Magic in mind

Of more concern is the fact that virtually any audience may fall
into the mindset of viewing a magic performance as a win—lose

wins—you get the satisfaction of entertaining them and they get

what could have been an enjoyable experience becomes a waste
of time. A good magic performance is a cooperative venture, not
a competitive one. The audience should actually be your allies
in fooling them.

A key to achieving this partnership with the audience is
avoiding any sense of challenge in your presentation. The late

go further and say that there is no place for challenge in good

how the tricks are done is reinforcing the win—lose model.

A problem arises when trying to get magicians to see the self-

had best deal with head-on. The problem is the fact that some

approach.

does it all the time but only gets away with it because he is a Magic in Mind
master.”

The fact is that Slydini only got away with it because he spent his

could ever have sustained a career performing for laypeople
without drastically altering his challenge style of presentation.

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Magic in MindThe fact that he never succeeded in having such a career may
and lecturing to other magicians and, particularly, giving lessons
to other magicians. As such, his presentational style should not
provide a model for anyone interested in entertaining the public.
Slydini was a genius whose thinking on misdirection
revolutionized close-up magic and who also contributed

and represents such a perfect example of what not to do, that
further.
After fooling a spectator several times with the same effect,

it was reasonable for him to wonder if there was something
at this point.

would win and the magician would lose.
One of the most harmful aspects of the challenge approach is that
a spectator for not catching him, he reminded the audience that

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he reminded the viewer that he was just watching “tricks” that
depended on things like palming. Such an approach is not
likely to give an audience a sense of wonder at having seen
frustration at having been outwitted.

know what the solution is, but we know there is one. Magic, on

up magicians of this century, also built his style around the
challenge approach, relying on the constant use of feints and

you want to pattern your performing approach after one of this

challenge in professional magic.”

challenging attitude on the part of the performer. There is, Magic in Mind
for example, nothing wrong with presenting an effect under

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Magic in Mindcatch you.
Similarly, any apparent impossibility poses an implicit challenge

are forced to reject them. This process of implicitly making the
have to accept that there is no explanation can be an extremely
effective way of leading them to embrace the impossible—just
from the impossibility you present, not from your own attitude.

The Puzzle Mentality

they? They’re intellectual rather than emotional, and emotion is the

Along with paddle tricks and all the other slum magic that form
the standard magic-set fare, it also included about a half-dozen

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thing. This simple truth that any nine year old instinctively
knows is one that many magicians fail to realize.

A puzzle admits of a possible solution, at least in theory. True

challenge with no emotions element—unless you count the

from solving it; the satisfaction of the spectator must come in
part from not solving it.

A sign of the prevalence of this puzzle mentality in magic is the
habit some cardmen have of referring to every plot for a trick
as a “card problem” and every effect employing that plot as a

involves solving many problems, just as writing a novel may
require solving many problems of plot, characterization, and

terminology suggests a desire to reduce the creative process to
an intellectual exercise. The artistic process, whether in creating
effects or presentations is much more complex than that.

The failure to clearly distinguish between magic and puzzles is
one of the most pernicious, as well as one of the most pervasive,

speaks of “amateur mathematicians who have somehow acquired Magic in Mind
the quaint delusion that their hobby is magic.” Unfortunately,
the accusation is only too true. The problem stems in part from

the short history of close-up magic, a number of well-known

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Magic in Mindpractitioners have also been prominent puzzle experts. Many

wonder they sometimes get the two confused.

regard. This attitude brings me closer to the viewpoint of most
laypeople, something that every magician should strive for.

going to have to be particularly alert to the danger of allowing
your magic to degenerate into mere puzzles. Strive to give
your audiences impossibilities rather than puzzles. Let them
experience wonder rather than frustration.

