How to do Magic Tricks

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Study Guide for Bobos Modern Coin Magic

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Bobo's Modern Coin MagicSTUDY GUIDE TO BOBOS MODERN COIN MAGIC

by Opie Houston

OBJECTIVE:
Participants will learn selected sleights and tricks from Bobo’s classic. The selected readings, of course, are subjective and represent what I consider to be the essentials. The more serious student of magic may want to seek supplemental sources of material related to his or her own interests.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
Dig out or order a copy of Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic.
Gather the following materials to start: A few American half-dollar size coins; a few American dollar-size coins; two half-dollar size copper coins; other assorted coins; and a handkerchief.

WEEK ONE – Basics
1. Read the Preface, Braun’s Introduction, Acknowledgements, and the Prologue.

2. Skim Chapters 1 and 2. Read every word, and do not stop reading to try some of the sleights. It is very important that you understand Bobo’s theories and philosophy before you tackle the hard stuff.

3. Review Chapter 1, Coin Concealments, and practice all the sleights, with emphasis on the following:
a. Classic Palm; b. Edge Palm; c. Downs Palm; d. Finger Palm.

NOTE: Give the various Clips and Front/BackPalm a look, but concentrate on the sleights listed above. Carry a coin at all times for practice.)

4. Review Chapter II, Basic Technique, and learn the following techniques:
a. Bobo Switch; b. Utility Switch; c. Click Pass; d. Bottom Steal; e. “Fumble” suggestions.

TEST YOURSELF ON CHAPTERS 1 & 2

WEEKS II & III – More Basics
1. Read Chapter III, Coin Vanishes. Read every word before beginning a re-read and emphasis on the following effects:
a. Standard Vanish; b. Thumb Palm Vanish; c. Illusive Coin Pass; d. A Coin Vanish; e. Gone; f. Flyaway Coin; g. Vanish for Several Coins.

NOTE: Play around with all the material in the Chapter, but concentrate most of your efforts on the items listed above and the basics from the previous chapters.)

2. Read Chapter IV only after your have at least a working knowledge of the material in the first three chapters.

NOTE: If at the end of three weeks you have not gained a working knowledge of Chapters 1 through 3, it would probably be best to continue practice and review of those chapters. But, do not become frustrated, because all of us have or have had problems with some of the material. JUST PLAY WITH IT. It is not life-essential material, but it does form the important basic foundation for more advanced coin work.

TEST YOURSELF ON CHAPTERS I – III

WEEKS IV & V – Putting it Together
1. Read Chapters IV, V, and XVI. Wow! There is a lot there, isn’t there? And we haven’t even scratched the surface yet. So, it is time to start putting it together, so to speak, and begin tailoring our own performances, complete with compatible routining and personalized patter. But, before we do that, let us do a little self appraisal.

2. Rate yourself on the following more-or-less desired skills, using three grading levels: Excellent, Good, Needs Work. Make a list of the “Needs Work” items and practice them before proceeding to the next week’s level.
a. Chap I, Coin Concealments: Classic Palm, Edge Palm, Thumb Palm, Finger Palm.
b. Chap II, Basic Technique: Bobo Switch, Utility Switch, One Hand Switch, Click Pass, Bottom Steal, “Fumbles”
c. Chap III, Coin Vanishes: Standard Vanish, Simple Vanish, Thumb Palm Vanish, Illusive Coin Pass, A Coin Vanish, Pinch Vanish, Gone, Flyaway Coin, French Drop, Handkerchief Coin Vanish, Vanish for Several Coins.

3. Using all the knowledge you know and information from Chapters I through V and Chapter XVI, put together a Single-Coin Routine, using the first three suggested routines in Chapter XVI. If you do not know the effects suggested in those routines, look them up or substitute an effect you already know.

(NOTE: When you have organized and perfected a good Walkaround/Standup routine, per 3 above, you will be ready to proceed to the Conquering Bobo Check-list which will take you the remainder of the way through the text. You will find it on page 6.

CONQUERING BOBO
1. If you have completed the “Weeks IV & V” check-list on page 5, you are ready to plan your own personalized advanced study through the remainder of the Bobo text. This check-list will assist you by suggesting some short cuts, and, most importantly, it will point toward the classic coin tricks you should know.
NOTE: Spend about a week on each of the following items with emphasis on learning at least one new trick per week or the number suggested for the item.

2. Week VI –
a. Read Chapters VI and VII.
b. Play around with the material in those chapters.

3. Weeks VII and VIII –
a. Read Chapter VIII.
b. Spend two weeks on this Chapter, and, as a minimum, learn four effects. (Some may require you to visit a magic shop.)

4. Week IX and X –
a. Read Chapter IX.
b. Spend at least two weeks on this chapter and learn at least three of these classics.

5. Week XI –
a. Read the remaining chapters that you have not read. JUST READ!
b. Now, go back and make a list of effects you wish to learn from those new chapters.

6. Week XII – and forever thereafter…
a. Begin on page 1 and Re-Read the whole book. Stop and play whenever you like.
b. While you are playing, however, make a list of the tricks you really like and play around with different patter/presentations of each one…….
……..that is the secret to learning magic–constant evaluation and improvement…..

I HOPE YOU HAVE ENJOYED MY LITTLE COURSE PLAN…

Opie

How to Routine a Kids Magic Show in a Hospital

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Kids Magic Shows in Hospitals

By Ben Williams

Garceau is planning to do a kids magic show in a hospital

Garceau writes: 'What I'm struggling with right now is how to routine a kids magic show, for the children's hospital in my city. There are many sites online suggesting a different approach, but they often contradict each other. I'm not sure where to start, how to organise the introduction, the middle and the conclusion of the show. Because of that, I seem to postpone forever the creation of a dream.'

