Who thought magic could be boring?

The basics of anything start out boring. Its just a fact of life. Want to learn math? You gotta start out with addition and subtraction. Over and over and over again, till it becomes second nature. Become a Quarterback? Learn to hold the ball right and throw all the time till it becomes second nature. The pattern here is that the basics need to be second nature for you to grow and become great at whatever you choose to do. In my case that means going over chapter 1 in Card college volume 1 for at least a hour each night over the last four days. With the exception of Tuesday, that happened.

I could tell what I brushed over in the chapter. Starting with the dealing position I noticed my thumb was really far forward. Even though I held the deck "correct" when I put it in my hands, I tensed up and shifted the deck back towards my body. I held it in position as I walked around, checking every few seconds. Then I use a end grip to lower the deck to my practice pad. Pick the deck back up in end grip and return it to dealing position. You can only take so much of that before you catch your mind wandering. Trying to spice it up you look ahead. Elevated dealing position. You visualise the sequence in your mind. End grip to pick up the deck placing it in dealing position. Then end grip again to lift the deck to a elevated dealing position. The deck is starting to look a bit uneven. You grin as you realise that leads right into squaring the deck. Smiling you maneuver the deck from end grip to dealing position. Back to end grip into a elevated dealing position and finish with a good deck squaring.

After you run through the routine a couple of times you do a slow version, checking the "check points" and realise you missed the straddle dealing position. Now the routine becomes end grip to dealing position to end grip to elevated dealing position. A quick Square up and into a straddle dealing position followed by a end grip. Then you drop the cards back on the close up pad and start all over again. You have effectively done nothing.

Three more days left in this week to practice the stuff I ignored my first time through. Like outjogging cards,the swing cut and most importantly the dribble and the step. Three more days of dealing positions, cutting cards, squaring cards, spreading cards, outjogging cards, dribbling cards, dealing cards, forming breaks, steps, spreads, and the riffle (not the shuffle, just a plain old card in bicycle spokes sounding riffle). I keep holding myself back from moving on, knowing that every day I practice I relax more and each movement becomes more and more like second nature to me.