18 replies to this topic

[alexjones234]

i bought Jedds card tearing ebook a few months ago but only now starting to get into it. its definately a great source of material and i have found it helpful.

 

a question for anyone has tore a deck in half.. how long did it take you to do your first one? and how long did it take to do it in the box aswell? just looking for some feedback.

 

ive been using some newspaper until my decks come back from ebay. i dont know how much different in size the papers are in the US compared to the UK, but yesterday i managed to get through 3 sheets of paper. the 3 sheets were folded x4 (not including the page being closed at the start) before they ended up to a size smaller than a deck of cards. definately tough on the fingers, but bearable. i seem to use my first two fingers of the hardest working hand for the best part of the tear.

it took me about 3-4 minutes, so it wasnt exactly quick.. not sure where this leaves me when it comes to tearing an actual deck of cards.

 

anyone still tearing cards or newspaper?

 

 

EDIT: forgot to ask how many days a week you would train for card tearing?

 

Thanks.

Edited by alexjones234, 14 February 2013 - 11:43 AM.

[Norden]

Not sure if you mean the time it took to tear the deck or how much training it took before I could do it.

I took a time off from grippers and tore cards like 3 times a week for about 3 weeks before I did my first whole deck, and I would say it took about 2-3 minutes to get through the whole deck. It was a pretty tough deck too. Don't think I can get through a deck now, it hurts my hands so bad when not conditioned for it. It sure is a cool feat that I'd like to get more consistent at.

[alexjones234]

ah, so 3 weeks then. i expected something like this. my guess is that the average answer would be around 4weeks. it does look pretty cool. id like to be able to tear a deck over/under style, but that feels like the hardest technique for me at the minute. as long as i can tear one eventually ill be happy with that. not bothered if its an easy deck or not. ill just add more cards to progress.

 

did you ever manage to get through the case aswell?

[Shoggoth]

Cases are easy to add once your strength and technique are down. Biggest suggestion I can give you for over/under technique is to bite down hard with the pinkies and concentrate a lot of force there. It's easily forgot about when attempting but the tightness of your grip is huge. The index side will sort of take care of itself.

[matrixsleeper]

It also depends on the brand. after reading through Jedd's ebook I was able to tear through a plastic coated deck on my first go and a few weeks later through the case. Both are on my youtube channel. These were cheap decks from the dollar store though but great to train with. Bicycles are freakin hard, can't do one yet. I also never really "trained" for it. Just thought it'd be fun from time to time. It's a bit more expensive to tear decks constantly than it is to bend which is why I just stick with that. I also have Adam Glass's Industrial Strength 2 DVD and he shows you his method of tearning cards. It's sort of a weird way and I wasn't too comfortable with it.

[alexjones234]

its definately hard trying to apply pressure with the last two fingers. since im practicing with newspaper for the minute, i might try less sheets with the last 3 fingers to try and get used to using them properly in the tear. i think over/under looks the coolest way to tear, but i dont think its the easiest technique to use.

[alexjones234]

@ Matrixsleeper, to do it on your first attempt is good going, and the case just makes it look so much harder. cant believe you cant do one bicycle card though? :P its not a cheap interst by any means. i think once you know you can do it, the cheapest way to maintain and even improve is to use a few sheets of newspaper folded up into a small deck. im just looking forward to my cards getting here so i can see how i fare.

[alexjones234]

Just tore my first deck! only took me ...... about 10 minutes   . it was taking so long i didnt think it was ever gonna happen. and its harder than i thought. cards fought me all the way through to the bitter end. i thought these cheapos were suppose to be easy. next time ill try it wth about 15 cards less to try and get a cleaner faster tear. just glad i did though.

 

only just realised as im typing this.. but looking at my hands ive got some blood coming from my pinky.. embarassing. shows i tried though!

 

EDIT: i know its each to their own, but what technique is generally considered the most difficult? i started off trying to tear them 'adam glass style' because i found that easier when i was practicing on newspaper. when i tried it on the cards i got nowhere and ended up doing the bulk of the tear over under.

 

cheers.

Edited by alexjones234, 16 February 2013 - 09:38 AM.

[Shoggoth]

Congrats on your first deck! I think the choke and peel method would be considered the most difficult but if you want to be able to tear multiple decks you'll need to use the over-under.

[Squat More]

Took me about 2 weeks, many decks, started with 30 cards, then the left over + more from another deck and so on and so fourth until I could tear full decks in one motion. My main issue was building up the callouses in the right spots of my hands and developing the finger power in my hands to pinch them together in my palms with the style I used, one hand over, one under.

[GotAGrip]

I tear newspaper as I believe the cards I have are a really tough brand - I am upto 6 pieces of folded newspaper (folded to the size of a deck). Will film it tonight maybe.

