new to cardistry, help?

[Kidkal]

Hi, i just started looking into cardistry a couple of days ago, and really want to learn it. i have come to one problem though.
my finger flexibility...
my fingers only go so far back, and it really limits what i can do with them.
are there any stretches that will help me loosen up my fingers to be able to perform these tricks, or will my unflexible fingers be limited for the rest of my life?

when you practice do you practice with both your hands? im right handed, but should i still be practicing with my left hand?
know anyways to make my left hand stronger and faster?

Also what to you recommend for me to start doing to practice first? im practicing the charliet cut, which i almost have down smoothly. what do you recommend i start doing after that? list the cuts and flourishes and fans ion order that you think are easiest.

also, where do you guys buy your cards? are the stores that sell good cards or do you all buy your cards online?

any other advice you may have for me?

i have decided this is really something i want to pursue, and so please, any help would be nice.

 

[canadamagic]

Hi, i just started looking into cardistry a couple of days ago, and really want to learn it. i have come to one problem though.
my finger flexibility...
my fingers only go so far back, and it really limits what i can do with them.
are there any stretches that will help me loosen up my fingers to be able to perform these tricks, or will my unflexible fingers be limited for the rest of my life?

when you practice do you practice with both your hands? im right handed, but should i still be practicing with my left hand?
know anyways to make my left hand stronger and faster?

Also what to you recommend for me to start doing to practice first? im practicing the charliet cut, which i almost have down smoothly. what do you recommend i start doing after that? list the cuts and flourishes and fans ion order that you think are easiest.

also, where do you guys buy your cards? are the stores that sell good cards or do you all buy your cards online?

any other advice you may have for me?

i have decided this is really something i want to pursue, and so please, any help would be nice.

Alrighty lets start the list:
Your flexability of your fingers isn't too big of a deal and won't be determind by how far back you can bend your fingers.
If you check out DanandDave they have some finger streatches out that can help you lossen up a bit.
I always practice with both of my hands, for example I make sure that I can perform the same thing with either hand, ex a charlier with the right OR left hand at any time smoothly. You never know what a flourish might require so it is better to be able to already perform with either hand.
There are some hand strengtheners that are also on DanandDaves site if you check it out, I have one myself but don't use it that often. I think that practice is the best way to gain speed and strength in all of the right places. Only time and effort will give you good results.
I order cards online simply for astetics, I think flourishing with "fancy" cards looks better. But to practice I just use regular bikes that can be picked up wherever they sell'em.

Whats next:
I would continue working on one handed cuts, like the Thumb Cut, or the Scissor hand cut is a good one to work out flexability and dextarity in your hands. Some others would be the Revolution Cut, and many others you can find skimming through youtube.
For fans things like a thumb fan and blank fan are something good to strive for. A simple one hand fan is crucial and something you should definately be able to do with both hands. Once you get those down you can persure looking for more.


If you really want to look into cardistry seriously maybe looking at some DVD's wouldn't hurt. Genesis would be an excellent place to start.

I hope I've been helpful and if you have any other questions don't hesitate to send me a PM where I can be of more help, and for a time I'm not trying to write this off at 1 in the morning haha.

Best of Luck!

 

[mattylyonsmagic]

Hi, i just started looking into cardistry a couple of days ago, and really want to learn it. i have come to one problem though.
my finger flexibility...
my fingers only go so far back, and it really limits what i can do with them.
are there any stretches that will help me loosen up my fingers to be able to perform these tricks, or will my unflexible fingers be limited for the rest of my life?

when you practice do you practice with both your hands? im right handed, but should i still be practicing with my left hand?
know anyways to make my left hand stronger and faster?

Also what to you recommend for me to start doing to practice first? im practicing the charliet cut, which i almost have down smoothly. what do you recommend i start doing after that? list the cuts and flourishes and fans ion order that you think are easiest.

also, where do you guys buy your cards? are the stores that sell good cards or do you all buy your cards online?

any other advice you may have for me?

i have decided this is really something i want to pursue, and so please, any help would be nice.

Finger flexibility and strength are factors that do not really come into play until you are learning advanced flourishes such as the Leno Cut etc. You do not need this just yet but if you want it, I suggest buying a Pro Hand Exerciser from dananddave.com.

When practicing one handed cuts it is always good to practice with both hands. If you can do a perfect charlier, revolution, thumb and scissor cut in both hands you are on the way to being a great flourisher as it will be easy for you to create cool one handed cut combos.

As for what to learn next: Revolution Cut, Thumb Cut, Scissor Cut, Thumb Fan, One Handed Fan, Carnahan Fan, Card Spring, Swing Cut Combos. Those would be my recommendations.

I buy most of my cards from eBay, as you can sometimes find some real bargains there.

Extra advice: NEVER GIVE UP ON A MOVE! Perseverance is the key to mastering flourishes! Practice at least 3 hours a day and your on the road to awesomeness!

Hope this helped,

-Matty

 

[saborfang17]

D&D sell these hand exercisers at their site that increase hand strength, possibly flexibility (not sure at all). It helps if you play an instrument such as the piano or violin, because those require flexibility and dexterity in your fingers to quickly play, so that always help. Last but not least, the Trilogy DVD "everythingelse" has 4 hand exercises to help you "warm up" right before flourishing and magic.

For fans and cuts, learn all the cuts taught on Genesis. These include the scissor cut, thumb cut, revolution cut, and more, I think. Those are the only ones I can remember. Learn the thumb fan and one-handed fan, dribbling cards, and springing cards (I'm still working on my spring). I would just recommend buying Genesis first and learning everything in there, honestly.

For cards, I use a variety of cards. Bikes, Bees, Tally-hos, Bee Stingers, and Studs, to name a few. Those are the ones I would recommend, since Studs are only $2 @ Walgreens, and Bikes, Bees, and Tally-ho decks are around $2 here @ t11, give or take a few cents. Bee Stingers just handle pretty amazing for flourishing, in my opinion, and I like how they look. So, yeah..