How to be Confident When Magic Tricks Go Wrong

Matt writes: 'What close up magic would you recommend for someone like me? I'm not very confident at performing tricks. The magic tricks go wrong when I try them on my mates.'

Hi Matt,

Many thanks for getting in touch. This can be a common problem with people starting out in magic. We will of course help but there is so much more to magic than just the tricks involved, true deception and truly fooling someone comes from a great performance. So we will try to help you with all of it!

The danger of too many close up magic tricks

Firstly, try not try to look at getting lots of new magic. Stop and try to look at why the magic tricks you have tried so far are going wrong. Most problems aren't solved simply by adding more tricks to your workload. Cut right back to a bare minimum of a few tricks to work on. Continuing to pile on new material just avoids having to do the real work of practice. We will of course help out as much as possible but there is only so much we can do, it is your job to make sure you practice, practice, practice and learn all you can and focus on where you think you are going wrong.

Confidence performing magic tricks

You mentioned in your email that you are not very confident when you perform. Confidence can be a big problem because it will negatively impact what you do, causing your mind to go blank leading to hesitation. When you hesitate, you give people moments to look at things they shouldn't be paying attention to. Essentially when you are not confident and nervous you are not presenting magic like it should be and people will catch you out as they are not misdirected or engaged.

Build your confidence as a magician

Here's some advice from Ben Williams on the subject of confidence:

'Lacking confience when you perform magic tricks doesn't mean all is lost. When I first start performing I would shake violently, have heart palpitations, sweaty palms, blank mind, just about everything that you could have as a physical manifestation of fear and nerves. I have personally experienced. Here is a blog post I wrote about overcoming nervousness. It talks about some of the things that really helped me, techniques for breathing, focusing your mind and relaxing.'

Running before you can walk

If you have practiced your magic and know what moves you have to do and are not cheating yourself, the rest is all in your head. Magic tricks go wrong if you are not properly practicing your magic before going out to perform them. Lack of practice will lead to you naturally making mistakes. Make sure you are not cheating yourself and performing things too soon just because you are excited. Also, just because it goes right 5 times in a row in front of a mirror that does not mean it is performance ready. When you perform in front of a group the experience is very different to being in front of a mirror.

Caring too much

This is a weird one. You should try to not care so much. Within your performance try not to give off an intense vibe, try to relax and act like it nothing bothers you. If something goes wrong, it goes wrong, it really isn't the end of the world. If people try to make you feel bad for getting it wrong by laughing or stating how badly it went wrong then shrug it off.

Never get into an argument or try to deny that it went wrong, this will only inflame the situation. Instead you can say something like, 'yep, that wasn't at all like when I learned it at Hogwarts!' This will get a laugh and diffuse the situation for you. If you can relax then so will your audience, they will stop trying to figure out how it works and begin enjoying it!

With all of this being said, here are some suggestions of great magic to help you ease into it. These are all pretty much self working, so you can concentrate on your performance. Basically I will list a whole load of links for you to help you out Matty!

FREE ARTICLES FROM BLOG RELATING TO PERFORMANCE

Overcoming Nervousness

Pitfalls of Performing to Family and Friends

TRICKS YOU SHOULD LOOK UP

Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Vol 1, 2 and 3

Sponge by Jay Noblezada

Pen Thru Anything

Invisible Deck by Oz Pearlman

Invisible Deck (Deck alone)

Coin Unique

FREE TRICKS AND EBOOKS

Ultimate Self Working Card Tricks Trial

Misdirection E-Book

Duplex Free Trick Video

Turnover Pass Free Video

School of Cool Free Trial

How to Learn Magic Tricks eBook

Free eBook Range

We hope this helps Matt, please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you.

5 Quick Tips for More Confidence When Performing Magic Tricks

by Dominic Reyes 5 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

Many magicians feel nervous before they start performing their magic tricks. Here's 5 Tips to help you gain more confidence.

Magic isn't just about the method of the trick, it's also about being a confidant magician. Even the best sleight of hand expert can struggle to entertain people with the magic that they have spent years learning. Good magic is as much about the performer as it is about the magic tricks. Being relaxed, presentable and communicating a positive attitude is very important. Even today, after many years of performing magic professionally, I still sometimes feel magicians nerves just before I start performing. It's usually when there is something unusual about the gig. I take my time and wander around the event for a few minutes, getting a feel for the venue and the situation. After a short tour of the room, I move up to my first group of spectators and find I relax as soon as I start performing. Getting ready to perform doesn't start at that moment. There are things you can do whilst setting up for your show, or getting your props ready for a close up session. Let's look at a few things you can easily do before you perform your magic:

1) Breath, Relax, Meditate.