 

I still can't tear the deck I have though, may have to get some from the pound shop lol.

[Mephistopholes]

I could do it pretty much right away... Took a fee minutes though. Still not great at it, but I don't really practice it. I think part of it is my technique just isn't very good. Haha. I can get a tear started but pretty much always have to fumble around wih my hands to grip it different ways and finish it off.

[GotAGrip]

I could do it pretty much right away... Took a fee minutes though. Still not great at it, but I don't really practice it. I think part of it is my technique just isn't very good. Haha. I can get a tear started but pretty much always have to fumble around wih my hands to grip it different ways and finish it off.

 

That's cos you are a beast :P

[Mephistopholes]

I could do it pretty much right away... Took a fee minutes though. Still not great at it, but I don't really practice it. I think part of it is my technique just isn't very good. Haha. I can get a tear started but pretty much always have to fumble around wih my hands to grip it different ways and finish it off.

 

That's cos you are a beast :P

hahaha thanks man. I was just really determined to tear it... so determined that I aggravated the tendons in my triceps and couldn't do presses for a week. haha. Probably should have held back on that one...

[alexjones234]

Congrats on your first deck! I think the choke and peel method would be considered the most difficult but if you want to be able to tear multiple decks you'll need to use the over-under.

 

cheers mate. theres no wonder i was struggling then.. i was practicing on newspaper using John Eatons technique! it felt more natural at first and it seemed to be the only technique that would work for me. when it came to the cards i could only manage to put a slit in the first card using this technique. i think my narrow pinch is just to weak. i managed to get through the deck using the over-under technique in the end. i would like to be able to tear multiple decks so i think ill stick with this technique for now.

 

 

Took me about 2 weeks, many decks, started with 30 cards, then the left over + more from another deck and so on and so fourth until I could tear full decks in one motion. My main issue was building up the callouses in the right spots of my hands and developing the finger power in my hands to pinch them together in my palms with the style I used, one hand over, one under.

 

i think ill have to start with less cards for the time being. theres no way ill be tearing a deck in one motion anytime soon. like i said. took me about 5-10 minutes! i was just happy to get through it, but i definately want to improve my time.

 

I tear newspaper as I believe the cards I have are a really tough brand - I am upto 6 pieces of folded newspaper (folded to the size of a deck). Will film it tonight maybe.

 

I still can't tear the deck I have though, may have to get some from the pound shop lol.

 

i bet that takes some doing.. i couldnt manage 4 but i got through a deck, slowly. i read that if you can get through 5 or 6, you shouldnt have a problem with a deck of cards..

 

I could do it pretty much right away... Took a fee minutes though. Still not great at it, but I don't really practice it. I think part of it is my technique just isn't very good. Haha. I can get a tear started but pretty much always have to fumble around wih my hands to grip it different ways and finish it off.

 

this is where im at. i just dont think my hands are very strong right now to be honest. that along with technique.

[alexjones234]

I could do it pretty much right away... Took a fee minutes though. Still not great at it, but I don't really practice it. I think part of it is my technique just isn't very good. Haha. I can get a tear started but pretty much always have to fumble around wih my hands to grip it different ways and finish it off.

 

Bumping with some progress.

 

^ This is the trouble im having right now. i start with the over-under technique because i find it th easiest way to get the tear going, and i tend to switch back n forth with one or two other techniques to finish the tear. rather than doing the deck really slowly, im doing about 45 cards at around 30 seconds. not awful, not brilliant.

 

i did stop card tearing up until last week, but i seem to have made some decent progress. when i tried my first easy full deck, it took me anywhere between 5-10 minutes, fresh.. now im doing 45cards in 30 seconds after doing plate wrist curls, and some DU work on the wrist developer. if i had stuck at it from the time i made this post, then id probably be getting through a deck by now, not at top speed but through it all the same.

 

and for the record, IMO, you cant compare card tearing with tearing folded newspaper.. the cards fight you pretty much all the way through, while the folded newspaper is pretty easy after you get it going. when i first started, 3 sheets of folded newspaper was tough, now 6 is fairly easy and im still yet to do a easy deck quite convincingly. but whatever works for you, texure-wise or even for saving money. i think i may try more folded newspapers after the card tearing, just to save money on cards and for extra volume on the tearing.

[Mephistopholes]

Training idea: fold some newspaper around some cards. Maybe get a bit more bang for your buck.

[Shoggoth]

I could do it pretty much right away... Took a fee minutes though. Still not great at it, but I don't really practice it. I think part of it is my technique just isn't very good. Haha. I can get a tear started but pretty much always have to fumble around wih my hands to grip it different ways and finish it off.

