in the world of illusion after. I am not saying give up and wait, but that is always an option depending on your zeal to do engineering. For me at least school was my life and I found myself lost within its grasp. As I look back I wish I would have done more through college to enjoy it, but I don't regret any of it. Anyways...long live the Engineering Magicians!