talkmagic.co.uk

Hey guys.

Basically I have one big factor that I cannot really overcome. My hands shake when people watch me do a magic trick and it's really embarrassing. It potentially puts me off from performing all together and even considering auditions for various things.

Do you have any tips? It never seemed to happen earlier on in my life, but at 18 my nerves have really set in. It's fine once people get used to me with cards and stuff. But strangers, nope.

Would appreciate any reply

Thanks.

I think it's just one of those things that gets better the more you perform and as your confidence grows. I get terrible nerves before I perform to the point that I've been sick more than once but once I get out there and start, the nerves just go away.

Keep at it and you'll find that they'll get better and you'll get better and handling nerves too.

NB - This is my own personal view here

I used to get VERY VERY nervous too, it was before I was "ballsy" enough to ever attempt a DL in front of an audience because I had a horrible fear of magicians guilt (and in looking back, I wasnt doing it right anyways, hence it looked awful in front of a mirror)

My point is, that when I finally got the move down, I just had to do it, (just once) and then when no-one said anything and I got the reaction of "WOW!!" it totally calmed my nerves.

I think that you may have a sort of mental block going on ... if you can do the tricks (cards, coins etc) then you have to BELIEVE that you are good enough to entertain these people, its the same as when you snap your fingers and their card is in your pocket, on the deck / wherever, YOU need to be just as shocked as them for it to get the reaction it deserves.

How long have you been performing magic / doing the tricks that you do? I'm going to assume that you are good enough to actually perform, and that you've not had a "caught you" moment, which means if so you just need some positive praise - as a magician you ARE good enough, you have no reason to get nervous because you are pro
(Self talk in the mirror before you go out, you are the MAN !!!)

More details of the issues you are having may get some more replies, hope mine has helped, if not babbled a bit

Dan

You are not alone, a lot of beginners (myself included) suffered from this when starting out. Explain that you only practice in winter, that's why your hands shake

The shaking is because (subconciously or not) you are worried about getting caught doing a move. I have found two things can prevent you from getting into this mindset. The first thing to remember is that your audience is not your enemy. It's not a "I fool you I win, I don't fool you I lose" type situation.

The second thing is practice, practice, PRACTICE! The more you practice, the more 'sure-fire' your technique becomes. The more sure-fire your technique is, the greater success you have. The more success you have, the greater the confidence. It's this confidence (bourne out of performance experience) that will kill the shakes.

Another thing is to consider the routine from beginning to end as a whole performance (as opposed to just those bits where sleights are performed). Concentrate on communicating clearly the effect (emphasise the beginning and end conditions). This will hopefully prevent you from falling into thinking "Phew! I got away with it that time!" This is the mental set that you must do your best to try and avoid.

So, in a nutshell, stick with it, don't be afraid to fail. If you do mess up a trick, move straight onto the next trick, explaining that "it's far better than the last one". DO NOT APOLOGISE!, as this will bring back the win/ lose mindset.

Hope this helps,

Ade.

PS. I've also found that just practicing in front of a webcam can be just as intimidating as performing for a live audience. Try practicing in front of a recording webcam (they are dirt cheap nowadays) in order to desensitise yourself.

Magical_Trevor wrote:NB - This is my own personal view here

I used to get VERY VERY nervous too, it was before I was "ballsy" enough to ever attempt a DL in front of an audience because I had a horrible fear of magicians guilt (and in looking back, I wasnt doing it right anyways, hence it looked awful in front of a mirror)

My point is, that when I finally got the move down, I just had to do it, (just once) and then when no-one said anything and I got the reaction of "WOW!!" it totally calmed my nerves.

I think that you may have a sort of mental block going on ... if you can do the tricks (cards, coins etc) then you have to BELIEVE that you are good enough to entertain these people, its the same as when you snap your fingers and their card is in your pocket, on the deck / wherever, YOU need to be just as shocked as them for it to get the reaction it deserves.

How long have you been performing magic / doing the tricks that you do? I'm going to assume that you are good enough to actually perform, and that you've not had a "caught you" moment, which means if so you just need some positive praise - as a magician you ARE good enough, you have no reason to get nervous because you are pro
(Self talk in the mirror before you go out, you are the MAN !!!)

More details of the issues you are having may get some more replies, hope mine has helped, if not babbled a bit

Dan

Not at all. I can completely relate to that, I used to be all for performing in school when I was 16. I started getting into magic when I was 8 and continued till I was 15 but since I stopped for exams and general life. I'm 18 now.

Although I did gather myself a name at that point, and 3 years on I was asked to do some tricks - When I can I still practise but in an audience I just crumble and shake. It's really bad.

I always get the wow factor when I show my friends, even like mental screams from girls and stuff that I know. But it's just strangers, friends families etc.

Again, this is something quite common and which has been discussed many times before, try the Search Function and you should find a lot of useful advice and tips.