 

Bumping with some progress.

 

^ This is the trouble im having right now. i start with the over-under technique because i find it th easiest way to get the tear going, and i tend to switch back n forth with one or two other techniques to finish the tear. rather than doing the deck really slowly, im doing about 45 cards at around 30 seconds. not awful, not brilliant.

 

i did stop card tearing up until last week, but i seem to have made some decent progress. when i tried my first easy full deck, it took me anywhere between 5-10 minutes, fresh.. now im doing 45cards in 30 seconds after doing plate wrist curls, and some DU work on the wrist developer. if i had stuck at it from the time i made this post, then id probably be getting through a deck by now, not at top speed but through it all the same.

 

and for the record, IMO, you cant compare card tearing with tearing folded newspaper.. the cards fight you pretty much all the way through, while the folded newspaper is pretty easy after you get it going. when i first started, 3 sheets of folded newspaper was tough, now 6 is fairly easy and im still yet to do a easy deck quite convincingly. but whatever works for you, texure-wise or even for saving money. i think i may try more folded newspapers after the card tearing, just to save money on cards and for extra volume on the tearing.

 

I'm thinking there's some little thing with your technique that once you figure it out you'll be flying through them decks. I agree with the carryover of the newspaper tearing vs cards in that I don't see much carryover either.

 

One thing I don't think I've mentioned on here before is I got a pretty good injury a couple of years ago when I was doing tons of card tearing. When I was doing the "choke and peel" method the card edge was basically sitting right in the middle of my middle finger of the choking hand. I basically ended up crushing the tendons in there and it took a long time to recover to having any kind of strength back in that finger.

[alexjones234]

Training idea: fold some newspaper around some cards. Maybe get a bit more bang for your buck.

 

Thats not a bad idea. i think when i can get a full deck ill probably just add more cards, and tear lengthways for a different challenge. no doubt ill try out a deck of bicycles one day just to see how how hard they really are. some have described them as ripping towels.

 

 

 

 

I could do it pretty much right away... Took a fee minutes though. Still not great at it, but I don't really practice it. I think part of it is my technique just isn't very good. Haha. I can get a tear started but pretty much always have to fumble around wih my hands to grip it different ways and finish it off.

 

Bumping with some progress.

 

^ This is the trouble im having right now. i start with the over-under technique because i find it th easiest way to get the tear going, and i tend to switch back n forth with one or two other techniques to finish the tear. rather than doing the deck really slowly, im doing about 45 cards at around 30 seconds. not awful, not brilliant.

 

i did stop card tearing up until last week, but i seem to have made some decent progress. when i tried my first easy full deck, it took me anywhere between 5-10 minutes, fresh.. now im doing 45cards in 30 seconds after doing plate wrist curls, and some DU work on the wrist developer. if i had stuck at it from the time i made this post, then id probably be getting through a deck by now, not at top speed but through it all the same.

 

and for the record, IMO, you cant compare card tearing with tearing folded newspaper.. the cards fight you pretty much all the way through, while the folded newspaper is pretty easy after you get it going. when i first started, 3 sheets of folded newspaper was tough, now 6 is fairly easy and im still yet to do a easy deck quite convincingly. but whatever works for you, texure-wise or even for saving money. i think i may try more folded newspapers after the card tearing, just to save money on cards and for extra volume on the tearing.

 

I'm thinking there's some little thing with your technique that once you figure it out you'll be flying through them decks. I agree with the carryover of the newspaper tearing vs cards in that I don't see much carryover either.

 

One thing I don't think I've mentioned on here before is I got a pretty good injury a couple of years ago when I was doing tons of card tearing. When I was doing the "choke and peel" method the card edge was basically sitting right in the middle of my middle finger of the choking hand. I basically ended up crushing the tendons in there and it took a long time to recover to having any kind of strength back in that finger.

 

ill bear that in mind. i think ill stick to the over-under technique for now and try to get proficient with that. in time, ill try it the way adam glass does it, he makes it looks effortless but i cant get a tear started even with half the deck...

 

im guessing its gonna take a few packs of using actual playing cards before you get good at this, you can tweak your technique a little bit each time, which either makes it easier or a bit harder. i am enjoying it at the minute though and im hoping to get through an easy deck by the end of this month.

 

EDIT: i agree on not much carryover.. before i would struggle with 4 folded pieces of newspaper, not sure if i could get through it even.. now i just did 8, not 6. i think it shows my fingers are getting stronger and more accustomed to the newspaper tearing, but it doesnt directly help with the cards. i like to tear newspaper afterwards to save on cards and for volume for the fingers.

Edited by alexjones234, 02 April 2013 - 09:43 AM.