New to Magic

[Malicious]

Well this is my very first post on Theory11. I heard its a GREAT place for magicians but probably not the best for people JUST starting out, dunno cause their isn't a beginners forum. So I guess i'll just talk a lil about myself.

I'm 16 and I want to start doing magic as a hobby because I don't really got any hobbies now since I used to paintball and do 3D Model Editing but now their becoming a daily thing and I want to major in 3D Model Editing and paintball is now a sport then a hobby cause I'm in a team and etc...

So I don't really know MUCH about magic just the only reason why I got into it is because I just showed a simple trick to my parents that I learned online and they were surprised.

I picked up this deck of cards today, my first deck of cards, they are http://www.jjtinc.net/catalog/popup_image.php?pID=243&osCsid=16573216e8988e5a9b1a14dca22fe31a


So basically my question is...

How can I learn magic?
Is that deck of cards I bought good for magic?
Can ANY deck of cards be used for magic?
Is their a forum or website that I can go to that helps magic beginners?
Basically ... how can I learn to get good in magic cause I know nothing atm.

 

[filth0013]

1. learn from books, dvds. dvds are probably better for beginners. if your looking for card magic, definitely get Born to Perform Card Magic by oz pearlman. http://www.penguinmagic.com/product.php?ID=618

2 and 3: decks dont really matter, but i'd probably recommend bicycle playing cards. theyre the most common, and arent expensive. very good quality.

some tricks require gimmicks, which is something you specially buy that makes the trick work. i'd recomend learning sleight of hand first.

here are some websites for magic:

www.penguinmagic.com
www.ellusionist.com
www.theory11.com

 

[Toby]

Hello and welcome to Theory11 and the world of magic

This is pritty much a "beginners" forum, you just have to search for topics that are adressed to beginners.

It would be best if you start learning magic from books. Two of my favourites, and the ones i recomend, are "Royal Road to Card Magic" by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue, and the other one is "Card College" by Roberto Giobbi.

You can also start by learning from DVD's. If you decide to do that, go with the "Born to Performe" by Oz Pearlman, or "Crash Course 1" from Ellusionist.

You can do magic with any deck, but i dont think that you can do every move in magic as efficiant as it should be, with just any deck. So you should by either the Bicycle card's od Tally Ho, they are the best on the market for beginners (and pritty much everyone else ).

I hope i helped. And remember, alltho it's just a hobbie for you, you still need to put time and practise into your magic.

Enjoy...

 

[DavidMisner]

It's always nice to have a beginner here. The best source to learn the basics of card magic would be Royal Road to Card Magic. Also, in the 1-on-1 section, Aaron Fisher has 2 videos that teach Card Fundamentals, including the Double Lift and a false shuffle. Check them out.

As for cards, Bicycle Rider Back cards are excellent to start with. They are cheap, can be bought everywhere, and are very good quality. Yes, ay cards can be used, but some are better than others. Try to avoid 100% plastic cards. As I said before, start with Rider Backs, they are the best.

As for websites, almost all are good. T11 is an excellent place to learn about magic, as is Penguin, Ellusionist (but they may be a bit strict), as well as any other forum you can find. Try to avoid sites where they expose magic tricks, as that can get you in trouble.

Also, if you know of a magic shop near you, I suggest walking in and telling them you are a beginner magician that is looking for a good way to get more advanced. I can guarantee that they will know exactly how to help you.

Hope this helps!

David

 

[CJ11]

1) From books, DVD's, PDF's, and video downloads.
2) Any deck is fine for magic, but many state that Tally Ho's are very good.
3) Yes
4) Yes, here are a few:
www.penguinmagic.com
www.ellusionist.com
www.theory11.com
5) Hours upon hours of practice

 

[Avancer]

Hey man, and welcome, this place is great for anyone, the atmosphere is great and so is the help.

Rather than type up another essay and just repeat what the above people have said, I'll just say heed their advice and welcome to T11

 

[TheGame]

As a recent beginner myself, I think the BEST piece of advice I can offer is this.

Do NOT try to learn too many tricks at once. Start with one or two and learn them. Be able to do them with your eyes closed. Try not to get overwhelmed with magic.

When I started I was told this and I didn't listen. I spent like hundreds upon hundreds of dollars on fancy cards, dvd's, gimmicks, before I realised I was just learning how to do tricks and not perform them. So I put it all away or sold some, and just work on a couple tricks at a time. Like the ones off Born to Perform and Crash Course 1 as explained above.

And like it has been said, be disciplined and practice. Do not perform until you are 100%. Don't let people know your magic.

TheGame

 

[lazydog]

Learn from T11, E, Penguin, friends, Themagiccafe, books, dvds, and personal exploration of creativity. Go get em' my friend! Welcome

###lazydog

 

[CaesarMagic]

Hey,
Welcome to the World well I dont know if you seen this or not but check it out aight enjoy, oh by the way I would suggest Card Fundamentals Vol.1 and Vol.2on the 1-on-1 and Born to Perform Card Magic by Oz Pearlman and always practice, please dont learn a trick and perform it a second later well yeah hope you have fun learning and performing.

http://www.theory11.com/beginners.php

 

[Johnlawl]

Sup dude. welcome. the dudes above me gave the links when I first started.

The longer your in Magic, the longer you get good. I think.

And for the deck of cards. BICYCLE. Always get Bicycle. Everyone knows them. And always practice your trivks before you show people.

