When an actor’s hands shake from nervousness it mostly goes unnoticed. After all – an actor’s hands aren’t usually a focal point of the scene. When card magicians get too nervous, and start to shake – the cards shake! Now, the audience can’t enjoy the show. They can experience worry, concern or discomfort, but not magic.

As a young entertainer, I endured this experience all the time. I never shared my fear of shaking with anyone who could help because I sincerely believed my ‘condition’ was a clear indication that I ‘didn’t have the stuff’ of a real magician. After all, I had watched some of the best magicians in the world, and they never trembled.

It took me many years of performance, and hundreds of shaky shows before I began to discover specific attitudes and steps I could take to decrease my shakes, and eventually, have them disappear altogether. So if you have shaking hands, stage fright, or suffer from ‘performance terror’ – which I feel is a more accurate description of the experience – this post will be very helpful.

As we get going, remember that shaky hands are ultimately a sign that you love magic and want very passionately to be successful. As a magic teacher, that’s the greatest indication I know of that you have what it takes to succeed.