The Illusion of Impossibility

There is a world of difference between a spectator’s not knowing how
something’s done versus his knowing that it can’t be done.
—Simon Aronson, The Aronson Approach
An interesting difference between performing for magicians
and performing for laypeople is that, if a magician succeeds
the other ten percent, he will feel that the trick fooled him; if

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palm the card.”
This attitude on the part of lay audiences frustrates some

you feel that magic is supposed to be a puzzle or an apparent
impossibility. Suppose a person is putting together a 100—piece

fooled; you saw the wires.

say that the illusion of impossibility

puzzling someone. A magical illusion is the most fragile thing Magic in Mind

sharp objects, sudden jostling, or even a gust of wind. Since
most magicians will always choose the easiest path rather than

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Magic in Mindthe most effective, you can expect that most of your magician
hard to master the technique taught in this book in order to
nurture the illusion of impossibility.

Reaching The Emotions

One may disbelieve with his mind yet still believe with his blood.

magic as entertainment is the feeling that magic has lost its
hold over modern audiences because people no longer believe
showmanship in magic.
bother to discuss showmanship to talk about getting audiences to

appropriate to magic.
audience to that of a spectator watching close—up magic. A

to enjoy the play, however, he is going to have to pretend that
by wires. Since the wires are visible to anyone who looks hard

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work for him.

to the bill, anymore than it matters that he can see the wires

strong magic precisely because the spectator will not willingly

want to believe, yet his senses force him to, that gives the magic
its power.

the spectator must become a co-conspirator with the performer

central to understanding the power of magic as entertainment.
Most people have an intellectual resistance to believing in the
impossible while at the same time having an emotional desire

human spirit that strong magic evokes. The result is the wonder
and awe that a magic always generates. So forget about creating
willing suspension of disbelief. Get your audience to actually
believe in magic.

Intellectual vs. Emotional Belief

belief. An anecdote from the nineteenth century perfectly Magic in Mind
captures the difference between intellectual belief and emotional

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Magic in Mindbelief. Madam De Duffand was asked whether she believed in
The impact of a magic effect is directly proportional to the
degree to which it engages the emotions of the spectator. The

happened so much as how bad they feel.” This is also why
laypeople often exaggerate a magic effect when they describe
they witnessed it.
presentations have to be designed to reach the emotions. The
problem is that the intellect always attempts to protect the

only when his intellect surrenders and admits that there is no
explanation that the gates swing open and you can reach his

-- leave it without any possible explanation.
audience. They will always know in the backs of their minds
you will achieve emotional belief. On a gut level, they will react

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from reacting on an emotional level as if they did.

Narrative Art

Unlike static art forms like painting, sculpture, and photography,
and purely expressive art forms like music and dance, magic is
a narrative art form. This simply means that magic tells a story.

itself a story, regardless of the presentation accompanying it.
Like any story, it has a beginning, a middle, and an end. As with

trick, he is witnessing, and sometimes participating in, a story:
the story of what happens in the magic trick.
This means that part of magic presentation technique is

atmosphere, and dramatic structure. These are the same

very little attention in magic literature. Therefore, this way of

to other narrative arts and cite principles that are accepted as
axiomatic in all other narrative arts, yet hardly recognized in

that the better you understand the principles of narrative art

that the prime goal of magic is not to tell a story but to create a Magic in Mind

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Some of the magicians and magical writers most concerned
with presentation make the mistake of thinking that the point
of a magic effect is to support a dramatic premise, much like

Magic and

Showmanship

strength of magic is that it gives the audience the experience
of confronting the impossible, it follows that the point of a
dramatic presentation is to enhance the magic. The magic is not
there to validate a dramatic premise, the dramatic premise is
used to add impact to the magic, to make the experience of the
impossible that much more powerful.

ready to leave theory, roll up our sleeves, and plunge into
technique.

