Xtreme Beginnerz Help

[shadowkat]

Hello, I am an extreme beginner to cardistry, xcm and flourishing. I ended up getting the Dan and Dave trilogy in a package deal and didn't even know what it was. Watching it is awesome, but I found it difficult to try and start from the dvd. In reading forums and reviews they suggested this was not a beginner dvd. Touche, received it in a bulk deal, wait a while. No problem. Kept reading that De'vo's Xtreme Beginnerz is the place to start. Purchased the dvd, received it today, really excited that now I could start from the beginning and maybe make something of this awesome art form. The first instructional area shows the Charlier cut. I have been working on that, and am ok. This dvd instruction just basically shows the move, slows it down, and then says follow along. As an extreme beginner, I started feeling frustrated and wanted the instruction to be slower. Am I approaching this dvd incorrectly? It has nothing but rave reviews, so I think it may be me. Please offer some insight on the best way to use this dvd. I will say I have been watching the Virts videos on their site and have had a much better experience in learning the moves. Should I scrap the dvd or is there value? Thank you for your time and input.

[MagikFingerz]

The Xtreme Beginnerz DVD was my gateway into cardistry, and I thought it did the job very well. I think it should be possible to slow down the video further, but that would probably depend on the DVD player/media player software. If you want, I could write some detailed instructions for the Charlier cut if you think that would help you more than just the video alone.

[shadowkat]

Thank you, Tom. I was just a little overwhelmed with the format as I am not a complete visual learner. The section on fanning with Mr. Cestkowski was easier for me because of the voice explanations along with the visual cues. My best friend suggested treating it like a book: making sure to practice between chapters to really get the move down before advancing. I think with more time and patience with myself, this will be the gateway I have been searching for. Thanks again for your reply.

[MagikFingerz]

That's the problem with video-only tutorials, some people (I suspect quite many) just aren't visual learners. And Mr. Shatten-whatever-the-hell-his-name-is sadly puts maintaining his mysterious image higher than actually teaching aspiring cardists.

Really though, if you want some written directions for anything on there, just ask. I think I have most of it down pretty well, so it won't take me long.

[Klaus409]

Hello everyone! I am a complete beginner to Cardistry and I also started with the Xtreme Beginers DVD. I have a question that I hope you will help me with, and i hope I am posting in the correct place!
My hands are quite sweaty, so my decks get sticky quite fast. I already learned most one handed cuts that the DVD's provide, but I am burning through deck faster than through a bottle of water in an August day! My question is: Will it affect in a negative way my future dexterity if I practice those one handed cuts with a sticky, used deck? I mean it doesn't really seem to matter if the deck runs all that smooth(when it comes to this kind of cuts), but my concern is that it takes less effort to keep the packs together (in Charlier, Thumb, Scisor cuts etc), and that i will get used to those decks and then have a harder time handling a new deck of cards that will obviously be a lot smoother! So what should I do? Can I practice the one-handed cuts with a sticky old deck and the fans, spreads and everything else with one that runs smoother? Or do I just keep opening a new deck every single time the one I am using gets a little sticky?
Thanks in advance!

[MagikFingerz]

Hi Klaus.

If your hands are sweaty, you should wash them often with cold water. You might also want to try using fanning powder, as this seems to get on your hands and somewhat prevent perspiration (though this is only from personal experience, it doesn't advertise that). Fanning powder will also make the cards stick together more, which makes cuts easier. If you live in a hot climate, you can try keeping your deck(s) in the fridge before and after use. This should limit the damage to the cards from the sweat and oils from your hands. Not for too long though, temperature changes CAN make decks "warp".

And yes, it is perfectly fine to practice using decks that hold together more easily. In fact, many have even gone as far as to use metal slabs in the shape and size of card packets or even put rubber bands around packets of cards to be able to work on technique without the cards slipping out of the hands (most often when practicing either aerial cuts or a "pass", a magic move).

[Klaus409]

Thank you MagikFingerz, you have been a lot of help! I really appreciate it!
I have a little request, and i hope you can help me again!
After I will get used to the one handed cuts and maybe a few 2 handed cuts that are of a bigger difficulty and complexity level, I would really like to learn some display moves such as "The Werm". The problem is, I have absolutely no other ideas, and I really don't know any display moves names... You think you can give me some names I can look up, and if you happen to have a tutorial video to any of them I can watch would be really helpful! So far, I bought: The Trilogy (Dan&Dave), Dangerous (Daniel Madison), and Foundations I (Jason England) (Plus of course, Xtreme Beginerz as i mentioned in my earlier posts). However, I went through the DVDs, and unless I missed them, there are no display moves except maybe the Les Paul Spread!
Also, If you could tell me which DVD I should follow up after I learn everything in the Xtreme Beginerz I would really appreciate it! I am thinking about Motion (2nd dvd from Dangerous), but I am wondering if maybe the complexity level is to high for a beginner like me. Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
~Michael~

[MagikFingerz]

All of those DVDs should be good choices, though I don't know them well enough to comment on their relative difficulty. But at this point I don't think anything is really "too difficult", some things will just take more time to learn than others. Just look through the DVDs you have and start with the one you like the most. If you come across anything you want to learn that is really complex, just try to break it down into smaller moves and practice the different parts separately.

Regarding display cuts, I don't know many apart from the Werm either. I guess the Sybil can be made into a display, that's probably a good cut for you to learn at this point anyway. Though I found plenty of tutorials on youtube searching for "display flourish tutorial".

Hope that helps

[Klaus409]

Thank you, you truly have been a lot of help. I chose Motion by Daniel Madison .. I really love the flourishes and I idolatrize that man lol... Thanks a lot for your help again!! So glad I found this forum ! I think I will actually attempt they Sybil, and then, once i got it down, I will learn 4 Sybil which is a 4 card revelation within the Sybil! Looks so cool!!! Can't wait!!! Wish me luck!

[Blake]

Shadowkat I would personally play around on youtube before you get into the non verbal stuff Here are some of the 7 basics that you will need and also look great For each move I will give you the best youtube video that I know of so that you can Kind of use this for a reference.
I) Charlier --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga2Xhzr98gU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
II) The Spring ---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE1P7fINjX8
III) The revolution cut ---http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThneslhFxhE
IV) Thumb cut --- ( there is not a great video on this that I found but this one works) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks6F5Fpi9mY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
V) Scissor cut --- ( This guy is great with all kinds of card stuff ) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krI-jAVRa2g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
VI) One handed fan -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ETppxkL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... verview-vl
VII) Two handed fan -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC6LuAfD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... D&index=19
Bonus I) TG deck flip --http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMTYLNsi ... 9D&index=9
Bonus II) Easy two handed cut series --- All the videos labeled two handed cut tutorial video 1-5 the link to the first one is below -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m42Eh_-K" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... verview-vl

It is my experience that if you are able to conquer the youtube task than by the time you are done it will be easier for you to follow the faster pace/ less verbal stuff.
Klaus -- Good choice on the Daniel Madison stuff he is quite good at what he does after you get down the 4 sybil you should post a video and let us see how far you have come with the move