How to do Magic Tricks

Advice and Support for Magicians

When is it OK for Magicians to Teach Spectators a Magic Trick?

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Teaching magic secrets

I'm often asked if I can teach a magic trick to one of the guests when I'm performing at a party or wedding. What should I do? I'd like to show them a simple magic trick that they can  do, but at the same time I don't want to expose magic secrets. – John

That's a good question and one most magicians asked themselves. Teaching a simple magic trick is fine as long as you are very careful about what you teach. As magicians we promise not to disclose secrets, we also don't want to reduce the impressiveness or importance of our own magic by showing that it is just a collection of easy to master magic tricks.  However, there is a good way to approach this. You can show them something that is not too technical, advanced, or the work of another magician. It's absolutely fine to teach them a magic trick as long as it is in the public domain, and doesn't reveal one of the core principles of magic technique. So what sort of tricks are OK to teach?

The perfect magic trick to teach a spectator is one where the secrets of a magic trick is revealed as part of the ending anyway. Bar bets or  proposition cons are ideal examples of this. The conclusion of the trick automatically shows and teaches the method so you're not exposing any  secrets. There is a huge range of magic tricks like this that you can use, they may not be magic in the strictest sense of the word, but they are entertaining and will satisfy your spectators curiosity and desire for a trick that they can do themselves.

Pushing an object through a cup.

A simple spur of the moment magic trick that you could teach spectators would be a demonstration of how you can push an object through a cup. You  take a coffee cup and place it on the table, You announce that you will be able to push a large borrowed object (such as a mobile phone) through  the small handle of the cup. It seems totally impossible. The huge object, such as a phone, or maybe a wine glass couldn't possibly fit through the small handle of the cup. When they ask you for the solution, you simply place the object in front of the cup, put your finger through the handle hole, and push the object with your finger. There.. you pushed the object through the cup!

It might not be a stunning example of sleight of hand, no real magic is taken place, but it will satisfy the spectators, entertain them and give them something to try out on their friends  later.

There are lots of books and DVDs which teach bar bets or puzzles like this, and you'll be able to find them free of charge at your local public library. Being armed with just a few small easy to learn magic tricks that you can teach will mean that you never have to disappoint spectators or reveal the real secrets of close-up magic.

How to do Magic Without Saying – Do You Want to See a Magic Trick?

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 Approaching magic - Introductions

By Ben Williams

Philip asks:

I would like to perform magic tricks to people without having to say, 'do you want to see a magic trick? Do you have any suggestions?

There are two options if you wish to perform magic tricks without asking if someone wants to see a trick. You can simply direct them to hold something and simply do the magic, a very David Blaine or Dynamo style approach. The other option is to talk with your spectators about random topics and steer the conversation to where you need it to be so that you can perform a magic trick for them.

If you wish to use the first approach, you must be aware that you may have a lot of unsure people who do not know what you are going to do. Even when you see people on TV such as Dynamo, Troy, or David Blaine walk up to people they have all been asked if they would like to see a magic trick, it is never a ‘cold call’. This cold approach is certainly the hardest approach to use.

Ask yourself this question, 'If a stranger walked up to you and asked if they could borrow your phone to show them something, would you give it to them?

Of course, you would be wary and most likely not help them out. With that in mind, it is not impossible; they must trust you though. A good way to get people to trust you is to perform magic tricks with your own items. Maybe float a banknote as you sit at a table or make an item move without touching it, something that would get a spectator’s attention. This way they will then be more accepting of you, and a lot more likely to allow you to borrow an item from them. They now know you will show them something interesting and not just steal their items.

In order to do this, your magic tricks should be strong and visual and these aspects should talk for themselves. You do not want to perform magic tricks with lots of instructions for the spectator to follow. A simple, ‘hold this’ or ‘watch’ is all that will be necessary to say. This minimalistic approach can work wonders, but the magic tricks MUST be good or else it will fall flat.

The other approach is to lead your spectators up the garden path and begin chatting to them about a topic that you can steer in the direction you wish it to go. Talk to your spectators without trying to jump into performing a magic trick, in fact, forget the magic trick for the time being. Chat to them about things that can relate to the effect you wish to perform on them. A great way to steer a conversation in the direction you wish for it to go is to just Google search a meme on the topic. For example if you wish to perform a trick where you make an item move on its own accord you could talk about the film Carrie and how it has been remade.

There is a meme that went viral of a video of a girl in a coffee shop who makes a man fly up the side of a wall; all the tables move on their own, and finally when the girl screams books fly off the bookshelves, and all the pictures fall off the wall. Over 56 million people have watched that clip on YouTube, and it may be that the people you are speaking to have seen it also. This is a perfect lead in to performing a magic trick where a pen falls off the edge of a table or a fork spins on a table.

In order to get the most out of these approaches, you must be confident and comfortable when handling people. If you try the first method of approach and get shot down then do not get disheartened, try again! To go up to someone cold and simply do magic for them is a very tough thing to do, it takes guts, confidence and technique to make it a success.