Darwin Ortiz
Strong Magic
1994

Magic in Mind

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Darwin Ortiz

Darwin Ortiz is known as an authority on both
magic and gambling, and his creative output

he raised many eyebrows with Strong Magic,
and in the ensuing time it has taken its place in
the pantheon of the very best magic books ever
written. Ortiz challenged many classic theories

Magic in Mind

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Magic in MindThe Spanish master Arturo de Ascanio divides the execution
of magic into three areas in this article: timing, misdirection,
and technique. He breaks down technique further into
lightness, beauty, and breadth of movement. As you will soon
magic.

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Performing Principles

By Arturo de Ascanio

misdirection and technique.

Timing. In-Transit Actions

Timing, a basic principle of magic, is about executing each action
at the right time, with the right intensity, and giving it the right

to the understanding of timing, namely the distinction between

motivates all other gestures, which are passing gestures, which Magic in Mind
one. Secret actions, thus, must always be executed within the

One must always look for in-transit actions in which to include
the sleights.

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Magic in MindThe cards are picked up in order to show them, for example. To
pick up the cards is an in-transit action in order to show them.
executing sleights within the in-transit actions.

Misdirection

not technical, point of view. One of the main principles of
watching magic, just as a spectator of everyday life, only sees
from among all that surrounds him, that which for some reason
captures his attention and interest at that moment. There
attention to it. The eye is constantly moving and our brain
reason, the brain becomes interested in something.
This is the general psychological foundation of misdirection. A

generally speaking, when a secret action is to be executed one
should begin another movement earlier with the other hand.
Another chief aspect here is the coordination of the gaze with
gestures and patter. The gaze should be directed to the point we
want the spectator to look at, to a point where nothing secret
is going on, because secret actions are taking place elsewhere.
Aside from physical or material misdirection caused by shifting

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the gaze, patter coordinated with gestures is the ideal vehicle for
mental misdirection.

feature. Since spectators are continually formulating thoughts
and reacting to what they see, we can make thoughts emerge in

thinking about one thing, we cannot think of another at the

we cannot hear what is being said on the radio.
The magician can take advantage of this by putting such ideas

can take advantage of moments of astonishment or surprise, as
what is happening at the same, or almost at the same time.

Technique

Lightness. Good technique, of course, is that which does not
seem to exist. Aside from timing and misdirection, another

essential.

Magic in Mind

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Magic in Mindor unpleasant, pretty or ugly. Therefore this external aspect
a sensation of beauty in the way the cards, or the objects used,
are handled in order to achieve an aesthetically pleasing result.
technique is breadth of movement. Movements should not be
Arturo de Ascanio
The Magic of Ascanio
2005

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Arturo de Ascanio

Magic in Mind

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We will let Ascanio’s previous essay set the curriculum for
the remainder of our discussion in this section: he talks of
three elements: timing, misdirection, and technique.
Let’s shift our focus to timing. Ascanio already discussed
timing as it occurs during a sleight or trick. What about the
timing of a trick’s plot? Darwin Ortiz explores new theoretical
territory with his seminal essay on what he calls The Critical
Interval, which follows.

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The Critical Interval

By Darwin Ortiz

The fundamental tension in creating strong magic effects is the
struggle between proximity and distance. The method, because
it must obey the laws of nature, requires proximity. The effect,
because it must appear to defy the laws of nature, requires

begin by considering how to build a temporal wall between
method and effect.

The Critical Interval

however, only raises the question: when is the audience going to

showing the apple is the initial condition and revealing the Magic in Mind
in Strong Magic

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Magic in MindThe riskiest moment for trickery is the time between the audiences

to change it into an orange, the danger period extends from
the moment you cover the apple to the moment you uncover
the orange. This time period is so central to all our subsequent
The critical interval is the time between the audience’s last view of the

Depending on the effect, the critical interval can range from a

of the other card may be hardly more than the blink of an eye. At
the other end of the spectrum, consider the classic Card in Ring
Box

locate each one in turn. Lastly, the signed card is found folded
inside the ring box. Thus, for the Card in Ring Box portion of the
effect, the critical interval lasts from the moment the signed card
of about seven minutes.

