Mirrors

Every magician has heard it, multiple times, and it really is one of the most useful things a magician can do.  Using a mirror (or webcam etc) while practicing is definitely one of the best ways to improve.  So often a move or effect can look good from our side but until you look at it from another point of view you will never know how bad you can be flashing. Honestly this seems like such a simple tip but it really is often overlooked. Plus the amount of times I’ve fooled myself while practicing something makes it all worthwhile.

In actual fact I personally believe that using a camera to record yourself practicing is better than a mirror.  These days almost everybody has access to some device that records video, and allows it to be shared almost instantly. Taking a video allows you to view it multiple times, slow it down, not have to look for things to improve on while actually performing the move, and best of all you can send it to other magicians for advice.

Getting other magicians honest, and harsh, advice on a move or effect is invaluable.  Of course you then need to take it into consideration and learn from it.  I also believe that you should only take on opinions of magicians that you respect. Now that's not to say that they need to be famous or have sold thousands of DVDs.  But making sure that you ask someone who has good experience in that area of magic and is willing to give you honest feedback, will definitely give you points to improve on.  Make sure that you like what they do or at least respect it. Using them along with practicing in front of a mirror is a sure fire way of improving your magic, providing you put in the time and effort it deserves.