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Hi.

I'm (slowly) making my way through RRTCM, but does anybody have any tips on the glide? I know how to perform it but I can't seem to physically move my ring finger to slide the card backwards. I'm not sure whether I'm gripping it wrong, or whether I just need to practice EVEN more.

Thanks,

Ben.

Hi Ben

I had problems initially. Then I found it easier to have my hand palm side up and the deck in the palm so I could see what was happening, and only with my index fing and ring finger involved (one for innuendo bingo!!). Then I would practice gliding the card with only the ring finger. When I could do this, i'd practice some more. I then turned my hand face down and repeated it properly.

There is no substitute for practice, and you will get there. Keep going!

best

martin

Here is a good tip on the glide which will double the illusiveness if that is a word.
Do it as you normally do it but with this little addition. Place your right middle finger against the face card as if to point it out. Now turn your left hand over as usual to do it. Your right middle finger stays with the card but you do the glide as usual. It is a kind of retention of vision thing. An optical illusion if you will.

Lest there be a misunderstanding remember the right middle finger takes no part in the sleight. It does not push back a card. It does nothing. The left ring finger does the work.

Thanks Mark. A good way to perfect this sleight. All these details that add upp to the effect are great to get.

I slide the bottom card back while pulling the second out... you go to pull the bottom card, but while doing so push it slightly backwards, then pull back to pull out the second card.

Thanks for all the help guys....

It seems I can push the card out so it's sort of side-jogged. I just can't (yet) move my fingers to pull it backwards. Oh well....better get practicing

Ben.

Paul,

The pack of cards should be held by the thumb at one side and the first 3 fingers at the other side. The cards should be so restricted as to only allow the bottom card to move in line with the others and not to move sideways.

Swing the hand forwards until the face of the bottom card is facing the spectator, swing the hand down again into the horizontal position. During that 90 degree move the ring finger slides back until the move is done. The downward movement of the hand conceals any finger movement.

With practice, you'll get this down - I promise you.

Remember, if you're new to any move like this, you're asking your fingers and hand muscles to move into positions that they're simply not used to.

As with every jointed part of your body, it's going to take time to 'train' the muscles and ligaments involved to do what you want them to.

You wouldn't expect to be able to pull off even an intermediate Yoga position within a couple of hours, would you? Believe me, this is ABSOLUTELY no different!

In short - persevere - stick with the pratice for a couple of hours a day (in bursts of 15-20 minutes max) FOR A WHOLE WEEK.

You may think this is over-kill, for something that, on paper, looks as though you should be able to perfect within minutes, but this is often where authors who teach stuff like this fall down (yup, even in RRTCM! ): They FAIL to tell you that even the simplist of moves require significant effort to learn.

Please - don't look for short-cuts, hints, tips, or anything that purports to make the move 'easier'; they either won't work at all, or will lessen the final appearance of the sleight.

Work at it for a week, as I've suggested, and then come back to this thread, and let us know how you're progressing?

Want evidence that what I'm saying is correct? Talk to anybody who's bought a De'Vo DVD, with the impression that, say, Cradle to the Grave or the Cobra cut will be attainable within a day or two!!

Hope this helps!

Rob

I use my pinkie, personally.

Lately I've replaced my glide with the side glide from Daryl's Encyclopedia Volume 1. Coming in from a right hand biddle grip seems more natural to me.

I've made progress within a couple of hours, but I'm straining my ring finger to the point where cramp starts to kick in. I'm only 15 though and I'm hoping my hands will grow which should make it a bit easier (I hope). Thanks for the great advice Rob, and to everyone who has posted. I will post again when I have practiced for a week!

Thanks again,

Ben.

I do not recommend the technique advocated by Brookish. It seems to me to be clumsy technique and rather obvious. I have seen it specifically advised against in some noted text or other.

Ben - most welcome mate.

The whole strain issue indicates that you are actually beginning to affect the join/muscles/ligament in use in a positive way.

That said, ALWAYS rest for a couple of hours at least, when you feel things starting to pull.

You'll get there bud - keep up the good work

Rob

Just looking at my glide there, and the way I do it is with a combination of middle, ring and pinky. My hand just sort of opens out a bit.
I understand Seige when he says he only uses his pinky, but how can you only move your ring finger without moving your pinky and leaving a gap between ring finger and middle?

OK, with deck in my hand, here's my 'setup'. Mrs Seige just mimicked this, so my method 'works'...

1. Pick up the deck from above, at it's top side with the index finger and thumb. Hold it tight. From below, you should see this:

Code: Select all

  --
O|  |O
 |  |
  --


The two 'o' are your fingertips. I hold the deck so it is ALMOST at fingertips, not quite.

2. Curl the three remaining fingers around the deck like this:

Code: Select all

  --
O|  |O
 | C
 | C
 | C
  --


The 'C' are your other fingers In my grip, the deck isn't being held by the other fingers at all.

3. The pinky tip is probably touching the card face directly opposite the thumb with it's full pad. If not, adjust the grip.

4. Now, with the pink pressing hard, SQUEEZE the pinky in towards your hand. The bottom card should now move.

(Mrs seige found she needed the pinky AND ring finger)

Using this combo, you will find your 'perfect' method for the glide.

Bear in mind, you only need to glide about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch to be able to make it usable.