that whatever caused the change happened during the critical
interval. And remember, common sense is what laypeople rely

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on when reacting to a magic effect. The critical interval is when
an audience expects the method to happen.

cause

to account for the effect.

did anything at any point from the beginning of the effect to

handed the orange out for examination. All of these things

anything during the critical interval between his last view of the

This works the other way also. A spectator may dismiss a trick

frustrates many magicians. They feel that the spectator should
be required to either spell out exactly what the magician did or
admit defeat. This would be true if we were speaking of a puzzle.

Magic in Mind

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Magic in Mindcritical interval transpired while the key object was under the

thinking, it had better play a vital role in your thinking. The less
you do during the critical interval, the stronger the effect will be.
This is why your instincts may sometimes tell you that, in a

conclude that the solution is to add misdirection to cover the
misdirection will be like painting over cracks in a building
caused by a poor foundation. A move comes at the wrong time
if it comes when the audience is expecting it. Audiences expect the
do during that period will be scrutinized more closely both at the
the critical interval, the weakest solution is to try to cover it with
misdirection. The strongest solution is to redesign the method.
Darwin Ortiz
Designing Miracles
2006

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“The eye sees only what
the mind is prepared to

comprehend.”
—Henri Bergson

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Magic in MindMisdirection. For a thousand years magicians have come
spectator look away from a particular place. The following
essay is revolutionary; it reimagines (and renames) the
not start and stop with a secret move, but is a continuous,
And we must train ourselves not to think of misdirection as
shifting attention away from something secret, but instead
toward something of interest.

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Getting the Mis out of
Misdirection

By Tommy Wonder,
with Stephen Minch

Misdirection. So much is written about it, so much is said out

most interesting tools we have. Many, although, unfortunately

Outside Inside Magic in Mind

at least in part for why misdirection is not used to the extent it

is not reaped. That we are not always deriving from this tool
because misdirection is often applied as it is learned. As you
discover certain things, characteristics of certain misdirectional

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Magic in Mindploys, those ploys are used wherever they seem suitable. Often,
though, such applications are not suitable at all. Let me explain.
The usual way to understand something new is to approach it
we examine the subject and probe more and more deeply into
it; and at the same time our understanding of it should grow.
that there are all kinds of link systems, ploys, tricks of the trade.

look at it yourself - Look them in the eye if you want them to
look at you - Make them laugh - Take advantage of relaxation.
things, these tricks of the trade, work; and it is logical then to
use them, or at least to try to use them to cover up weaknesses
or perilous moments in your work.

will laugh and you can safely load that lemon. Once again,

This method of applying the tricks of misdirection – which
your study has shown to be effective in the performances and
writings of other magicians – may seem valid; and yes, properly
They will help to hide the weak spots, discrepancies, secrets,

best

Although this approach can do what you ask of it, distracting

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course, patching such holes will prevent the boat from sinking,

extraneous ploys. Such an approach originates from outside.
Misdirection is used as an external measure, a tool divorced
from the effect. Thus it cannot be an integral element of the

time devising misdirection that functions logically and naturally
within the envisioned effect.

creating a presentation you weave your cloth using misdirection

integrated. The misdirection is woven in during the initial
designing. This is much different from weaving a cloth, then
discovering that there are one or two holes in it, and sewing
those holes closed with an extra thread. The result is a cloth
without true beauty, for the mended parts will probably be a

afterward can only result in a patched piece of work.

use will surely give you a means to strengthen your magic; this

Magic in Mind

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Magic in Mindthat will unleash far more power for you, and one that offers far
better chances of achieving something of real beauty.
This other way, an inside approach, is not easier or faster than the
usual outside approach and therefore might be considered less

the usual method of patching up your work with misdirection,
that with an inside approach you can achieve misdirection that
is woven naturally into your routines, an integral part of them,
inseparable and far more artistically sound; and falling short of
true artistry, at the least they will be more subtle, more devious
easy to execute and with greater protection against failure.

