Hello everyone. I am having a terrible time when it comes to doing magic tricks. Right before I do a trick I get really nervous and shakey. Would you guys know how to deal with it? So far I have done Rising card because that's a big hit with all of my fellow students even though I know these people the nervousness always come. -Thank you.

Your nervousness comes from the fear that you may mess something up. It is the same as when you have talk stand up in front of a group and give a speach or report. If you don't know everything cold it is harder than if you know everything about it. The only way to overcome the problem is to practice a trick to the point that you can do it perfectly without thinking about it. So basically just pratice practice practice and when you think you have a trick down perfectly practice some more. Then when you do the trick you will KNOW that you can do it without the fear of having someone figure it out. Also practice what to do if by some chance you do slip up "what will I say if I mess up here or here" Just remember what is the worst thing that can happen, some joker may laugh at you. If you are prepared for every possible event it won't bother you and you will be able to recover and astound them with something else. You could also look into getting some effects that are designed to make it look like you screwed up.

Well said. Just practice until you get really good at a trick then try performing it for family members, friends, what have you and you'll get positive results which should make you not so nervous and give you more confidence.

I got through it because I do comedy acting and I'm used to making a fool of myself

Thanks you guys.. yeah Kurtz my fear is from messing up a trick, so far so good with the Rising Card. I think I just have an image of someone just snatching it right when it's coming up. But, can you guys give me some tips for when jokers are into play? I'm not much of a comedian, so I can't really do well with jokes. Thanks again all your posts helped. I hope to see more.

You might find some helpful hints on the One Liners forum.

Just as was said before the fear does come from messing up and also from the unexpected. Back when I was starting out I Did the following: Find a trick that's self working so that there's no possible way you could mess up (while you practice the harder tricks at home), then do those tricks on as many people as possible, this way you get an idea of how people react and you learn to play off of their reactions. Finally when you've gotten used to performing tricks for people you can do your harder stuff without fear because you'll have practiced and already have an idea of how to work your audiences.

thanks majik that's really helplful! thanks everyone

Thank you all !!! This is very helpful to me as well. I will also take your advice and pracitce until I have it down cold and then practice some more. Thanks!

I must admit that I to sometimes feel very nervous before performing a trick. The way I deal with it is to try to integrate my nervousness into my act for example; when you finish performing the rising card effect you can tell your spectator to feel your heart rate going very fast and then say that the doctor said to you not to push yourself to hard because you could get very sick showing your special abilities or something. This may even get that extra punch into your effect and make it more believable. Also if your nervousness is affecting your dialog, my advice to you is to go slower and take it a step at a time and you will see the difference.

practice on family or close close friends first. slowly get over your fear

Getting the shakes in front of people is a COMMON phenomenon. This is why Speech classes are usually required in many states. THis is to help us over that nervousness. When performing magic in front of others, this nervous state can jump up a level or two. When doing magic we are PERFORMERS and others judge us by what we do. When giving a speech, especially in a class, everyone is in teh same boat and the speech or presentation is easier. But when doing magic, it is only YOU. This is scarey. The best way overcome this is to actually do it. Yes, practice your tricks so well that you can do it blindfolded. (I can do Pen-thru dollar with my eyes closed I know it so well). When you are that comfortable with a trick, then do a trick in front of a few people (Say three). Keep doing it for only 3 people until you are comfortable. When comfortable with three, then do a trick in front of 5 people a few times and keep increasing your audiences. I am infront of people EVERY DAY all day long. (Call me a teacher). Every time I do a trick in front of someone, or after a show (If I'm doing a whole show), I get the shakes. A co-worker passed me in the hallway today and asked me if I had just performed a trick. She could tell because I looked nervous. The bottom line is, TIME. Time and practice and you'll get over it enough to be able to do what you have to do.

I'm a teacher also and being prepared is the best way to over come the nervousness, even though I get extremely nervous doing magic. Practice your tricks in the order you plan on doing them and practice the whole routine at the same time, just like doing the performance.

-Cyberman wow that is a really good one. Once I performed a trick in my AP English class and they got a taste of how hard my heartbeat was.. I think I will use your advice with the special abilities. -Flogger I couldn't totally agree more. I took speech a while back and thought that was pretty easy and I could do it. I thought I could apply it to performing but it just didn't work. I hope I do get better over time (meaning: don't get so nervous). -Savhunt, I wouldn't thikn that a teacher would be so nervous to perform a trick.

That is a huge problem of mine aswell. i am not too bad in front of one person, but in front of a crowd, especially when they are loking from all angles, i totally get the shakes. i hate it!!!!! i just cannot be myself. i am well aware there are a lot of people watching my trick, just TRYING to ruin it, spot what i do etc. my knees and hands shake and all that. i find sleight extrely difficult when that starts happening. and then someone grabd the cards from me or does something they are not supposed to, and i fecking go mad. AS IF THINGS ARE NOT HARD ENOUGH FOR ME ALREADY!!!!! I AM TRYING TO BLOODY ENTERTAIN!!!! CUT ME SOME SLACK!!!! I am serious :i have had people just pull my invisible and svengali decks straight out of my hands in the middle of my trick and expose the secret to everyone. and the news goes like dust. within an hour, evryone in school has heard about my new gimmick. it is also flippen embarrassing. i cannot overcome this fear i have, and omg i have practiced till edited freezes over, but you just cant prevent [edited] ruining your trick (sorry about the language, but i am trying to express my feelings)