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jbmagic12250 New user 49 Posts |
I'm not new to magic but never got into coins probably because it entailed too much work. I once saw David Roth do some coin work and was completely amazed. I asked him how much time he spent on practicing and he said he didn't go to college and all he ever did was practice.
I would like to be able to palm a coin without looking like a lobster. I have large, meaty hands and it seems like it will never happen. I have his video on coin magic but not much time is spent on just palming a coin. I know how but I guess my question is...how much time does it take the average guy to do a good semi-flat hand palm? |
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Rob Johnston Inner circle Utah 2060 Posts |
I practiced for months...and I consider that I have a great classic palm. It takes a while for your muscles to get used to this position.
You should have asked Roth to feel his hand. He has such muscle build-up around the classic palm area...that it is amazing. He can pick up a coin off a flat surface via the classic palm. Practice, practice, practice. That is the key. I am glad you want to get a good looking palm, so it doesn't look like a lobster. I have seen some "professionals" (who will remain nameless) with the worst classic palm I have EVER seen.
"Genius is another word for magic, and the whole point of magic is that it is inexplicable." - Margot Fonteyn
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paulajayne Inner circle London England 1160 Posts |
Hi
If you want to run a marathon you train and build up the muscles required to do the job. A classic palm is the same. When you first do it your hand looks like a polaxed spider, but your muscles will get exercised and develop and it becomes easier and easier and more natural looking. HTH Paula
Paula Jay - Magic to Remember -
--------------------------------- I once wrote a book on elephants, I think paper would have been better. ---- |
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Sirakor Regular user 179 Posts |
I've got to agree with Astinus and paulajayne. I can't exactly remember how long it took me to develop a solid CP, as I didn't practice regularly, but it must've been at least three months.
I remember the first week I got Bobo's I tried really hard, but it just wouldn't work at all. The only way a coin would stay in my hand for longer than that one second that you can achieve with sweat making your palm sticky, was to have all five fingers touch. And you'll agree that that's nothing like a CP. Time went by and I just kept two coins around (one for each hand) and whenever I watched TV, or read a book or surfed the web I practiced palming a little. More time went by and hey, my left hand started to look promising (I am right-handed though). Some months went by and guess what? Now I can palm two coins in each hand with fingers wide apart and a 90 degree angle between my thumb and first finger. No matter how hard you try, a classic palm won't happen overnight. It's a process like training for a marathon. Keep some coins near your sofa for watching TV and have some patience, it will certainly pay off. Remember that the classic palm is by far the most important and most useful concealment in coin magic. There is hardly another sleight that is so powerful and versatile, so it's only fair that it takes a while to learn. ;-) And hey, the more practice it takes the smaller the chance a layperson might suspect where you hide a coin, that's another good thing. With patience and a little faith those muscles and your palm will develop, keep at it. Good luck! |
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Curtis Kam V.I.P. same as you, plus 3 and enough to make 3498 Posts |
Reed McClintock has developed a "system" designed to teach you the classic palm. It's the first of its kind that I'm aware of, and it makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately, I learned it the hard way, like the other posters to this thread.
Keep your eyes open, a training DVD should be available before the end of the year. It covers CP, multiple CP, controlled releases from stacks in CP, and other stuff. 'Till then, this is one thing where the brute force technique does eventually work. Be sure you have the right sized coins, and you're palming them in the right place, then go for it.
Is THAT a PALMS OF STEEL 5 Banner I see? YARRRRGH! Please visit The Magic Bakery
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kasper Loyal user 253 Posts |
I've worked with coins for many years. And yes they can be difficult at times. After awhile you will get use to working with them. I use to focus on a lot of card tricks because they felt easier for me. But I can say there nothing better than coins for those impromptu situations. If I could take it all back I would of spent more time on coins.
For instance if you're at the grocery store and someone finds out you're a magician they will ask to see some thing. (Glad I worked on those coin effects.) You're all set and ready to go. |
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Bill Citino Special user Doylestown, PA 837 Posts |
I feel all of your pain. I've been doing magic for about nine years now and it wasn't until about two years ago that I finally got my classic palm to be fairly good. Nowadays I think it's really good, but the way I figure it, there's always room for improvement.
To tell you the truth it wasn't until I read Dan Watkins' Classic Palm essay on his web site that I really started to see improvement in my classic palm. Anyway I would recommend taking a look at that to help out and I'm definitely looking forward to anything that Reed puts out on the subject. I think that will be a lot of help to all of us too. -Bill |
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Sirakor Regular user 179 Posts |
Yeah, Dan Watkins' tutorial is one of the best I've seen. You can find it at http://www.coinvanish.com in the foundations section.
