Just wanted to put together a list of things to keep in mind when starting out. These are things or habits that you should keep in mind to follow or stay away from, which I've found from my experience (of the little that I do have).I made a lot of these mistakes along the way.
1. Get familiar with cards
I remember trying to perform a trick as soon as I'd opened my first Bicycle deck. The result was, I dropped all the cards on a wet floor, I didn't even know you had to break them in. Also, before you start performing anything, spend a month practising, if not more. I know there's an urge to show people something as soon as you get it right once, but that's simply not good enough.
2. Get plenty of decks
At first, you'll be ruining a deck every few days. For good measure, get a few in the start. A bad habit I'd often develop, is that I wouldn't replace old decks for a long time. The result was that I got familiar handling lesser cards than than the full deck, a nasty thing to get rid of.
3. Get Books!
Get a paperback edition of Royal Road. If it's interesting, great! If it's not, look into other forms of magic. If you simply can't make heads or tails of it, it's because books are generally difficult to learn from. A solution would be to get the first volume of Card College, which I think is the best set of books about card Magic ever written. Profusely illustrated, and hardbound, with simple, precise explanations, the books make it a pleasure to learn from. The only drawback is the price (40$), but if you're the least bit serious about card Magic, you need to have this. Further book recommendations:
4. STAY OFF YOUTUBE!!!!!
This is by far the most important tip I have for you. If you have no idea what the title of these so and so "tutorials" mean, don't even think of clicking on them. The"revealed" videos are pure cancer.
Most videos teach you wrong ways of doing things, and you may find yourself learning something that's advanced, and not for your level right then. I remember trying to do the pass (yes, I am guilty) before I could do a proper double lift, all thanks to YouTube tutorials.
That being said, there is some really valuable stuff on YouTube, but very little. Most of the time, learning from books is the way to go. But there are some videos, which teach stuff the creators came up with originally. There are videos, which will help you identify your mistakes, when the content creators cover some common errors. My favourite way of using the platform is to watch the best perform their best acts, and do their best moves, and learn from them. I've learnt more about the second deal from watching Richard Turner's footage in slow motion, than I have from all of literature.
5. Don't buy stuff you don't need
Video downloads are all over the net. Don't fall for these. They cost you a lot, but offer very little. The sad truth is, most of the trailers are heavily edited, or wrongly shown (applies to majority of Ellusionist products), or the moves seem easy, but are actually a lot more difficult, maybe much more than you can handle.
6. Practise the basic sleights
As eager you may be to steamroll through moves, the first ones you learn build your foundations. Take your time with things like overhand shuffle techniques, basic controls, the double lift (especially), the Riffle force, etc.
You'll use them as long as you're in business.
7. Your Hands Are Not Too Small!
Perhaps, the second most important (YouTube being the first) thing to remember is, your hands are not to small. This is an age old lame excuse that seems a rational way if avoiding something. Hand size may affect how long you need to get something down, but can never limit your abilities. What takes time is to develop the right muscles. Once you have it down in muscle memory, only then do you start covering the nuances.
Add your suggestions, more tips or corrections!
1. Get familiar with cards
I remember trying to perform a trick as soon as I'd opened my first Bicycle deck. The result was, I dropped all the cards on a wet floor, I didn't even know you had to break them in. Also, before you start performing anything, spend a month practising, if not more. I know there's an urge to show people something as soon as you get it right once, but that's simply not good enough.
2. Get plenty of decks
At first, you'll be ruining a deck every few days. For good measure, get a few in the start. A bad habit I'd often develop, is that I wouldn't replace old decks for a long time. The result was that I got familiar handling lesser cards than than the full deck, a nasty thing to get rid of.
3. Get Books!
Get a paperback edition of Royal Road. If it's interesting, great! If it's not, look into other forms of magic. If you simply can't make heads or tails of it, it's because books are generally difficult to learn from. A solution would be to get the first volume of Card College, which I think is the best set of books about card Magic ever written. Profusely illustrated, and hardbound, with simple, precise explanations, the books make it a pleasure to learn from. The only drawback is the price (40$), but if you're the least bit serious about card Magic, you need to have this. Further book recommendations:
4. STAY OFF YOUTUBE!!!!!
This is by far the most important tip I have for you. If you have no idea what the title of these so and so "tutorials" mean, don't even think of clicking on them. The"revealed" videos are pure cancer.
Most videos teach you wrong ways of doing things, and you may find yourself learning something that's advanced, and not for your level right then. I remember trying to do the pass (yes, I am guilty) before I could do a proper double lift, all thanks to YouTube tutorials.
That being said, there is some really valuable stuff on YouTube, but very little. Most of the time, learning from books is the way to go. But there are some videos, which teach stuff the creators came up with originally. There are videos, which will help you identify your mistakes, when the content creators cover some common errors. My favourite way of using the platform is to watch the best perform their best acts, and do their best moves, and learn from them. I've learnt more about the second deal from watching Richard Turner's footage in slow motion, than I have from all of literature.
5. Don't buy stuff you don't need
Video downloads are all over the net. Don't fall for these. They cost you a lot, but offer very little. The sad truth is, most of the trailers are heavily edited, or wrongly shown (applies to majority of Ellusionist products), or the moves seem easy, but are actually a lot more difficult, maybe much more than you can handle.
6. Practise the basic sleights
As eager you may be to steamroll through moves, the first ones you learn build your foundations. Take your time with things like overhand shuffle techniques, basic controls, the double lift (especially), the Riffle force, etc.
You'll use them as long as you're in business.
7. Your Hands Are Not Too Small!
Perhaps, the second most important (YouTube being the first) thing to remember is, your hands are not to small. This is an age old lame excuse that seems a rational way if avoiding something. Hand size may affect how long you need to get something down, but can never limit your abilities. What takes time is to develop the right muscles. Once you have it down in muscle memory, only then do you start covering the nuances.
Add your suggestions, more tips or corrections!