1. Ideal number of cards for the spinning packet

The number of cards used in the packet you’re spinning is crucial to having a nice good looking spin. I find 4-6 cards to be an ideal packet size. If the packet is too thick, it’ll be very hard for the packet to spin on the corners, too thin and there might not be enough weight for the packet to rely on it’s own momentum to spin (more on this at tip #4).

2. Grip

Grip is extremely important to the tornado cut. How much pressure you apply to clip the packet between your palm and pinky can make a huge difference to the way your tornado cut looks. It’s a very hard to explain the amount of pressure one should apply to the packet, so the best advice I can give you regarding grip is one from the card college series,

“Hold it like a baby bird, tight enough so that it won’t fly away, but loose enough so that you don’t kill it.”

I think this not only works well for the tornado cut, but also card handling and card flourishes in general.

3. Pivot Point

The pivot point I’ve seen many people use (in real life and in videos) is usually at the crevice of the palm near the wrist (refer to video at 00:30). Whilst this may seem like the most logical point to pivot from, it’s actually very bad technique. Pivoting from this point, not only requires additional ‘little’ moves to get there (like breaking off a small packet and then positioning it) but also, when pivoting from that point, it obstructs the packet whilst it is rotating due to the two fleshy parts surrounding it.

The right technique is to pivot on the fleshy part of your palm which is closer to the thumb (refer to video at 00:40). One of the advantages is that you do not need to break a small packet off first, and then position it at the pivot point (which you need to if you were to use the crevice of your palm as the pivot point), but you can go directly into the cut. This makes for a much smoother transition between the opener of the cut into actually executing the spins.

4. Weight and Momentum

Many people rely on the strength of their ring finger and wrist to spin the tornado packet. This is very bad technique, that results in an awkward looking tornado cut. The key to making it look effortless is by allowing the packet do most of the spinning through the packet’s weight.

Practice tip: Practice getting the packet to spin one full round using only one flick of the ring finger (refer to video at 01:17). Once you can do that, applying the same technique to a half round should result in the packet bouncing off the ring finger whilst trying to complete a full round (refer to video at 01:36). Repeat the same movements for the next half round, and the next and the next… This gives the illusion that the packet is spinning faster.

5. Co-ordinating your wrist movements with your ring finger

I’ve noticed that many people execute the tornado cut by relying entirely on the wrist and ring finger. Whilst this makes sense when first attempting the cut, the secret is instead to co-ordinate your LEFT WRIST movements with the RIGHT RING finger or vice versa if you’re left handed.

Each time your right ring finger pulls inwards, your left wrist should make a downward arch (refer to video at 02:01).

So there you have it, the 5 tips I have for the tornado cut. Hopefully, you guys have gained something from this article and video. If you have any questions at all, leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them.

P.S: One last tip… PRACTICE! Without practice, no matter how many tutorials you watch, or how many articles you read – It would be pointless. ;)

-Daren, The Virts

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Credits

• Tornado Cut created by Ashford Kneitel, based on Float Pass by Guy Hollingworth
• Tornado Cut performed by Daren Yeow
• Filmed by Huron Low
• Edited by Daren Yeow
• Music : “Stress Rap” by Cannibal Ox