Pressure Fanning - Help

Jun 29, 2009
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I'm obviously new to cardistry and i've decided to get into it a great deal. In between my two jobs i practice alot.

I just boght the trilogy + andthensome, XB1+2, Cradle, and cobra and this is what i plan to work on for months. Once i have these down, i plan to buy EOPCF by the flourishman, but i ave plenty of material for now.

Right now i have a powdered tally ho blue fanback deck and i'm trying to perfect my pressure fan.

My questions that XB are not answering:

1) What do i do at the end of the motion?
2) Where do i apply pressure with my index and middle fingers on the top of the deck? In other words, am i pushing down or away? Because i'm a beginner, both feel natural and are not getting the result i want.
3) How do i bevel the cards? Are my index fingers on my left hand pushing up? (My left hand is the stable hand, right hand doing the fan)
4) Do i squeeze with my left hand? What is the right pressure ratio between squeezing and pushing with my right versus my left?

See i have alot of questions, and i feel that these dvds can go into more detail by saying how much pressure to apply, at what angles to apply it and EXACTLY whats going on. Alot of the time its the same thing over and over, which is repetitive. They are great DVDs, but thats my own personal critique.

No matter what i do for my pressure fans, i end with lots of cards at the end of the motion. The fan is uneven, it looks terrible, and i'm reaching my boiling point. Of course i am going to have patience, i just need a little bit of a better explanation that just "Well if you have good deck condition and starting grip, you'll do great."

Because i have both, and the only thing that looks semi good is my thumb fan, which still loos like crap IMO.
 
Jun 29, 2009
82
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Check the Trilogy's Flourishes 101 (everythingelse). There's another explanation on the pressure fan that might compliment it.

I did, but they only show it briefly with no verbal explanation, its almost like those20moves are expected to already be mastered upon buying the DVD.

Its okay though, i'm hoping some of these questions i posed may be answered to pinpoint what i'm doing wrong.

I mean even to the common member, what do you find you do during a pressure fan? how much are you squeezing the deck with your left hand? How and where are you applying pressure with your right hand?
 
Jun 22, 2009
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BUMP

Noone wants to help, my progress has been great just not with fanning.

Have you practiced springing the cards yet? The feel for the presure fan is close to that once you get springing down try to apply that pressure to a fan.
 
1. At the end of the motion, is the end. There really is nothing special. Some people like to follow through and slide the fingers off, but it's not necessary. Mainly to make sure the fan is wide as possible. Watch more videos of different people executing the fan and you'll see what I'm talking about.

2. The fingers at the top of the deck, the pressure direction is hard to describe. So let's imagine the deck is parallel to the ground with the deck in fanning position in the left hand. The pressure direction is down and slightly to the right, which is the direction the right hand follows while going through the fan. So for the most part it's down, but I say slightly angled, because of the movement of the right hand.

3. The beveling can be done before you place the cards in fanning position. It can also be done when your hands are already in fanning position, but that's harder for beginners. Just bevel the deck in your left hand when it's in dealers/mechanics grip with your thumb or whatever. Now you just place that beveled deck in fanning position WITHOUT messing up the bevel. That should make your fan easier and spread more evenly. It's hard to fan evenly from a completely square deck.

4. The left hand thumb pressure is just the same as thumb fanning. The thumb pressure doesn't have to be tremendous. Too little pressure and the cards will stay in a clump. Same thing will happen with too much pressure. Experiment and see works best for you. Just like any move involving pressure it becomes muscle memory when you start getting the results you want to keep.

If you're getting a clump of cards at the end, then you're putting too much pressure at the start with your right hand. You should start with a moderate pressure then gradually add more as you go through the fan.

Overall, skip pressure fanning if it's bothering you that much. Go back to thumb fanning and try to understand and master that fan as much as possible. The pressure fan isn't a very good beginner move for the most part. Pressure fanning is prefered because it produces a more reliable fan for manipulation. Like fan twirls, fan balancing, etc. If you can master the thumb any other fan becomes easier since the princples or starting grip, beveling, and pressure all apply similiarly.
 
Jun 29, 2009
82
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Thanks for the long and very informative post. I realize that it takes practice, and i don't wanna learn the wrong way. Your post helped a great deal.

I noticed after watching a few videos that its the left hand that bevels the deck, and the right hand continues the bevel. Getting the consistency and the roundness will come in time i'm sure.

EDIT: I'm trying to do it now, and i have a question. I can get the bevel started really well, and even the roundness and fan going well. The problem is that in the middle of my fan when i clear my middle finger on my left hand, the deck has nothing to push against, so i push it against my ring and pinky fingers and the fan clumps up. This only happens with the pressure fan. Any tips?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sep 1, 2007
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you could try a different position of the deck in the hands to start.

also man just get the encyclopedia. The reason many people can't help you here is because less than 1% of them could do a halfway decent p-fan. Fanning, unlike sybils, takes a looooong time to make a good one. UEZ, unlike many people, has put in the time to understand this stuff so his points should help you.

you need to be able to critically tell YOURSELF what is happening. make small changes and pay close attention to what results. don't give up.

and post a video instead of writing 20 paragraphs, your video will tell us instantly whats wrong.
 
Jun 22, 2009
395
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Your probably spinning the cards to slow so there is not as much pressure at that point. Try to make a nice single action motion with the cards all the way around.
 
Jun 29, 2009
82
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you need to be able to critically tell YOURSELF what is happening. make small changes and pay close attention to what results. don't give up.

That is good advice. I will buy the encyclopedia and use that advice until my fan looks great. Sometimes it is all about doing it over and over, hundreds of times.

and post a video instead of writing 20 paragraphs, your video will tell us instantly whats wrong.

I understand that, and when i get a chance to make the video i will. In the mean time, i can write however much i'd like -- it is the forum member's option to read it or not.
 
Clearing the middle finger on the left hand?

Well I'm not sure what you mean by "clearing" per se.

Throughout the whole fanning my middle finger is contacting the bottom of the deck.

If talking about when the deck "passes" the middle finger, then review the tip that Jerry gives about fanning being involving both hands. The left hand gives some motion in the fanning process, especially at the end for pressure fanning. Try making a pressure fan without moving your right hand at all to see how the left hand is supposed to help in fanning.
 
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