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Hi
As I explained in the intro section I can do a few very basic card sleights. I am looking to really improve this from the basic tricks I learnt from books years ago.

Can anyone recommend a good DVD that shows me a handful of the most useful sleights that I can copy and practice?

I have had a look at the reviews section - but there are so many reviews and I have just come back to this that I am still unsure where to (re) start

Thanks

heya and welcome to this forum -i'm relatively new to magic and these forums too. I'd suggest Oz Pearlman's Born To Perform, published by Penguin Magic. it's about £15. No doubt others will suggest other things, but Born To Perfom cherry picks the essentials you need to know (as well as flourishes), and even some relatively advanced flourishes such as an alternative handling for Dayl's Hot Shot Cut. It really is as comprehensive as any other, and you will get a distinct feeling of progress in such a short space of time. To be honest, Daryl's Encyclopedia of Card Sleights is great, but may be a bit of overkill for your requirements, as while learning a huge number of sleights is useful (think of it as acquiring tools), a lot of the sleights will be disregarded anyway.

it suits your needs as it was designed so that THE most useful techniques are used, which you will realistically use.

Honestly, Born To Perform is comprehensive and is well presented and easy to follow, and you will go from beginner to a competent performer. the effects are also classics of magic and are taught in great detail with consideration to many presentational nuances. Honestly, it's the best thing you could learn. it will give you lots to play with, along with other essentials such as the Elmsley count which is a staple sleight in many packet effects. My friend lent me a daunting collection of magic tuition videos and it was this that stood out for me when learning magic. Check it out!

I was just about to suggest the brilliant Oz Pearlman's Born To Perform DVD, but looks like Rufio beat me to it.

I'd also suggest purchasing the book The Royal Road To Card Magic and the accompanying 5 DVD set by R Paul Wilson. It'll set you back 60 odd pounds but if you're dead serious about card magic then you can't beat that combo (in my inflated opinion, of course!)

queen of clubs wrote:I was just about to suggest the brilliant Oz Pearlman's Born To Perform DVD

Ah... We must be on the same wavelength! Great minds think alike an all that, like.

I also bagsy a further vote for the Royal Road to Card Magic - I don't have the DVDs but the book at least is definitely considered to be a bible for magicians.

Peace

As above Royal Road To Card Magic really should be on your shopping list.

Roberto Giobbi's Card College is also very good.. although just buy volume one for now!!

If DVD's are your thing then the posts above are spot on - Oz Pearlman's Born To Perform

Okay here is my suggestion. Do you want to perform magic or just practice. This is not a rude question it is an honest one. There are plenty of arm chair magicians and there is absolutly nothing wrong with this.

I ask because that will determine what you want to practice.

If you are really going to go out there and perform my suggestion would be to find the effects you want to perform and practice those effects.

If however you want to learn moves just for the sake of learning the move then Royal Road, and Counts Cuts and Moves are excellent books. You should have them on hand anyway as they will aid you in learning the moves for the effects you actually want to perform.

If you are really having a hard time with a move or it just doesn't work for you sure it is nice to have a repetoire of moves so you can change one for another that does the same thing. However if you practice the effects you want to peform you will gain that arsenal anyway.

You can end up spending an incredible amount of time and energy working at moves you will never ever use instead of putting that energy into the small handfull you will use.

So it goes back to the first question. What exactly do you want to learn the moves for? Sounds like a mornic question, but is it?

bmat's got a very good point. There are far too many sleights out there, and frankly, sleights aren't the be-all and end-all.

If you're serious about learning card magic, then The Royal Road is the best way to learn. I have both the R. Paul Wilson DVD set, and the book, and it's a winning combination. I have also seen Born To Perform and Ellusionist's Crash Course, and they're both very good.

there's also Sankey's Sleight of Hand Magic with Cards, which is useful for a few nice tricks, but isn't really structured in a logical way.

I've recently got back into card magic, and I was frankly confused as to where to start. I thought that the Royal Road DVDs were a bit expensive (and I prefer learning via DVD), but there wasn't a lot out there that took things from the very beginning like Royal Road, and taught you in a logical manner, with maybe each sleight increasing in difficulty.

It's all quite confusing. Born To Perform is a nice DVD to get started with though, although I would recommend Royal Road book & DVD if you can afford it.

I wouldn't write off Ellusionist's Crash Course either. And, as far as I remember, I think they have a decent return policy if you don't like it.

Also, I'm surprised no one's mentioned Michael Ammar's DVD set, I haven't seen them, but I hear that they are also very good, or the first six or so volumes are at any rate.

Thanks to all.
Looks like ill try and track down a copy of Born to Perform.

Complete newbie question follows, does brand of card / quality of card make much difference in handling?

If so which brand should I buy? Bicycle?

Thanks

Yes it does. There's not a huge difference, as far as beginners need to worry about, between the big brands, but everyone has their favourites. The best thing to do is try a few brands, and see what you like. Bicycle are the standard, and more gimmicked or gaff cards are available in this type than any other, so it'll be worth while starting there.

You tend to find that the cheaper decks you might pick up in your local newsagents aren't anywhere near as good.