theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

What's With All The Lefties?

The Tumbleweed

The Tumbleweed

Feb 5, 2008
2,297
1
Blue Mountains, NSW
Eric Jones said:
Actually I'm a lefty with both cards and coins.

I think southpaws who have been successful in magic, have really had to overcome a major learning curve that would discourage most others. We have to dedicate ourselves to watch/read the learning medium we're studying and then process it backwards in order to retain it. This changes the way we look at the world, not just in magic. This often does alter the creative process, but doesn't give the left handed magician/person any advantage over anyone else.

As far as creativity goes, here's an exercise I invite you all to try. I promise this will get your creative juices flowing. Pick up any magic book, instead of looking through the method, read and re-read the description of the effect. Imagine that you were viewing that effect for the very first time w/ your "Spectator Cap" on. After you've imagined the moments of astonishment, only then do you conjure your own methods to achieve the same effect. Use all the techniques and gimmicks you already have knowledge of, and have access to.

Once you're satisfied w/ your own method, only then read the published method to see how close you came. Perhaps you can combine your method w/ the published method to come up with something completely new. It's a technique that I've employed over the years, and I certainly invite you to do the same.

E-Roc
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Woah, thanks :D
I've been tring to find a way of creating effects and this sounds like a great way to go about it. If only I hadn't read all my magic books about 50 times each :p
 
Flyspazz

Flyspazz

Nov 23, 2007
607
1
52
NC
I'm a lefty also. Except for some reason I throw a baseball with my right arm.
For everything else the left is dominant.
 
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J

James Smith

May 31, 2008
1,914
0
I am not left handed, but I do all of my magic with my left hand.

Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) was right-handed, but he played guitar with his left.

I don't think there is any connection between left-handed people and magic though.
 
j.flynt

j.flynt

Jul 25, 2008
97
0
Upstate New York
I'm exactly the same way, I am a right handed person for throwing, and writing, but my magic is also in the right hand, which is considered lefty for magicians.
 
Atrik

Atrik

Feb 7, 2008
18
0
MagicShadow9 said:
Guys, keep in mind that some of those left handed artist may still be right-handed. John Carney is right handed but he still hold the deck in his right hand. On his palming DVD he says that since the "mechanics grip" hand has to do most of the work in most sleights so he wants his dominant hand to do most of the work.
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Very interesting topic. I'm completely right handed, I can't do crap with my left hand but for some reason, ever since I started doing magic I held the deck in my right hand. It wasn't until I got DVDs and books that I was like, wait wtf is going on, why are they holding the deck that way?

It is a pain to learn flourishes and all that good stuff but now that I'm used to it, its fine. I just note finger movements and etc and adapt. Over the shoulder shots never work for me.

If you think about it, its kind of weird in general. Right handed people hold the deck in their left hand, vice versa. Crazy phenomenon.
 
Reactions

Reactions

Mar 15, 2009
77
0
Minnesota
This is a very interesting point, as lots of influential artists (both in the magic industry and out) are left handed.

I'm naturally right handed, but I have worked with my left hand a ton recently, and have become almost 100% ambodextrous. It's kinda cool, because I can now complete complex one handed cuts in each hand, at the same time. However, it can be a dilemma at the same time, trying to keep both hands at the same pace.
 
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