I have the option to take the train to work. It would be about a 4 minute ride each way. Is this a good place to practice sleights and things? I could do many times through a deck doing double lifts. Is there any reason to worry about exposure if the people near me on the train see what I'm doing? I'm not good at it yet, that's why I need to practice.

Sounds like a good idea to me.

-=tabman

We all need more practice time.

Thurston always wore baggy pants and would practice palming cards and coins in his pockets as he walked down the street or waited on line somewhere.

I have gotten some strange looks as people may think I am playing "pocket pool" when I have been following Thurston's example.

If your office or work environment allows you time with no one around, ie a cubicle or your own office, work with palmed coins in hand and a deck of cards on your desk. Practice DLs, passes, side steals and f.... shuffles while on the phone.

That's the way I get in my daily practice time.

I used to do that practice at work thing all the time. I'd do a DL, then turn it down and put one card on the bottom. Then I'd do another DL, and turn it down and put one card on the bottom. I did that for hours in accumulation, and when I went back to the magic shop, the guy behind the counter said, "You make me sick. I do this for a living, and you do it better than I do!"

He was still nice to me, though.

CSR

I have a coin in my coat pocket, I now palm it without thinking whenever I am walking anywhere.

On the train pick a couple of sleights that will just look like you are dealing a card (DL is ideal), or even just basic card handling. To be honest, on a train everyone is half asleep and won't bother with what you are up to. The other option is to use this time to rehearse your patter. (In your head unless you like to get odd looks!)

I find that whenever you practice on public transport, someone will always come up and ask you if you do "tricks". I find that this is an ideal time to catch them off guard and off beat.

Just watch for the coins that roll away, and the cards that blow away any tabled effects.

ST

To perfect technique you need repetition. Your train ride would offer a perfect oportunity for the practice of some sleights. Don't worry about exposing sleights. For the most part sleights devoid of an effect makes little sense to the uninitiated.

Does it seem odd when you are practicing in a train, such as florishes, DL, etc, etc? How would the other people think about you when you were practicing? Will they keep watching you?

To me, I used to walk from the office back to my home 40 minutes every day. I used to practice my Sybil Cuts for about 2 months already, when I begin noticing that people were looking at me with a very strange facial expression. Is there anything really wrong with this?