gain a clear understanding of the different factors that affect
misdirection.

of all the ploys available. Other people have already done that
Magic by Misdirection,

although written in the 1940s, is still a monumental work on
Magic and Showmanship, has

you to study these texts along with other books on the topic, the

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performances of other magicians, your own experiences and,
most important, your own observations.

make some general observations that offer no fresh concepts in
themselves, but are necessary to understand ensuing ideas that

can start, armed with a thorough understanding of the elements
involved and with an approach from the inside, to create the
most elegant, artistic and effective misdirection imaginable. At

can conceive.

Misdirection

what they are intended to do. This is a pity because the use of Magic in Mind

each other. One of our more serious misnomers is the word
misdirection.
Mis

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Magic in Mindthis term, it eventually becomes so ingrained in our minds that
we might start to perceive misdirection as directing attention
away from rather than toward something. Newcomers to magic
will almost certainly think along such incorrect lines, because
we have chosen a word that promotes this misconception.
Let me try to explain with an example why misdirection should

travel. The sentence becomes a positive one, carrying a positive
meaning directed at the village.

wish to do a trick in which you palm a card from the deck using

efforts are concentrated on getting attention off the right hand
– off the right hand – off the right hand. And in your mind, all
you are thinking about is your right hand
forget that hand; and your audience may sense your concern
and concentration on your hand. They may actually become
intent, just like you are, on your right hand - and then they will

glass to your kit on the table while you palm the card. Now,

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you grasp it, where you move it, etc. Now your mind is entirely
focused on the glass, and you will actually be able to forget that
the right hand is palming a card. This is a much more positive
approach than the previous one, and it results in there being no

the audience will be on the glass.

is capable only of taking in the positive meaning of things. This
is due to its ability to think in concrete pictures rather than
abstract words.

that you wish to ask your employer for a raise. Mentally, though,
you envision his telling you no and dismissing you from his

want that to happen,” but your mind pushes this denial aside
and continues to see your failure. This mental picture can shape

This occurs because the scene of failure you have imagined
causes you to behave a bit nervously, perhaps, or unsure of
yourself – little uncontrollable things, which convey to your

deserve a raise. This, naturally, makes it easy for him to dismiss
the idea.

Magic in Mind

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Magic in Mindon your right hand and the card it must palm. The picture is
there, containing your fear of the palmed card being seen, and
consequently uncontrollable signs produced by your fear betray
you, palmed card to be detected.

Returning to our example of the raise, imagine that you were

agreeing with you that you deserve a raise, after which he grants
it. This mental picture helps to produce behavior in you that

there now lies an impression that your employer will give

raise, since your attitude has made it easier for him to perceive
your request as a reasonable one. The chances of your getting the
raise are much greater. This is nothing more than the power of

that takes the least effort on their parts.

Negative approaches, like that of directing attention away from
your hand as it palms a card, only create negative pictures that

better to use a positive picture, like that of your other hand

is quite simple: Misdirection must be attention directed toward
something, not away from something, and positive images are
the way to achieve this. Directing attention from is a hopeless
and virtually impossible approach. The moment you start trying
to mis

accepted term in magic, and direction had been adopted instead.

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we will be able to replace the word misdirection with the more
precise word direction.

Something of Interest

The above makes clear that for our secret moves to avoid
unwanted attention we must direct attention toward something

available at those times, something of interest. The more
interesting this certain something is, the easier it will be to
focus attention on it. The next time you wish to hide something,

thoroughly intriguing.

The concept of offering something of greater interest is,
although simple, an important and essential step in hiding your

many magicians to fail in what they thought was misdirection.

rather than trying to direct attention away from your secret, is
a much more dependable way to protect that secret. This is a

of your thinking, making it one could well be the single most
productive step you can take toward a more successful use of
attention control. Many know this concept; some even apply it.

must

have something of interest to offer.

secrets. There is another well-known but often ignored principle, Magic in Mind

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Magic in Minddirection.”