Suffering from nervousness before you perform can get in the way of your presentation, but it can also reduce your ability to perform sleight of hand. If you are stressed and unsure, your muscles will also be tense and that's not good for your performance. Take a few moments to stop and breath. Slow breaths in and out can really help you to relax. Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. Count your breaths slowly as you do this, counting to ten and then returning back to 1 again. As you do this, try to focus only on your breathing. As your mind wanders, gently return your attention back to your breath.

Many performers also find that a simple visualisation can help. As you breathe out, imagine all the fear, negativity and doubt being breathed out along with the breath. As you breath in, imagine confidence and positivity are slowing flowing into you via your breath. Repeat this for a few minutes and see how it makes you feel.

2) Use a affirmation.

Lift both arms up into the air, as if you are running through the finish line in a race. Say to yourself

'I feel fantastic, and everyone will love my magic.'

You will be surprised about how this makes you feel. There is a lot of research in publication about positive affirmation and posture to gain confidence.

3) Laugh and smile.

Before you perform to your first group of spectators, take a moment to tell yourself a joke, or remember something that made you laugh. Bookmark a few websites that have funny memes or stories that you can read just before the show. Laugh and remember that feeling and keep it with you as you start your show.

Remember to be smiling as you perform. Even if you are focused on the mechanics or the situation around you, remember to keep a happy expression. You need to communicate that you are having a great time, so that those around you do the same.

4) Act energy.

You may be tired, stressed from traveling, or feeling a little ill, but you should not show it. If you feel tired and have no energy, fake it! You become how you act. Bound up a few steps to the entrance to the room, check the mirror before you walk in. Imagine feeling fantastic and full of energy and you will really feel it.

5) Be playful

Remember that it's really not that significant. You aren't a brain surgeon, you have nobody's life in your hands. It's just a bit of fun and entertainment for everyone. Nobody is taking is as seriously as you do yourself, after all your years of practice and angst. If something goes wrong, the whole room isn't going to stop and point at the door for you to leave. In reality, you can just shrug it off and carry on. Don't give yourself a hard time. Once of the most common reactions from magic students that do their first live gig, is a sense that it was all worry over nothing.

I hope this helps you

Dominic Reyes

Body Language and Magicians – Confidence to Perform Magic Tricks

by Merchant of Magic 7 Comments

By Dominic Reyes

Amy Cuddy gave an excellent TED talk showing how body language can change not only how people see you, but also how you feel about yourself and your own abilities. For magicians, this is essential advice.

I highly recommend you take the time to watch her talk on this subject:

Close up magicians cold call social groups and attempt to form a relationship many times each booking. As you approach each group, you are making a first impression, in much the same way as a job interview. In the first few moments of your introduction, spectators are making assumptions about you based on your appearance, posture, expression and behaviour. A positive and confident approach goes a long way towards smoothing your introduction into the group and their willingness to give you attention.

Problems for magicians.

When a magician approaches a new group of people, he or she has several obstacles to overcome including:

Capturing attention.
Developing a rappor.
Dealing with alpha spectators in a power play for group attention.
Overcoming stereotypes.
Engaging interest in the magic.

That's a lot of work to do, in the first few seconds of your introduction. Even established professional magicians experience a form of stage fright when they first start performing at a gig. This stage fright can often present itself as a nagging doubt in your own abilities, act, or the audience's interest in seeing your magic. Many magicians experience a fear of 'being found out' as if everyone will suddenly accuse them of not really being a magician. It's not so much about the magic tricks going wrong, but an irrational feeling that everyone will say. 'hang on, you're not really a magician are you!' This feeling stems from feeling that you are just playing the part of a magician, rather than actually being one.

Magicians need to establish their confidence and proficiency as quickly as possible. A slouched, closed posture signals insecurity. Spending time working on your posture, stance, and body language can radically transform your success as a magician.

Our own confidence greatly affects the overall reactions that our magic performance produce. That's why Amy Cuddy's advice is so useful to performers. If we send the time before a gig, ensuring that our own frame of mind is positive and confident, it will resonate throughout our who performance. Amy demonstrates that being aware of your body language, and accepting the ability to 'fake it until you make it' can lead you to 'fake it until you become it!'.