OH, ANY deck of cards can be used for magic. But regular Bicycle cards are the best. red and blue. You can get some cheap ones at Costco.

Um, for me, I dont think the deck you bought is good. But you can still use it though. So yeah dude.

 

[RichmanMatthew]

As addicting as DVD's may be at first, try to start with books. It will get you in a good habbit. Don't get me wrong, some DVD's are very good for starting out. If you are interested in Card Magic as a beginner, I would recommend Born To Perform Card Maigc if you want a DVD. If you want a Card Magic book, get the Royal Road to Card Magic. For coin magic, get Bobo's Modern Coin Magic. It will teach you just about everything you need in coin magic. Remember this, you can always fit more material in a book.

Either way, good luck in the world of magic. I think that it is an amazing art that is fun to be a part of.

-Matt

 

[Anthony760]

im new

im new to magic and i dont know where to start.

 

[RichmanMatthew]

Im new to magic and i dont know where to start.

As amazing as some of the tricks on this site and many others may look, it is important to get a good basis in sleights first.

 

[CaesarMagic]

the tricks on this web site are awesome but to tell you all the truth if your starting out in magic you may want to wait a few months before you pick these up because some of these trick require knowledge of sleights and most of all aduience managment basically you need a little of expirience

Learn The Basic Moves first once you have perfected them move on

 

[Magic Man4293]

Ok go to Cvs buy a red or blue bicycle deck and say this line ( These are my card there are many like it but these are mine) you don't have to say it but it helps. then decide what kind of magic you like (cards,coins,etc...) Then go to a library and find a book on that subject. Then practice and when you are done Practicing Practice again the work on presentation then perform (for relatives first) then go to Ellusionist.com Penguinmagic.com or stay here any buy some tricks. Enjoy

 

[cenafreak0709]

Welcome! To learn, I Highly recommend watching the video on beginners someone provided. I would recommend going to a convenience store- buy 2 red decks and a blue deck of bicycle cards.This way, you have 1 red deck that can be used for duplicate cards,etc. The blue deck is for tricks where the backs of cards change color. For coins, go to a bank thats unpopular (like in a gas station) and get 7 half dollars. Get the books and dvds everyone has said. A great idea is to get a Fantasma Magic set. These come with professional tricks- you can buy small ones at a dollar store, or a big one at walmart or Target or whereever. If you want sponge balls, look them up at PENGUINMAGIC. There is a dvd called SPONGE which has EVERYTHING you need to do spongeballs.-

Kyle

 

[adjones]

-Royal Road to Card Magic-

-J.B. Bobo's Modern Coin Magic

-13 Steps to Mentalism

-Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic

If you actually take the time to read through all those books, and learn all the stuff you're interested in, you will be so far ahead of the game you can't even comprehend it. You will have a huge knowledge base, and there won't be much out of your skill level.

 

[Aris.SA]

we should do a guide to beginners if there isnt any..

FIRST stay away from YOUTUBE tutorials, maybe you should think they are cool and they are FREE, but they teach you the trick but not with the correct techniques, so you are learning bad, and you wont progress..

SECOND I dont recommend you going to Ellusionist forums and penguin magic forums, ask someone here why

THIRD I suppose you like cards.. so there are FLOURISHES/CARDISTRY and TRICKS, Cardistry is this and there are TRICKS/MAGIC.. So you decide the red pill (cardistry) or the blue pill (magic) or both I do both and love them both..

FOURTH If you select card magic I suppose, you have to know that there are IMPROMPTU Tricks (you can do them with every deck of cards, and you maybe need set ups, but you can do all the stuff with a NORMAL deck of cards) and GIMMICKED (which are special props to do the tricks, maybe Gaffed cards or a whole different things from cards, like magnets etc.). First start with impromptu tricks and try to stay away from gimmicks, unless you really like the trick, cus maybe then you'll get used to use gimmicks and forget ALL the basics, this happened to me when I started.. then I realised that when I got a normal deck of cards there wasnt a trick I could do, cus I didnt bring my gimmick. So First Impromptu and BASICS

FIFTH. get Royal Road to Card Magic, or the Daryls encyclopedia, with this you'll learn the basics from reliable sources.. when you do this make another thread asking for help

If you selected Cardistry
Read thisthread, and visit www.dananddave.com you can see them on the artists section.. And if u wanna rock stay away from HL, jk, trashman dont get mad even thoguh you know its true,jk jk.. Hey if u like cardsitry join Decknique ...

And use BICYCLES if u dont wanna buy online, if u want, then get TALLY HOS, and CENTURIONS, they both rock..

I like paintball too, but I'm not in a team I've just played twice and I love it

Hope this helps

Aris

 

[adjones]

What's wrong with the Penguin Forums? Admittedly, a lot of good users have left, but everyone over there is still helpful, and from what I've seen, the majority of people here are teenagers/kids, while over there, there are plenty of real working people, many over the age of 50 that have been doing this for a long time. There's nothing wrong with the Penguin Forums. Now the Ellusionist forums, that's a different story.

 

[lazydog]

SECOND I dont recommend you going to Ellusionist forums and penguin magic forums, ask someone here why

This is ridiculous! Don't pay attention, go anywhere you like and make up your own choices. These people are just bitter for some reason or another. E and Penguin are stand up companies and E's customer support is the best I've seen. Also, themagiccafe.com is a great resource... I mean really great.

###lazydog