talkmagic.co.uk

Hello to you more experienced magacian's.

I went along to my local Chineese Resteraunt on Saturday night.
The head waiter, who we have known for a good few years, & also knows I am getting into magic, asked if I would do a couple of card tricks.
(I just happened to have a deck with me ) & I said "yes"

At this moment in time, I could feel myself begin to shake.
I managed to fumble my way through.
Dr Fu Liu Tu, & Key card mystery one, by which time I felt like a nrevous wreck.
I was going to do. The Ambitious Ace Through Five, but my hands were shaking so much, I just couldn't.
My question is.
How do you overcome this? & is this common.
Do I need Valium

CArl...

Of course there are many ways of helping dealing with nerves (including some very good hypnosis mp3s) but to be honest there is nothing better than getting out and performing. As long as you are confident in the magic you perform then half the battle is won. You will find that the more times you do public performance the more confident you will become.

When you are about to approach the guest (s) stop for a moment and take a few deep breaths, focus and then walk over with a nice smile. Think about how your favourite entertainer would approach people (but don't copy them!).

Carl,
You have just entered your next "phase" as a magician - being a performer, moving from the "sleights" to performing.
You were carrying a deck of cards with you, so secretely (?) I reckon you wanted the chance to perform anyway, so now get out, as often as you can, and in as many different environments as you can and do what you want to do - perform.
The nerves will reduce the more you do it.
Godd luck - and enjoy the ride.
Bruce

i have this same problem, i find the best thing to do is just take a deep breath before each trick and just say to yourself "you can do this trick youve nailed it a thousand times lets just makes this a thousand and one" i find it doesnt stop the shakes completely but it does at least keep them undercontrol, but like yourself ive only been performing for "strangers" so to speak for a few weeks now and i find with each performance its getting easier and easier to control them confidence is key here so get out there wow some people and build that confidence up. Also what you did was great if you dont feel comfortable with a trick dont perform it.

It is completely normal and anyone who says they don't get this or haven't had this happen is a liar.

Its all part of the learning process and will go away with time. (tho it may creep back from time to time for no reason)

Its a good thing as it keeps you on form and alert. Once it goes away you can suffer from the opposite and being over confident lol

This has arisen as a topic on the forum more than once. I managed to find this one:

http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic39362-0-asc-0.php

But there's a bigger one somewhere with some great advice.

Its a good idea to just do self-workers until you get the confidence up. Its quite the revelation when a simple self-working trick gets more of a reaction than a fiendishly difficult sleighty one.

Grimshaw wrote:Its a good idea to just do self-workers until you get the confidence up.

Thanks Grimshaw,
I have to agree, this is sound advice, & something I intend to do until the confidence grows.
I'm sure things will improve as I do more.

Thanks to everyone else for there imput.

CArl...

Grimshaw wrote:Its a good idea to just do self-workers until you get the confidence up. Its quite the revelation when a simple self-working trick gets more of a reaction than a fiendishly difficult sleighty one.

As Meg Ryan woudl say: Yes, yes yes yes!

As I am always saying to people; you start out in magic, learn some self working stuff then perform that while you're learning the more slieghty stuff. Then you go out and perform that and quickly realise it doesn't get as good a reaction as doing the self workers!

Complex sleight of hand is magical masturbation.
When it comes down to it you perform in the simplest way possible! Method is nothing, effect is everything.

Lawrence wrote:Complex sleight of hand is magical masturbation.

I think I've just found my new favourite phrase

cartorious wrote:

Lawrence wrote:Complex sleight of hand is magical masturbation.

Bring's back memories of my youth....