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Metal Bending is a genre of Mentalism that has become a lot more popular in recent years. For many years however, it was very rarely seen and only ever spoken about when people mentioned Uri Gellar in conversation.

What Uri Gellar did with some simple and direct demonstrations of metal bending was amazing. He inspired almost everyone who owned a television at that time to believe in the power of mind over matter. Millions of people worldwide would be heard shouting “BEND” at their TV screens on a Saturday night just willing a fork to bend in Uri’s hands!

This is how powerful metal bending can be.

Here are 5 reasons why metal bending still is some of the strongest magic you can perform.

1) A lot of people still believe telekinesis is possible.

To a lot of people telekinesis is an ability we all have but just can’t tap into, so if you can portray the illusion that you can tap into your ability then it instantly is more believable than say, a card repeatedly coming to the top of a deck of playing cards. Metal bending is believed to be a real phenomenon, (which it may be, who knows?!) to a lot of people. Therefore, if a spectator were to encounter metal bending in real life then this experience would be much like if they spoke with a psychic or fortune teller. They automatically believe that it is real as their primary belief is that it IS possible to do.

2) It cannot be explained as sleight of hand by a lay person.

Any card trick can be explained in the eyes of a spectator as ‘sleight of hand’. Now, nearly everyone who says this does not understand what sleight of hand really is. Sayings like ‘the hand is faster than the eye’ or ‘very good with your hands’ are the extent of the explanations you will receive from a lay person when asked what they think sleight of hand is. Metal bending does not fall into this trap (unless performed very badly). It cannot be explained as ‘being clever with your hands’.

3) Some visual bends are undeniable.

Thanks to some amazing minds in magic such as Banachek, Morgan Strebler and Dee Christopher there are some very visual bends that can be performed with regular metal cutlery that are undeniable. What do I mean by that? I mean that the spectator sees the metal bending before their very eyes. It is the old saying, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it.’ the spectator’s see it, so they believe it.

4) There is lasting evidence of the magic that occurred.

Metal bending is one of the types of magic tricks that finishes with evidence of what has just happened. You begin with a straight, regular fork or key, coin or nail, and you end with it bent, distorted or twisted, it is proof of what has just occurred. Also, it is a very bizarre sight, no one in their right mind would actually bend their cutlery, so the image of a twisted and bent fork is a very strong and bizarre image.

5) Metal Bending is still shrouded in mystery.

Everybody has seen, or knows a simple card trick, even if it is just the one with three piles of seven cards! There has been tonnes of exposure and trick decks sold in toy stores; There are whole sections in magic books for beginners on Card Magic Tricks, some are common knowledge, and although most of the secrets are still secret the mystery has been lost, the performer, with his or her performance, can bring back the mystery and feel of magic, but card tricks especially are seen as tricks, not magic. Metal Bending is still mysterious and not common place in magic sets, toy stores or even in magic shops, this certainly helps gives you the edge as a performer.

As mentioned previously, metal bending has become more popular in recent years, thanks to magicians such as Banchek, Dee Christopher and Morgan Strebler. So studying and learning some of these secret techniques is easier than ever before.

Card tricks can be a great choice for the first magic trick you perform for your spectators. The first magic trick is often refereed to as an ‘opener’ by magicians.

“Your opening effect must achieve two very important goals. First, it has to win over the audience. Second, it should set the tone or the rest of the act.” – Strong Magic Darwin Ortiz

Card tricks that will be used as openers need to meet some requirements:

1. The card tricks need to be fast.

Trying to perform multi phase tricks with a long build up before the magic happens can easily switch off your spectators attention. You have the groups attention, so your tricks should create a magical event as quickly as possible.

2. Perform visual card tricks.

Card tricks that have a strong visual element work really well. This captures the audiences attention. Visual tricks require less thought from the spectators, who will not be as engaged in your performance at this point.

3. Make sure it’s amazing.

These first magic tricks need to hit them hard and show them something totally impossible. People will judge the quality of your whole act, by the first magic trick you show them. Make sure the magic tricks you choose as openers, establish your skills and demonstrate how entertaining you are.

4. Easy to perform card tricks.

When you approach a new group of spectators, you will be doing several things at once:

Introducing yourself
Setting the tone
Assessing the group dynamics
Defining your performing conditions
Setting pace
Capturing attention
Establishing control

Using card tricks that are easy to perform as your first tricks, gives you one less thing to worry about. If you are ‘breaking in’ new material, it may not be wise to use them as openers, until you are very comfortable performing them.

5. Set a good tone for the rest of the performance.

The card tricks you use as openers will set the tone for the rest of the ‘set’. What is your magicians persona? Which card tricks would help to communicate this to the spectators. Choosing tricks with a comedy presentation, before moving into a dark mentalism act, wouldn’t flow correctly and will confuse the spectators. Build each of the tricks into ‘set’s that have a common theme and select an opener that sets the tone and style of the whole act.

Here are some suggestions for good openers. You can learn them from most good magic shops:

The Invisible Deck
The Chicago Opener
Stand Up Monte
Identity
Ambitious card
Satisfaction Guaranteed

Using Sleight of hand.

An alternative to structured card tricks, would be to perform some card flourishes and manipulation as an opener. This would establish your skills and grab attention. With card tricks, magicians are fighting against the “Card tricks Uncle” cliche. Performing some flourishes, or a demonstration of sleight of hand can establish your credibility right away.

Performing a series of colour changes would also be a great way to capture attention and set a pace for the rest of the card magic.

NEXT: The 5 Best Sansmind Tricks Every Magician Loves