For those of you interested in the Coffee Shop Telekinesis Prank check it out here:

 

What's your experience of approaching people to introducing your magic? Let me know in the comments section below:

Magic Techniques to Stop Spectators Second Guessing You

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magic techniques to stop people second guessing your magic tricks

By Ben Williams

Nathan contacted the shop to get advice about the best magic techniques to stop a spectator second guessing what is going to happen.

For instance, when you place a playing card on a spectators hand face down, How do you stop them looking at the playing card if they already believe it is their card?

Obviously this can be a bit of a problem. If a spectator second guesses where you are going, it can ruin the moment you are trying to create with your reveal. There are definitely somethings that you can do in order to lessen the chances of this happening.

First of all, we should look at why a spectator may be second guessing you. Sometimes it can be your patter that is causing the problem, sometimes it can be your magic techniques. There are also times when it is neither your magic techniques nor your patter; it is more to do with the personality type of the spectator. Usually an alpha male who wishes to retain control of the group’s attention will be the person to throw you off the most. We will discuss some magic techniques and methods to help with each of these potential problems. The main thing is that you are honest with yourself and don’t kid yourself; it is the only real way to move forward.

Magic Techniques.

There can be tell tale signs that give the game away when performing when it comes to magic techniques. Here are a few guidelines to follow.

Smooth and Natural Motions.
Make sure your controls are smooth and justified. If you are going to cut the deck to control their playing card it must be smooth – as if you were just playing with the cards randomly. Your magic technique should be practiced to prevent you from fumbling with the cards, each movement should look natural and smooth. Your sleights should be fluid, and without thought, this sort of action can only be learned through practice.

Hesitation Kills.
Hesitation will kill any belief that you are not cheating. Unlike using silence in your magic tricks, It is like a beacon that goes off in a spectator's mind alerting them to your dirty work. If you can iron out your magic techniques, so it happens without you thinking about it that is really where you want to be, this way it is also invisible to your spectators.

 

Patter Improvements.

Patter can be a huge part of why a spectator may second guess where your magic may be going. You may inadvertently be giving your spectators too much time to question your actions. It may also be that you are alerting them to funny business just by the words you are saying.

Multiple Instructions.
Patter is a great form of misdirection. It can give your spectators something to think about which can be just as distracting as giving them something to look at. A great tip is to give your spectators a couple or a few instructions. For example, you could say; 'please take this card and hold it between your hands, so it is safe' or, 'hold this card face down and stare right at this spot on the back of it'. By giving the spectator a couple of instructions they are much less likely to argue with it, one instruction the brain can argue with, 2 or more instructions and the brain kind of gives in and just does it. You must be fluent with your patter, when you give them an instruction follow it up with something, whether it is another instruction or just more patter that changes the direction of where your spectator's mind is going it must flow smoothly and your spectators will go along for the ride.

Don’t Spell it Out for Them.
It is important that you do not have a running commentary of every action you do. Do not say things like 'if I take the top card', or ‘I will just put the coin in my hand’. Your spectators can see it is the top card you are using, by stating that it is the top card you are allowing the spectator to question that statement. Simply use the top card and say something like 'we will use this card to help'.

 

Reading your Spectators.

This is something that can only come from experience, but there are a few pointers I can share to help you along your way. You must be able to quickly judge how compliant a spectator is going to be in a short space of time. Now some of these judgements can be made by observation from before you meet up with the spectator.

Identifying the Alpha Male of the Group.
How you assess a group when approaching spectators makes a huge difference. You should be able to view a group and see who is the dominant person within the group. They are usually the centre of the conversation and receive the most attention from everyone in the group, when they speak, people listen. Another way to identify them is if you happen to someone insisting on picking up the bar tab or bill at the end of a meal. Look around, observe people. If you look for the details you wish to see, you will see them crop up all over the place. The alpha male is the shepherd, and the rest of the group are his sheep. If you win this person over, the rest of the group will follow. By getting the group on your side, you will dramatically reduce the chances of being second guessed or interrupted mid performance.

Be Personable.
Introduce yourself, shake hands with the spectator and ask their names. Be personable, don’t just go up to people in ‘magician’s patter mode’, many people find magicians annoying when they do that. By introducing yourself properly, you will have a moment to judge their reaction to you. You can then decide if you will take your performance slowly and seriously or make it light hearted and fun. Generally, if I get a stand offish reaction to my introduction I will address that person and let them know everything will all be ok, it is just going to be something quick and fun. Once you break down their barrier you can then go deeper with your performance and leave them with a better experience than they ever dreamt they would have.

 

These are a few guidelines you can use to help your magic performance. If you practice your magic techniques and patter so that everything runs smoothly, then you will be able to stay in control of your spectators. If you are in control of your spectators, then the chance of them trying to take control by asking questions such as 'can I check the card?' is minimized dramatically. It does take time to master things like this, but if you start now and are aware and analytical of what you are doing when performing then these things will start to come naturally, and that is the goal.

 

You may also like to read about how to use magic techniques to communicate effort in your magic.