Hand Gestures vs. Items

[Vantillus Octavious]

In the world I am designing, all practitioners use items when using magic because it is faster, conserves energy, easier to focus or whatever than other ways.
By items i mean: Rings, wands, staves, etc.
My protagonist, typically, does not use items or props. The original reasoning for this was because he never had any type of formal training so he learned everything using hand gestures and words

But I thought of something a few minutes ago and I was hoping for some input on it.
My idea now is that it is simply more practical to use magic without items and props. It would help with discipline and focus. He could travel lighter.
He would be faster than other Practitioners. Of course this is all long term stuff. He would be forced to improve his knowledge/skill with Magic to compete with Practitioners who use items.

Any thoughts?

[jeno]

But if it's so much more practical, why don't formally trained practitioners do it that way, too? Or at least the upper level practitioners who would have more discipline?

[Vantillus Octavious]

Perhaps it isn't practical, except for a fight. It is easier to lose your staff than your hands.
Also during the first few years of an apprentice's training he/she does not have good control. His/her Power sloshes around and the wizard tires easier.
It would take years before a wizard would develop such discipline/control.
Say 3k years ago, before wizards learned how to use magic in serious ways, a wizard developed a way to use a staff to focus and channel magic easier. Everyone would jump on that.
Finally, Wizards are generally older people who like to stick with tradition. Traditionally, Wizards use items.They teach their apprentices to use items.
Then those young wizards grow up and teach their apprentices to use items.

Jared simply wasn't apart of the cycle and because of this will develop an advantage.

[arcanist]

Or maybe using a staff or other item could be less dangerous eg if you lose control of the magic the staff would blow up instead of your hands. Another idea could be that an item is easier to use [maybe requiring less concentration] or reduces the risk of something going wrong.

[Vantillus Octavious]

Or maybe using a staff or other item could be less dangerous eg if you lose control of the magic the staff would blow up instead of your hands.

I like that. It could be an interesting event.

[Enjorous]

Maybe people use staves, wands, focus items in general only because they're traditional. Maybe no one has ever just used their hands or their words so magicers assumed that you couldn't.

[The Corvidian]

Crutches, foci, batteries, and pre-loaded spells.

The guy who uses the hand gestures could also be a master of sympathetic magic, in that he wouldn't have to use elaborate props to do his magic.