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The main problem I have ran into with my performance is the fact that I am left handed, so when I watch the instructional videos I have to do everything almost opposite. Have any other leftys had problems adjusting to this?

There's been extensive discussion on this elsewhere, but the short answer, for me, is yes. I am left-handed and find it difficult at times to reverse instructions, especially where complex sleights or moves are being taught. It's not as easy as it sounds to simply swap "right" for "left" when you're trying to learn something. At least not for me. You can read more about this topic here...

Left-handed cards
Ambidexterity

I know there are other threads on this, but I can't find them right now.

I'm left-handed and I haven't had any trouble at all, but I tend to "bend" techniques and handling to suit myself anyway. I don't think there's a single effect I'm familiar with that I haven't butchered the handling to make it more comfortable.

Bill Malone's left-handed, too. I never noticed that until I got one of his DVD sets.

Since most video tutorials and illustrations in books tend to be from the front, with the magician facing you, I find it quite easy to just imagine it's like looking at your hands in a mirror.

queen of clubs wrote:Since most video tutorials and illustrations in books tend to be from the front, with the magician facing you, I find it quite easy to just imagine it's like looking at your hands in a mirror.

That's exactly what I was gonna say . (No, honestly, it was ).

I'm a leftie too and sometimes I find it easier just turning down the volume and imagining that the guy on the screen is just a mirror image of yourself. Just imagine you're looking in a mirror and try to "mirror" everything that the guy on the screen does .

Darwin Ortiz is left handed aswell. Im sure there is someone else who is left handed, Joshua Jay maybe?

I do the same as queen of clubs. Even with sleights I alter them a little to make them suit me better. I too can't think of a routine or trick where I havnt changed the method but kept the overall feel of the trick.

babyshanks wrote:Im sure there is someone else who is left handed

Paul Zenon?

Being left handed gets terribly complicated when trying to learn certain sleight especially card sleights when the fingers and joints are brought into the equation.

Luckily enough i only have cards to worry about as far as being left handed is concerned because all other work such as coin magic i do it the right-handed way.....i palm with my right hand....although i can only palm a card in my left hand.So far ive never had any problems with this although i do a Riffle shuffle the right handed way i.e. i dont go straight from biddle grip,i have to tranfer the cards to a right handed biddle.

With that,I'm still waiting to come across that one effect where the right handed-ness and te left handed-ness cause conflict leaving me snookered with a certain effect because of my handicap

A solution to all your problems. Requires a lot of screwing around though.

If you rip the movie onto your pc. Convert it to an AVI or WMV or something.

Download VLC media player, and go settings -> prefrences expand video and click filters.

Put a check in the Video transformation filter.

Expand filters on the left and choose transformation. Set the transformation to 'Flip Horizontal'

Now, when playing a video on VLC it will be displayed the other way around (IE the magician will be leading with his left)

I know it's awkward, but it might help someone.

I'm left-handed too, but funnily enough I manage to do magic (and play ukulele) the right handed way and have never found it to be a problem.

I'm a left hander as well, and like queen of clubs change tricks/handling to suit me

oeb wrote:A solution to all your problems. Requires a lot of screwing around though.

If you rip the movie onto your pc. Convert it to an AVI or WMV or something.

Download VLC media player, and go settings -> prefrences expand video and click filters.

Put a check in the Video transformation filter.

Expand filters on the left and choose transformation. Set the transformation to 'Flip Horizontal'

Now, when playing a video on VLC it will be displayed the other way around (IE the magician will be leading with his left)

I know it's awkward, but it might help someone.

If you really have to watch it from an opposite view, wouldn't watching it through a mirror be best? I suppose its easier for people with laptops that a normal PC.

I tend to learn from books which can be confusing as a lefty. I generally go through the mechanics of the move right handed as I read along and then transfer to the left hand when I understand the principle. The main problem I've found is that I tend to do some things right handed and some things left handed (which isn't an opening for innuendo) which can make my card handling look less than graceful at times!

I am also a left handed so is Greedo. Its not a problem unless you makle it one.

I'm a right hander, but interestingly I was being taught a trick the other day by Bananafish and even though he's right handed I mirrored him and learnt it left handed...
Also I was customising a pair of trousers for a trick two weeks ago, made a mistake and now have to be left handed for that trick too...

Maybe the right half of my brain is trying to tell me something...

Flash wrote:I'm a right hander, but interestingly I was being taught a trick the other day by Bananafish and even though he's right handed I mirrored him and learnt it left handed...
Also I was customising a pair of trousers for a trick two weeks ago, made a mistake and now have to be left handed for that trick too...

Maybe the right half of my brain is trying to tell me something...

I am also right handed but for some effects find them better to do left handed, such as multiplying billiard balls.