talkmagic.co.uk

Hello to everyone.
I am writing here because I am really frustrated, because I can't seem to be able to spread out fans evenly and also spread cards out on the table. I look up on my self as an intermediate going towards advanced illusionist and have a few times got people to believe that I'm a sidekick BUT when I try to make a fan its as if made by a bushmen who's never seen cards before (not over exaggerating) and I fell like a lightweight. Why is that? I get all kinds of complicated moves but fans...
Does any of you know what cards are best to use and any videos from which I can learn? Very frustrated. Thanks in advance for any help.

The Xteme Begginerz (XB) DVD by De'Vo Vom Schattenreich has a great section (1 whole hour) on fanning. Jerry Cestkowski is great at teaching and giving tips.

Fans are quite hard to grasp i think but what i did to get it right was practise it everyday for about a year until i was really happy with it. It is by no means something you can watch an explanation then just do it i think its just a lot of practise which makes it work i suppose its like a knack.

it's one of those things you just have to keep working on. My fans are useless, althouh my spreads are starting to look quite nice.

I pretty good at fanning. I can do a thumb fan now.. ( after MONTHS of practicing ), a standard fan, on handed fans a reverse on handed fans..

Pressure fans.. not a chance.. they bend my cards and make me look amateur..

AND ive come to a conclusion fanning powder DOES NOT WORK!!!

I powdered a deck of worn in but in good condition blue back bikes.. they stuck together like I had dipped them in marmite!!

So i powdered my red deck which had been used VERY LITTLE and kept in a porper clip.. ruined those too..

So I took out a BRAND NEW SEALED deck of Tally's and powdered tghem and now they fan in about three different sections..

I thought fanning powder helped fans ( silly me for thinking that!! )

anyway....

Xtreme Beginnerz is the most comprehensive and best method for fanning cards..

and Card College 1 has one sentence that helped me nail the reverse one handed fan.. one sentence.. Jerry never mentioned that one point!

Thanks for the replies guys! I gues I'm not the only one that knows the feeling of feeling like a lightweight. Really made my day you lot!:) I thought I am one of very few who don't get it. Well thanks again I will go ahead and buy XB and see what happens. And for the one sentance... don't you think you could rephrase that and tell me?:roll:...I mean i dosen't break any of the rules as you are not revealing a trick, just giving advice and where you learn't it from is your bussines. Anyway thanks again and I will be sending some videos soon (thats unless I don't make any improvement which I fear a lot).

lol.. yeh but thats for the reverse one handed fan.. the sentence was '' keep your fingers as tight together as possible'' helped no end!!

Went from fanny fan to a fan fan!!

I powder all my decks. I like it . It works for me !

Anyways, pressure fans are fantastic ways of breaking in a new deck of cards. I perform "Under Pressure" by Mike Graham. It creates alot of pressure into the deck and breaks in the deck nicely.

Back on topic, fans are fairly knacky. Try to fan the whole deck as a whole unit rather than spreading the cards individually. Try starting the deck off in the fanning position with the cards bevelled slightly. Then keeping your thumb at a 45 degree angle, spread the cards in a circular motion.

Steve

Thanks for the replies. I watched XB and it didn't help me much, however I think I need to try with new cards and fanning powder.

I was pretty bad myself at fans then one night after days of practice I got it right and it seemed to just come together after that. IMO after a couple of times of getting it fairly right you get the knack of the right pressure to apply.

Although the one handed fan is a different ball game entirely, anyone got any tips for that? Or just keep practising?

keep the fingers tight.. keep the thumb moving in a very tight arch and the fingers in a tighter arc going the other way.. the the best tip you can get.. keep the fingers moving in a tight semi circle..

also make sure the thumb is applying pressure to the corner of the card

Hi,

I agree totally with ID on fanning powder. If you want cards to stick together use it!

Two tips:

1. Use as new a deck as you've got.

2. I found that using my index finger to spread the cards rather than my thumb worked better for me and (in my humble opinion) looks more elegant.

Don't worry it will come; just practise, practise, practise!

James

Fanning powder definatly helps but :

1) most people new to it use FAR TOO MUCH and thats why the cards stick together. keep playing with them, especially riffle shuffles to dislodge the extra powder and they will fan brilliantly (unless theyre naff cards to start with). Just put a few pinches of fanning powder in a plastic bag, add the deck and shake! or put a small amount on the edge of a deck and phero shuffle them together a few times (quicker, but not as good in my opinion)

2)DO NOT powder your decks immediatly after handling them. The oils in your hands get on the cards and these soak up the fanning powder, so you end up with far too much sticking to the cards

I.D wrote:keep the fingers tight.. keep the thumb moving in a very tight arch and the fingers in a tighter arc going the other way.. the the best tip you can get.. keep the fingers moving in a tight semi circle..

also make sure the thumb is applying pressure to the corner of the card

I have found that moving your right thumb (assuming that you are holding the deck in your left hand) helps. The motion is similar to if you were to put the very tip of your thumb onto a table, so that your thumb was perpendicular to the table surface, and then rock it so that your thumb ends up horizontal to the table surface and the very tip is no longer touching the table. Using that technique I get very fast and even thumb fans. As for fanning powder, IMHO, I do not believe it is necessary unless you are doing a manipulation routine. But, having never used fanning powder, I have never experienced its advantages.

I'm a firm believer that if your cards need fanning powder then what you really need is new cards. However, a friend of mine uses it and gets great results by applying a small amount with cotton wool and, basically, polishing it into the card. Seems to work well.

As for fans, particularly thumb fans, this was covered recently is this thread: http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic16468.php and that should have some useful info in it.

Kate
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