Hints and Tricks

1. Practice

First off, I can't repeat this one piece of advice often enough: practice, practice, practice. When I first started performing card tricks, I would quickly learn a new trick, practice it until I got it to work and then rush off to show my friends. Inevitably, I'd often mess up the trick up embarrass myself because I hadn't practiced it until I was comfortable. Trust me, practice each trick a lot. Practice in front of a mirror. Practice what you are going to say. Practice in front of an audience of young siblings, stuffed toys, or army men. You can't practice enough.

2. Feedback is your friend

Having a close friend give constructive feedback will help you become a better performer. Notice I used the term "constructive". That means the feedback is meant to help you improve. Comments like "Wow, that was good" or "By the hammer of Thor, did that ever suck!" don't help at all. The feedback should evaluate three things: 1. What was done well, 2. What needs improvement, 3. How to improve the trick. It's helpful to remember feedback is meant to help you.

3. Limber up

Before performing it's a good idea to to make sure you feel loose. If you are performing formally, that means you'll have to stretch your fingers, hands, and arms. You should also warm up your voice. This need not be a complicated activity. A quick search online will teach you some basic warm-up techniques.

In many cases, you won't have time to prepare. There are times that friends will want to see a trick and you might have to oblige them. In this case make sure you are not wearing restrictive clothing, quickly give your arms a shake, and go for it. If you have practiced enough, your body should be able to perform one or two tricks without a problem.

4. It's all about misdirecting the audience

In most magic tricks, the magician gets the audience to pay attention to what's going on with one hand while they should be paying attention to what's going on in the other. Your movements need to be natural and smooth. With practice you'll be able to subtly manipulate cards with little effort and look natural.

5. It's as much what you say as what you do

Knowing how to perform the trick will only get you so far. A magician's banter will carry the performance and help you get away with all sorts of shenanigans because the audience is not as focused on the action. If you develop a natural sounding banter, you will be able to direct the audience's attention where you want it. When you practice your tricks you should also practice what you are going to say. If you don't practice your banter, you might stumble over your words and find that your movements are not as smooth because it will feel new and unfamiliar.

6. Start small

Don't try to perform to an audience of twenty on your first try. You need to work your way up to a large audience. First start with one or two friends. It's more difficult to perform in front of a larger crowd because there is less room for error. There are more sets of eyes watching at more angles. Your performance will need to be tight and look natural. As you become experienced, you will be able to perform for larger audiences.

7. Know several tricks before performing

Yes, this does sound rather obvious. It's good to have several tricks under your belt before performing. That way you can perform without having to repeat any tricks and give your audience an opportunity to watch your performance with a more discriminating eye.