Continuous Direction

constantly used. Not, of course, to hide a multitude of little
secrets; no, these techniques are used to present the story in a
clear and uncluttered manner. No matter what you perform,
there will always be countless little things that are there out of
necessity, though they bear no importance to the plot or idea
presented. Many things must happen to get the story across

them with details of stagecraft; you want only to impress on
them those elements that matter – nothing more, nothing less.

simply hiding the secret. That is just a small part of our objective.
Much more important is that we highlight the important details,
those things that are necessary if the audience is to understand
giving your spectators an uncluttered impression of the effect.

they appreciate what we are trying to convey to them. Simply
it is to be effective.
To do this, it is necessary for us to point out only the important

done, attention may stray to something unimportant, which may

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complicate or confuse the information the audience receives.
instant an important point has been digested by the spectators,
the next important point should be presented to them, all
without the intrusion of clutter and unimportant detail.

it needs continuous direction as much as any other theatrical
audience, focusing where we want it by presenting a series of
important and relevant ideas and occurrences.

Believing in Your Own Magic

if you could forget you are doing a sleight or forget that thumb

provides an excellent case for the practice of structuring your

something other than the secret and the audience will pay no
attention to the secret –but just as importantly, it correctly directs

One cannot purposefully forget, but you can substitute one Magic in Mind

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Magic in Mindthe trick is to think of something else while you wear the thumb
tip. And if there is a strong point of interest, you can place your
interest there as well.

think of the important and relevant features of presentation,
the highlights only; and this makes it impossible for distracting

mind is completely occupied with the important aspects of the
effect. No place is left in it for you to think about the secret; and
the secret is pushed into the shade of your subconscious mind.

yourself while practicing to think only about the highlights of
the presentation, soon thoughts concerning method will slip into

time to think about sleights and gimmicks, as your thoughts
will be too engaged for such things.

To learn to believe your own magic, apart from good direction
you will need a solid “silent script.” The silent script, a basic

Magic and
Showmanship. A silent script correctly grounds your acting.

undesirable thoughts concerning method.

This idea of replacing certain thoughts with others may sound

Otherwise, when you execute some secret action, before you

if you practice, while seriously concentrating, to supplant such

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thoughts with presentational ones, eventually the divorcing of
secret actions from thoughts about them will become easier and
easier. And eventually this detachment from method will work

a silent script only during your shows you will have trouble.
Only thorough practice with the silent script will produce the

only continuous direction, but continuous thinking

The Books of Wonder
1996

Magic in Mind

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We return once more in this section to Maestro Ascanio, who
picks up where Tommy Wonder left off in our discussion of
misdirection (sorry, Tommy, I meant Direction). Ascanio
through his most famous insight into magic theory. This
previously, and puts them to harmonious work: timing,
misdirection, and technique.

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In-Transit Actions

By Arturo de Ascanio

of secondary actions that, as such, serve to create a coordinated

required for the completion of a more important main action.
pocket but his right hand is holding an ordinary object such as

so his free right hand can enter the pocket and take out the
cigarettes.

because the in-transit action of transferring the pen to the other
hand is so taken for granted and so embedded in the main act
that it, by itself, has no interest whatsoever.

Magic in Mind

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Magic in Mindpen end for end or taking it one way or another in the left hand,
would go unnoticed for the same reason.

