Practice Cylinders...and best practice schedules...

[!*AMP*!]

Hi Everyone,
Forgive me if I sound too much like a "noob" but essentially, that's what I am. (at least I try to use proper grammar!) Now I'll get on to my questions...

I recently bought a tri-pik training station, w/ a 3, 4, and 5 pin lock cylinder. Does anyone know of a structured session that works well for learning the skill, or is it simply practice, practice, practice, after reading the basics? I bought a small 14 or 15 pick set for starting out with, and will broaden my toolset as my skill, hopefully, increases. I have read a few tutorials online, and on this forum, but am not sure of where to start, besides just beginning to practice.

Essentially, I am trying to figure out a practice regimen before the items arrive, so I'm not left just sitting and fiddling w/ locks with no actual learning going on. Thanks all!

[UWSDWF]

ummm.... this site is dedicated mostly to hobbyists so we do it whenever we can... all the time..... i haven't slept in three days i got this wicked biaxial and a bowl of............. anyways
If you are trying to learn do what is best for you. Read everything you can on this site it's better than most courses you can take and alot of fun

[Shrub]

Try THIS link

[!*AMP*!]

Thanks for the link...I'll be sure to do it, and also look around at some of the othe tutorials available here...I figured practice was my best bet, so I guess that's what it'll be. I appreciate it...

[Shrub]

Amp, your not allowed links in your sig line by the way sorry put it to your www button if you want it on here (also done in your profile)

[!*AMP*!]

Oh, sure, NP, wasn't aware of that...should have known though. Used to run a forum of my own and was constantly banning people for spamming. I'll remove it.

[Shrub]

No worries mate, thanks for being so nice about it

[!*AMP*!]

NP, glad to lighten the world everyonce and a while.

[pradselost]

I personally subscribe to a regimen of picking whenever the urge comes. Of course, as was stated early, as a hobbyist, that's fairly often because I enjoy the mechanics of lockpicking. If you're enthusiastic about lockpicking as a sport, training will not likely come across as a "workload" by any means, it should be more like figuring out a puzzle.

That said, puzzles do need moderation. Like any puzzle....rubik's cube, sudoku, crossword puzzles...lockpicking can be frustrating, so its important to take the occassional break.

I suggest that you pick a few times a day, breaking primarily for two instances. One is when your fingers get sore from picking. Take a bit of a break and allow the skin and muscles to recover. Second, if you find yourself picking and you're not putting the proper amount of thought into it....ie., you find yourself raking the lock, or not really "trying" to feel the pins set, or you wind up brute forcing the lock...these can be signs of frustration. Back off, take a few minutes break, and come back to picking when you feel like the lock is less of a frustration and more of a "challenge"

[!*AMP*!]

Sounds a bit like learning to juggle...lots more finesse than strength, of course, and if your practicing, and are getting frustrated, it helps to chill for a while, or even the rest of the day, at least that's how it is in Juggling...and I'm pretty avid at that...balls, rings, clubs, bowling balls, and whatever I can get my hands on.

Cool, I'll do that. I guess there can be such a thing as overdoing it. Do the joints tend to get sore when too much is done?