I think, to be honest, the first thing is not to worry too much. Children in hospitals would appreciate the smallest of tricks, even a simple coin vanish or card trick would make their day.


I am not a children's magician although I have got many friends who are. For creating a routine, I would start with something simple and funny. It would need to be a trick that does not take very long, can be funny or have fun patter applied to it and instantly lets the kids know you are going to be fun to watch. The Growing and Shrinking Head Illusion is a great opener. However, I am not sure what sort of performance you are doing; this would be for a group of kids ideally. It can work one on one, but the reactions are amplified by a group seeing it at the same time. Rather than a one on one situation, you could perform something like Lolly off of Chaotic DVD by Keiron Johnson where you produce a lollypop. Something quick, visual and fun to open with that establishes you as a magician.

Always make sure you communicate with the children, children's magic shows are as much about controlling the children as they are about entertaining them. You need to keep their attention and also keep them in check.

In your situation, wanting to go to a children's hospital, I think there is a lot more leeway with how you perform. The children will not be well, and so they won't be hyped up on sugar and adrenaline from the bouncy castle (or whatever other entertainment may be at a kid's party)! As this is the case, I would just concentrate on being kind, polite, and making sure they had a great time. Make sure you treat each child as important and just have fun yourself. It can be very rewarding doing something like this so make sure you don't overcomplicate things to the point that you cannot enjoy it yourself.

I have listed a few blog post links just below I think would be helpful for you, check them out. You can also read our blog for lots of advice and tips about performing, it is all free!

Interview with Childrens Magician Mike Fairall

Arriving and leaving a magic show for kids

The difference between a magic act and a magic show

 

Magic Tricks Go Wrong – Here’s What to Do

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By Dominic Reyes

Thomas writes:

Sooner or later, someone will catch me out performing a magic trick. They will look were I don’t want them to. It doesn’t happen very often, but still it does happen. What do I do if I have just done a move and someone says “wait a moment, that’s not right”? Do I just say “OK, you caught me. Good job” or is there something else I should do or say?

 

Every magician gets caught out by spectators eventually. It’s simply the nature of the game that magic trick go wrong sometimes. Even tricks that require no skill can fail.

 

Close up magic is unpredictable

Just like anything that’s based on personal interaction, you can’t control all the conditions at play. Stage magicians have it easy. They can control how the audience experiences the show. They can set the lighting, sound, angles of view, and the degree interaction allowed. The audience remains more passive, only taking part in the show to a controled degree. Not so for close-up magicians. Close-up magic happens surrounded by the audience, in chaotic situations, and active participation by the audience is almost always present.

People are smart

Regardless of what magic tricks instructions tell you, people ARE smart and do notice small details. It’s true that misdirection and psychology can be used to control them, but it’s not guarenteed. Sometimes, people just notice things by chance. Other times, they may not follow your instructions, or get distracted so your misdirection techniques don’t work. People may have seen a similar magic trick before, and be less likely to be taken by surprise.

Some people treat the magic they watch as a puzzle to solve. They may jump to a false conclusion about how the magic trick is done. Their solution may be wrong, but it’s good enough for them.

If you perform magic for the public on a regular basis, sooner or later you will get caught out.

The danger of too many close up magic tricks

Slow down the quanity of new magic you are learning. Problems with the performance of the tricks you are currently performing are not solved by adding more tricks to your practice program. Strip your workload to the bare minimum. Your job to make sure you practice, practice, practice and learn all you can and focus on where you are getting caught. Make sure you get EVERY trick in your working set, as perfect as possible, and to a standard where they happen without much effort. This will reduce the amount times your magic tricks go wrong.

Scared about being caught

When beginners first start practicing magic, they often worry about this happening. Just the thought of a magic trick going wrong fills them with dread, and can be enough to prevent them showing anyone their magic. However, the more they perform, the more they realise that a magic trick going wrong, is not the end of the world. It’s far worse to have a bored or indifferent audience than it is to have your magic tricks go wrong.

The real secret of what to do when magic tricks goes wrong

Here’s everything you need to do: Laugh it off, and make no big deal about it…

‘Yep, you caught me‘ isn’t the end of the world. As long as you make sure you make no big deal about it, and just move on quickly.

‘You’re sharp! I’ll have to up my game with you then… I only show THIS next magic to magicians..‘

You stay cool and act as if it doesn’t matter. Well, that’s what you should appear to do. Secretly, you REMEMBER what happened and think about WHY it happened. When you are not performing, you should start a practice drill to cover that moment, and make sure you work on the material so the same mistake is unlikely to happen again. Over time, you will hardly EVER be caught, but there is always a small chance, so be prepared. Your practice will make you confident that your tricks won’t go wrong again.

Having an emergency OUT

Many magicians have a few emergency ‘out’s they can use if a magic trick goes wrong. It might be an invisible deck, or even just a thumb tip. If a trick goes totally wrong, they just move the moment along and into their emergency out trick. Let’s say you had a card picked and ‘lost’ in the deck. You were about to make it appear on the ceiling. OH NO!! The card really is lost and the trick has failed. It’s time for the emergency out:

1) You pull out an invisible deck and place it on the floor, still in it’s card box.

2) You then drop/shower all of the original deck of cards over the floored card box. 

3) You open the box to show that the card value they picked is the only face up card in the deck…  WOW.

Ok, it’s not the trick you were going to show, but it’s still a win. As the magician you control what will happen next in the show, so you just steer the original trick into something else.