Magicians Corner

Phantom Notebooks - On The Shift (Open Shift)

(via greyskiesandelectriclight)

(via youngsoulrebel)

What I mean by this is “be yourself” -watch a good performer and note that he is perfectly at easy because he is doing the things that are natural to him: he’s not trying to be Cardini, Slydini, or any other of ‘the greats’; he may have learned a lot from watching and reading about other performers, but he has adapted the tricks so that they fit him like a glove; he is master of the tricks which have been tailored to suit him - he does not try to make himself fit the tricks that have been evolved by someone else. Every action he makes is a natural action, natural to him; if he picks up an object which he is going to vanish, then he does not pick it up in a way that only takes into account the position he needs to hold it to perform the sleight; he has altered the sleight so that when he picks up the object in the way which is natural to him it is already in position to be vanished.

GANSON, Lewis. The Dai Vernon Book of Magic (1994), pgs. 32-33

One of my previous posts touched upon the best way to practice sleight hand. I still think that this is a serious topic that should be addressed in the magic literature.

In addition to the correct way to practice, the main problem we have to overcome is how to continue getting incrementally better and don’t get stuck in a “plateau”. This particular issue was investigated by Paul Fitts and Michael Posner in the 1960s. In 1967 the proposed a three stage learning model when acquiring a new skill:

• The first stage is called the “cognitive phase”, in which the subject conscientiously tries to understand the skill and discover the right strategies to perform it - it is basically a trial an error phase. 
• The second stage is the “associative stage”. In this phase the basic motions have been learned, but the most complex elements still require attention. 
• The last stage is the “automatic stage”. At this stage the skill has become almost automatic.

Joshua Foer in Moonwalking with Einstein (2011) - an excellent book if you are interested in the mnemonics - points out that

What separates experts from the rest of us is that they tend to engage in a very directed, highly focused routine (…). They develop strategies for consciously keeping out the autonomous stage while they practice by doing three things: focusing on their technique, staying goal-oriented, and getting contact and immediate feedback on their performance. In other words, they force themselves to stay in the “cognitive phase”.

According to this, the key to continue improving is to stay in the cognitive phase as long as possible. Certainly many magicians overlook the way they practice by doing multiple repetitions in the “automatic stage”. Doing this they can improve their speed, but cannot continue improving when they reach the first plateau.

Dai Vernon: The Spirit Of Magic

Dai Vernon: The Spirit Of Magic” Documentary about the life and work of magician Dai Vernon, aka “The Professor” (David Frederick Wingfield Verner, 1894-1992).