I just picked up my first book on magic. It has quite a few card tricks in it. In the instructions for most of them it designates which hand should be placed where. Now, I am left handed and I'm wondering whether to learn to do these tricks how it says or should I flip everything?

Thanks a lot,
Desmanthus

Hi Desmanthus!

Rather than trying to swap everything (which will probably leave you confused and bewildered) if you can perform the needed moves with the right hand, you could go ahead and learn them that way. It certainly wouldn't hurt, and I believe that it will spare you a lot of grief.
If you can't learn the moves with the right hand, then forget that this post exists.

Use whichever hand feels most comfortable.

Ideally, you could learn to do all sleights ambidextrously (if possible).

Personally, I've discovered although I'm right-handed, I prefer to do most sleights left-handed. I'm not too sure why...

I agree with Philemon, use whichever hand is comfortable, but as you are able, learn to use both hands.

An anomoly of our learning process is that the primary hand is so well trained at most day-to-day things that it has to be untrained in order to perform some sleights, therefore quite often, your off hand will pick up new moves a bit better.

Personally my goal is to perform all effects with both hands, and therefore become amply dexterous.

BroDavid

As a lefty, I've found it easier to simply flip the instructions and regard any pictures as simply mirror images of what I'm doing.

BTW, you know (of course) that the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body...and vice versa. Meaning that only left handers are in their right minds.

A great many current publications have passed on the left-right thing and have gone to "dominant hand".
That makes it easier all 'round.
Find which hand is the more comfortable for a specific move or series of moves and then just substitute the word "dominant" for "right", if necessary.
That may work.
But I wouldn't recommend forcing yourself to slavishly follow something just because it was in a book.
Remember -- this is supposed to be fun!
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

Hi Desmanthus,

I would say to do it in such a way that you truly understand the instructions, which have very fine details when dealing with finger movements.

Once you know you are truly following the instructions, then decide which hands hold what.

It's funny, but I'm a musician primarily, and although I'm right-handed, my left hand is the one that is used to doing the most intricate things. So I often swap hands for what is written also.

Good to meet you!

Duke

I am left handed as well. I tend to learn from a book as written, and in person opposite, (like looking in a mirror). As Philemon, Bro David and Peter, have all said whichever is the most comfortable is fine. The most important thing is to learn the technique or the principle and apply it as performance dictates and your own "flair", You may have to re-learn in the other hand,
hope that helps
Telemus

I'm also left handed, have been since birth. Ha ha. I always flip-flop the directions as I have a very dumb right hand. Us left handed magic guys, I think have to work just a bit harder than right handed magicians. Right handed magicians please don't shoot me for saying that.

LOL, after reading this thread I tried a pass in my right hand. Even the mechanic's grip feels wierd.

It's kinda funny, but I can do some things in one hand, and other things in the other. like the Chairlier cut in my right, and the pass in my left. I am sure with a little practice I can do both hands.

Thanks for all the Great advice. I love this place

I learn like Telemus, but the way I look at it is, you should learn by whatever you find most comfortable

Peace

Its very hard sometimes. Because most people can be right handed but do somethings better with there left. As a example. The Charlier Cut. I do it better with my left and I'm right handed. But when it comes to magic you should try working with both hands.

Thanks a lot for all the replies!

Desmanthus,

A good friend of mine is Woody Landers. You may or may not know him. He in my mind, is one of the best slight of hand magicians I have seen. I asked him a question similar to what you asked. His answer was much like gimmick1586. He did somethings right and some left. He considered himself a left handed person.

I hope this will help.

Dolini

when learning a new task I "try" to do it left handed first, If my left hand can do it then I'll have little problem with my right.
Oh and a good way to break bad habits done with your dominant hand is to do it with your off hand, as you know what you have to do but your hand does not, and you have to teach it, when you go back to your dominant hand your brain will remember the small points that you were teaching your off hand, and do it right. (thank's to my HS fencing coach for this, it works)

On a slightly different note, I heard you
"should" do tricks right handed as the audience will notice less as this looks
"normal". That if you do something left handed that the person subconcious will say hey, there's something wrong with what your doing, and this increases suspision.
I think your presentation should make up for this but I'm right handed. but this guy is left handed

Desmanthus,

I like to think of myself as ambidextrous, but others tell me I simply have trouble with commitment! However, there are, simply put, things you cannot do if you "flip" the directions. For instance, you must hold the deck in the LEFT hand and use the right hand to riffle the corner of the deck for a spectator to peek a card. (If you "flip" and use the other hands, the spectators will not be able to see the indices of the cards.) Since the deck is, therefore, necessarily held in the left hand for the peek, it would not make much sense to change hands to perform any sleights that may happen subsequent to the peek. I think you will find a lot of "finger tip" controls and other sleights pretty well demand right-handedness.

Tangential question: Does anyone know if "left-handed"decks have been printed?

My vote goes with learning to do the sleight with both hands if possible but if not then just flip the right for left and visa versa.

Hope my words were of help!
Lance R. Wilson

I agree with everybody. Do what feels more comfortable. (This coming from a lefty, who does different things in different hands!)