Why is coin magic so hard!

[King Of Spades]

I've been doing coin work for a while now. I've realized that as far as an audience is concerned you putting a coin in your hand is you putting a coin in your hand.
Don't bog yourself down with fifty variations of a vanish, as beautiful as retention vanishes are they are in most cases unnatural. The only time a spectator holds a coin at the fingertips is when they are handing it to themselves or grabbing it from another person. They never reposition the coin to the fingertips to pass it from one hand to the other. In this sense the classic palm vanish is the best vanish out there. If you have a coin on your palm and you go to put it in the other hand that's what it would look like. There are a lot of knacky coin moves that take weeks or months to master properly but you will most likely never use them in the real world; and if you do then it won't be enough to justify the work you put into it. You only need a good put vanish, a take vanish, a shuttle pass, and a coins across routine (which may require a goshman pinch) to be recognized by the lay public as a magician that can perform magic with coins. You don't need fifteen angle-sensitive variations of the hanging coins. Practice the core sleights to a point where they are invisible, motivate their use in your routines, and then you should be more than happy practicing the other coin sleights to show off to magician friends or to the mirror.

Trust me, it makes coin magic a whole lot easier

 

[Icecool]

I agree coin magic is very hard and frustrating. The smallest flash makes the coin shine, and people to see it! I get angry stop and keep one practising the day ofter som time hehe..

 

[Marcos]

My advice would be telling you to practice the real move before you practice a technique. If you're going to do ANYTHING, do it for real before, so you can see how i would look, then - when doing the sleight - try to make it look as "normal" as possible; worked for me, i hope it works for you.

 

[R.Santos]

This may seem off topic a bit but bare with me.....I don't feel the nuances or technicality of certain sleights is what makes coin magic hard. It is your ability to "sell" to your spectators what you are doing is what you are "really doing". The biggest challenges I have come to face with the subject has been body language and timing. I have come to learn that you can create time for palming or holding out coins, w/ some convincing body language and misdirection. May sound silly but getting into sponge ball magic can help with timing and body language a ton. Many of the principals are similar and your basically doing some of the same things w/ a more forgiving tool. They are easier to handle, don't clink, or shine : ) I personally started w/ coins first and found the transition to spong magic much easier. I always felt though starting with the latter first would of have taken my grasp on the timing and body language of coin magic much easier. Just food for thought. I agree with king of spades...learn a few solid puts, takes, and shuttles..as far as palms go I really only use classic,finger,and edge grip more than any other palms. I know this post is a little late but just some food for thought