Elements of In-Transit Actions

following elements:

that gives meaning to the whole group of gestures that come
before and after, thus converting them into the preliminaries

is not related to the result of the trick.
A secondary action, which is done as a mere procedural step
towards completion of the main action. This is the in-transit
action proper. The gesture that embodies it must not have
a meaning by itself. This action should be simple, brief and
place.

makes some gestures seem important while others are perceived
merely as secondary, routine gestures.
Arturo de Ascanio
The Magic of Ascanio
2005

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“An ounce of practice is
worth more than tons

of preaching.”
—Mahatma Gandhi

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Magic in MindAscanio spoke of three elements: timing, misdirection, and
technique. In this section, we have covered timing and
misdirection in great detail. All that remains is a thorough
discussion on technique, and there is no magician alive more
Carney achieved excellence in magic by focused practicing.

but nobody tells us how. Until now.

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Practice and Technique

By John Carney

is more than repetition, more than memorizing a sequence, or
mastering a particular sleight.

being constructively critical of
your work and making adjustments.

or methods so as to effect a desired result.” That means paying Magic in Mind
tiny adjustments until we get the desired result.
The whole is greater than the sum of the details. Good technique

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Magic in MindThoughtful Practice

will make adjustments, holding the cards higher, lower, tighter,
a more effective approach, or come up with one yourself by all

and try to make an improvement. The good magician looks
for problems to solve while the hack always says it is “good
enough.”

be considered an “easy” move, but it is also one of the most
abused and poorly executed. Think, how to get the break in an

at least an hour thinking about this, you will come away with
something useful.

practice: analyzing, experimentation and adjustment.

Mechanical Practice

Now, once you have settled on an approach, you need to get

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the props throughout the day and get some practice in while
while you play with your props. This relentless repetition is to
work independently from thought. The mind commands, and
practice.
Now, take a look at the move again, Think through every aspect

for answers, you will be back on the trail again, soon enough. Magic in Mind

Rehearsal

Rehearsal is a whole other beast. Typically, our rehearsal sessions
ideas, and techniques – not to mention ringing phones and

the routine before, and are less likely to feel comfortable.
A focused rehearsal can provide you with a realistic experience.

rehearsal can give us the virtual experience of a real performance,
within the familiar and comfortable structure that it provides.
Only after you feel that you have the technical requirements to
a satisfactory degree, are you ready to start rehearsing, As you

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Magic in Mindalert, and make note of what could go wrong, and consider how
to prevent a recurrence.
As your rehearsals progress, you will eventually need to go
from beginning to end without stopping, as you would in actual
performance. Rehearsal is working at full performance energy
level, imaging an audience in front of you.

realistic stage environment, with your tables and props placed
as they would be in performance. This will dictate where you
will stand and walk, eliminating any awkwardness.

must project, not only to condition yourself for performance,
of your script, and polish the overall delivery. Make note of
awkward passages and rewrite them later, so they are more
clear and concise. A rhythm can, and should develop, which
to stay loose enough that you may experiment with different
deliveries and allow room for improvisation, taking advantage
of whatever may occur in performance.

One of my techniques for memorizing lines is to record my full

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seconds and drive that correction home.

but the intent and the core of my meaning is clearly set.

Recording a brief description of your blocking is also very
helpful, as when you move to this side of the stage, or reach for
that prop, your muscle memory will help you recall what lines
go with those actions.

your dress suit, waiting to go on, you might discover your
Managing your props can also be tricky business. Sometimes

or the pocket is full and there is no room for me to smoothly
ditch or steal a gimmick.

a dollar bill, which will be found inside a lemon. Get twelve Magic in Mind

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Magic in Mindlemons, tear the comer off twelve bills, and load them into

plate, handkerchief and every incidental prop on hand.
Now go through the routine twelve times at full energy as if
something or something peeled occurs, make a mental note of
of performance going. After all, you are performing in front of

and reset your props and immediately start in again, at full
performance focus or frame of mind. Remember what you learn

focused rehearsal is an excellent start.

to a performance, running your lines, and going through the
handling, to get yourself back up to speed.
This process is also an excellent method to generate new lines and
bits of business, and to prepare you for almost any contingency.
as “stage presence.”
Mike Skinner had a well-deserved reputation for having an

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