Thumb cut

[SeraphSigma]

Hey guys, I would like to ask for your advice here.

I am new to cardistry, and have purchased Genesis by Andrei Jikh. It's awesome, and I must comment the excellent job on the project.

The problem I face currently is the thumb cut. Description might be a little tricky, so please bear with me.

There is a point in the thumb cut where the deck is held between the thumb and the base of the fingers. However, I was unable to do that even after numerous attempts, and I could only hold the deck between my thumb and the inner phalanx. Due to this, my middle finger was not able to reach over to the edge of the deck, and even when dropped it poses quite some difficulty.

I know that size of the hand is not a valid excuse, so I am wondering if I might have missed some nuance along the way. Thanks in advance!

 

[canadamagic]

I don't own Genesis though I have known the Thumb cut for years, reveiw the explination again and just practice.

 

[ensurce09]

thats odd... have you tried doing stretches b4 you start playing? typically problems happen in the fretting hand from not stretching, but I cant think of what would cause your picking thumb to hurt....

are you finger-picking?

is it a soreness / bruised feeling or more like a "cut" feeling?

 

[SeraphSigma]

Oh no, not so much of hurting but more of being unable to reach the far edge of the deck. As I am only able to clip the deck between the thumb and the inner most phalanx of the finger, I could only free up the middle and the outermost phalanx, which isn;t long enough for me to reach over.

Thanks for the response still! It is greatly appreciated.

 

[ensurce09]

I dont think this would prevent you from doing the double charlier. Running charliers are the best way to improve the thumb cut. Be LOOSE and extend that thumb. Do a charlier then grip for packet flips- now your also in thumb cut position.
But definitely start with running charliers. This advice is what worked for me.

 

[TheatreHead]

I dont think this would prevent you from doing the double charlier. Running charliers are the best way to improve the thumb cut. Be LOOSE and extend that thumb. Do a charlier then grip for packet flips- now your also in thumb cut position.
But definitely start with running charliers. This advice is what worked for me.

really? I can do running charliers without thinking, but my thumb cut is still taking me awhile to get proficient.

 

[Bruno19]

Huron from the virts wrote a post that helped me on moves like that, the advice was to reverse the move till the point that is giving you trouble to see which way is more confortable to your hand.
Its like andrey say on genesis itself, there is no right way to do a move there is the way that fits better on your hands.

 

[kingjacktherapist]

you can apply more pressure with the thumb to bend the deck a bit. or practice with small packets and gradually increase the number of cards over time

 

[necrofiend]

the best way I found to do it when I was first learning it, and I have very long fingers.... was to push the deck as far as I could toward the base of my thumb before propping it up... that allowed for a lot of room to get my fingers to the edge with ease... also bending the deck a bit with the thumb grip helps too

 

[Sinful07]

Hello,

Having small hands myself and basing everything on that quote 'Having small hands is not an excuse' i pondered around with the thumb cut and found a solution.

Its all about adjusting your grip. Majority of people who can do the thumb cut flawlessly do it while they're in mechanics grip, whilst i myself have to re-adjust the deck to a much much deeper grip. My thumb extends way beyond the top of the deck to reach and split the top packet and executing the thumb cut.

Its a hassle, but that's how i do it. Its obviously easier when doing double one handed cuts, as the deck you're holding is now thinner and is therefore easier to execute the cut.

Cheers!

-Sin