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LBP MAGIC Veteran user 374 Posts |
I have one of those palms that looks like a crab or spider or whatever. Besides practicing with coins how can you build up the muscles that you need?
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phread Elite user md 486 Posts |
Hello, try this, do some weight lifting with your pinky using keys it will develop the right muscle, also practice while watching TV, giving the mind something else to do.
dug
Deckless Wonder
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LBP MAGIC Veteran user 374 Posts |
Using keys? Explain how to weight lift with keys.
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what Special user Lehi, UT, USA 643 Posts |
Be sure to visit Dan Watkins' web site http://www.coinvanish.com and click on the foundations section. The classic palm should not like a lobster, even when you are starting out. This awkwardness is usually caused by the pinky stiffening and laying awkwardly which in turn is caused by improper placement of the coin and because you are using the wrong muscles. This is how I looked when I first started palming. You should be able to move all fingers easily with a coin in CP. Note the positioin of Dan's pinky finger in his illustrations. This really helped me along.
Enjoy!! Mike
Magic is fun!!!
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rden New user Sugar Land, Texas 75 Posts |
Though there are others far more experienced than myself here, I can at least share how I learned (or more precisely, am learning) the classic palm. I tried Bobo's tome and Michael Ammar's Intro to Coin Magic DVD but things didn't really click until I read the essay on Dan Watkins' site. Thanks Dan! After that, I started carrying halves with me all the time.
I practice on the long, lonely walk to/from work, at home when my hands aren't busy, etc. I find that by keeping a half in my pocket, I can practice whenever the mood strikes me. This works great for me because I can spread my practice throughout the day instead of concentrated into a large block of time, which I rarely have. |
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siborgotron New user 29 Posts |
I practiced with smooth edge coins, the theory being if I could get a comfortable grip on those, I'd have no problem with milled edges.
Sure enough this idea paid, but although I'm left handed, I can only do a comfortable CP with my right hand. The left feels like learning to write with the opposite hand! |
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Kevin Ram Special user Travelling through Europe 791 Posts |
You can pratice it everywhere, while you're walking around.
Just remember, if you have your hand in your pocket and you're fiddling with your coins in a public place...well, you know what I mean. You might get funny looks.
"Your the Italian stallion" As said by my g/friend
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DrWhat New user Michigan 1 Post |
Should one start with large or small coins first?
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Sirakor Regular user 179 Posts |
I'd say you should start with a coin that you can comfortably palm (or the nearest approximation thereof). Try different sizes and see what works best for you. A very large coin probably won't work for you, and something very small isn't of much use for later on, different sized coins are usually palmed in different places. You might also want to get a coin that is vaguely big, but flat and light.
If all else fails get started on poker chips. Initially you might want to try milled edges or new coins with sharp edges to get you going, and then progress to smooth worn edges to improve like siborgotron said. |
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SIX Inner circle New York City 1772 Posts |
The best way to practice is have the coin palmed and type on the computer whan you wrote you should have had a coin in your hand.
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emptycupmagic Loyal user 216 Posts |
I found that using Burt Bees Hand Salve regularly helps will all kinds of palming.
Bob Plaut
emptycupmagic@aol.com |
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wsduncan Inner circle Seattle, WA 3619 Posts |
The best way to know WHERE to put the coin is to start with a half dollar (the right size for most adults) and lay it in the approximate center of your palm up hand.
Then flex all the fingers and thumb downward so that you have the reverse of the crab posture you're concerned about. While your fingers are extended shake your hand gently side to side and as the coins slides about you'll begin to feel where it should be when palmed. Allow it to stop there and then stop shaking. At that point flex and relax the fingers until your forearm begins to tire. At that point relax your hand and turn it palm down. Let the coin fall out if it wants to... Eventually you'll find that the coin stays in place held only by the RELAXED muscles of the palm. This exercise has worked for everyone I've taught it to for the last 20 years. The key is to NOT try and palm the coin. Just let it fall. It's almost a Zen thing. I got the idea from an old stunt where you stand in a door frame and press outward with your arms as hard as you can for 60 seconds. Then when you come out of the door frame and try and relax your arms automatically raise sideways by themselves. Try it. It's a fun stunt for a party! And it's adaptation for palming works too! |
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