Try and organise things so you are not 'performing' in a formal sense. Use parties and social gathering to just have a chat and relax then do some 'stuff'when you are comfortable. Start with friends and let them introduce you to their friends and that way you'll build up the confidence with strangers.

Sometimes when table hopping I have been known to spend more time chatting than performing. It help me relax and helps them to get used to me and be relaxed about me performing for them. Admittedly half of it is well rehearsed ad-libs, but I can't just approach a group of people and launch into something without introducing myself.

I use that introduction time to decide what type of group they are. I perform different effects for quiet couples then I do for noisy groups, or drunks, or giggly girls, or sceptics.

Don't worry about beng nervous. You can even use it your advantage. I think Tommy Cooper used his nervousness to great effect and it became part of his performance personality.

The doctor will be able to give you something to take the edge off things.

Mandrake wrote:Again, this is something quite common and which has been discussed many times before, try the Search Function and you should find a lot of useful advice and tips.

I did, and I couldn't find any post on specifically for hands shaking.

I was shocked to find I had nerves affect me recently. I used to be fine but then I had a few months without practice and when I came to do something, I could barely openly flip a card over, let alone elmsley or DL.

It is to do with confidence in yourself more than your ability. I knew full well I could do it but what got me was that my 2 months away from magic was down to a horrible earth shaking reminder that we are mortal and that life is very cruel. It ruined my outgoing side completely and left me quite unnerved and unsure of myself.

Getting over our insecurities helps with performance a lot. If you want to stop the nerves, you need to do things that take yourself out of your comfort zone and you need to throw yourself into the challenge. You'll find it isn't that hard once you rise to it.

We are all capable but for some bizarre reason some of us hold ourselves back. The daft thing is that we know we often sabotage ourselves mentally and yet we keep doing it. Getting rid of insecurities and feeling confident is the only was I know how to slow/stop it and if you can manage it and keep it in check, life in general will change for the better.

I think watching the Eddie Izzard documentary recently made me realise that it is all down to how thick skinned we are. Don't take bad feedback to heart and treat it as a step forward. You need to know what's wrong in order to improve yourself.

I suppose ways to combat it are:
- Practice
- Put yourself in the situation more.
- Compliment yourself more often (sounds daft but you have to believe in yourself).
- Sort the rest of your life out or remove current stresses.
- Start with a self worker or easier effect.
- Show someone you know reacts well (always good for confidence).
- Use the same mat/props as you practice with (more likely to work if you are comfy with them).
- Never apologise if it goes wrong... it's trivial and you've done nothing wrong.
- Learn to laugh it off and move on quickly. It goes wrong for everyone.
- Don't pin too much on a trick. It is frustrating if it goes wrong but then you know plenty more (says me who throws stuff in anger when practising).

*Sorry if this is a weird rant. It's something I feel strongly about and I might have gone off on a tangent.*

perfrom naked, then imagine everyone in your audience is wearing clothes and............ wait........scrap that lol

MikeMagician wrote:

Mandrake wrote:Again, this is something quite common and which has been discussed many times before, try the Search Function and you should find a lot of useful advice and tips.

I did, and I couldn't find any post on specifically for hands shaking.

Strange, here are half a dozen relevant threads, some quite recent, found in just a few minutes:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic39566.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic39362.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic39321.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic35861.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic25653.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic29828.php

Just use the word 'shaking' to see if there are more, then perhaps 'nervous' or 'nerves' which might return some different threads of advice. Rest assured you're not on your own, many performers get the shakes and they have to just take control and use various techniques to enforce relaxation - deep breathing, certain types of music and so on. I don't get shaky hands but when truly nervous I either loose my voice or it gets higher and higher until only the dogs can hear it! A sip of iced lime juice or similar and some deep breathing soon sorts it out!

Mandrake wrote:

MikeMagician wrote:

Mandrake wrote:Again, this is something quite common and which has been discussed many times before, try the Search Function and you should find a lot of useful advice and tips.

I did, and I couldn't find any post on specifically for hands shaking.

Strange, here are half a dozen relevant threads, some quite recent, found in just a few minutes:
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic39566.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic39362.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic39321.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic35861.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic25653.php
http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/ftopic29828.php

Just use the word 'shaking' to see if there are more, then perhaps 'nervous' or 'nerves' which might return some different threads of advice. Rest assured you're not on your own, many performers get the shakes and they have to just take control and use various techniques to enforce relaxation - deep breathing, certain types of music and so on. I don't get shaky hands but when truly nervous I either loose my voice or it gets higher and higher until only the dogs can hear it! A sip of iced lime juice or similar and some deep breathing soon sorts it out!

Ah okay. Apologies on my behalf for that, will check them also

Thank you!

No worries, hope they help!

I find drinking calms the nerves