theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards
Arm spread, any good tutorials?
- Thread starter Shawty
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i got this part down, the problem for me is spreading them evenly
the explination for the downwards catch (throwing them up and catching them) in the dvd Xtreme BeginnerZ by Superhandz is great
basically, spread the cards on your arm, hold one hand over your other hand, sorta lift your hand up throwing the cards into the air and just catch with your other hand
What they don't explain well in the DVD is how to actually spread them
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umm buy jerry cetskowski's encyclopedia of playing card flourishes available at his site, should help loads, and he teaches alot more variations to the armspread too
Well, if you're having trouble with the spread, look up some ribbon spread tutorials, practice that, then move it to your arm.i got this part down, the problem for me is spreading them evenly
the explination for the downwards catch (throwing them up and catching them) in the dvd Xtreme BeginnerZ by Superhandz is great
basically, spread the cards on your arm, hold one hand over your other hand, sorta lift your hand up throwing the cards into the air and just catch with your other hand
What they don't explain well in the DVD is how to actually spread them
yeah i tried that, but only got a hard wood table that's not really fit for ribbon spreads eh :\
find a blanket or something, a bed sheet works great for ribbon spreads imo, just put some kinda surface over the table a cloth or something and ur set
he's right, if you find a sheet or something, you don't ruin your cards dropping them so many times...
If your using a method for table spreads to do an armspread that won't get you anywhere. Xtreme Beginners and the Encyclopedia would be your best bet.
Tips:
1. Concentrate on eveness just like a fan, any lopsidedness will throw the whole catch or turnover.
2. Put as much pressure as possible when spreading the deck on your arm. This will squeeze any air inbetween cards just like a pressure fan giving the spread more structure and thus making it easier to manipulate.
3. Place your arm flat on a table and practice your armspreads that way. You need to get used to holding your arm flat and parallel with the ground to start developing good armspread habits.
4. Very broken in decks should be used, any deck you can do a birdy fan with, or cobra cut should be in great condition to do armspreads. Remember just because you can fan a deck perfectly doesn't mean it's going to be good for armspreads. Use fanning powder if you have it, makes your world a lot easier.
Tips:
1. Concentrate on eveness just like a fan, any lopsidedness will throw the whole catch or turnover.
2. Put as much pressure as possible when spreading the deck on your arm. This will squeeze any air inbetween cards just like a pressure fan giving the spread more structure and thus making it easier to manipulate.
3. Place your arm flat on a table and practice your armspreads that way. You need to get used to holding your arm flat and parallel with the ground to start developing good armspread habits.
4. Very broken in decks should be used, any deck you can do a birdy fan with, or cobra cut should be in great condition to do armspreads. Remember just because you can fan a deck perfectly doesn't mean it's going to be good for armspreads. Use fanning powder if you have it, makes your world a lot easier.
Aight, i'll give this a shot.
Btw, for the spread itself, what's doing the work? is it your fingers or your thumb?
Whatever method will work for you, for the most part the spreading should come from the fingers when most people do, again there's no real method. Even though people learn a set technique for table spreads, ie these fingers here, here, and here. Once you master the basics of the table spread you can pretty much do the spread any way you want cause you know how the deck behaves to beveling and so forth.
As for catches, what particular catch are you trying to learn right now? There are no turnover down catches, half-turnover down catches, and same hand fall catches. I'll assume that it's the same hand fall catch because that's one people seem to want to learn first.
You shouldn't really be putting too much force into the "tossing" of the spread. Think of lift your arm and then dropping suddenly to catch the spread. The spread holds the shape easier than actually tossing with force. Follow the tips I gave above, if the spread isn't good to begin with, it's not going to be good for anything. In that case, in performance situations, do a glide catch or down catch, if you realize the spread isn't good. A good practice method to help you keep from dropping so much is to practice over your bed. No bad bed jokes here, but the bed isn't as high as a table, but definitely not as low as the floor. Plus the sheets(which should be clean) will help you deal less with deck condition.
As for catches, what particular catch are you trying to learn right now? There are no turnover down catches, half-turnover down catches, and same hand fall catches. I'll assume that it's the same hand fall catch because that's one people seem to want to learn first.
You shouldn't really be putting too much force into the "tossing" of the spread. Think of lift your arm and then dropping suddenly to catch the spread. The spread holds the shape easier than actually tossing with force. Follow the tips I gave above, if the spread isn't good to begin with, it's not going to be good for anything. In that case, in performance situations, do a glide catch or down catch, if you realize the spread isn't good. A good practice method to help you keep from dropping so much is to practice over your bed. No bad bed jokes here, but the bed isn't as high as a table, but definitely not as low as the floor. Plus the sheets(which should be clean) will help you deal less with deck condition.
If your having trouble with catching the cards, like a little packet at the place nearest to your shoulder. It can then go into your hand more easily.