You can always tell if a magician is a beginner, or if they’re just learning a new trick, based on how white their knuckles turn when they’re performing a move.

The lesson in magic is to use just enough force to grip whatever object you have and nothing more. It should be at the point where even the slightest loosening of the grip will drop whatever is in your hand.

This ensures the movements are natural and you won’t call attention to your hands.

However, the big secret to making this work is to not pay attention to the grip in your hands… but to the rest of your body.
How tense are your arms?
Shoulders?
Stomach?
Neck?
Are you even breathing?

Relax those parts and the hands will follow.

This advice is also useful for just about any other endeavour (minus plumbing—you want those pipes to be tighter than Satan’s grip on a drug cartel).

We can often approach what we do with such a heavy hand that it stifles our own movements within it. You want a grip on what you’re doing, but also the freedom to move in any direction.

Let the act of what you’re doing sing while you merely guide its movements with a gentle touch.