Misdirection
Learn the secret weapon of magic. It’s much easier than you think!
Nearly all magic tricks have a weak spot. That is the moment where you do your secret something. That’s the moment the spectator must not know about.
You have to understand that misdirection is the number-one technique magicians are using for directing peoples’ attention away from what-we-do-not-want -them-to-notice.
Basically you want to direct the spectators’ attention elsewhere – without it being too obvious. That is why you have to act naturally. And be yourself while doing magic.
First you have to locate and find the weak part of the trick and then apply some kind of misdirection to the presentation. This way you get the best out of any magic trick.
The 5 basic principles of misdirection :
You can apply these five principles immediately.
1. The eyes follow movements
wherever you look – the spectators look. So get good rapport with them and remember to look them in the eyes. Direct their eyes away from the secret moves.
2. Ask them questions
Ask them about something: “What was your name?” or like “Remember your card?” Then they will look you in the eyes. When they look you in the eyes - that is the moment.
3. Hide one movement with another
Try a bigger movement to create their attention. Use it to cover a smaller movement. The two movements stop at the same time.
It could be: You ask the spectator “Hand me a pair of scissors”. Stretch your right arm. At the same time your left hand is preparing a setup with the rope. The motion in the left hand is the smaller movement.
4. Keep them occupied
Make them do something away from the spot you need to cover up. “Here, take that pen and put your signature on this card.” While they write their signature - that is the moment. You do the secret things with the rest of the deck.
5. Make them laugh
Do something funny that makes them laugh. At the moment they are laughing - you do your thing. When they laugh their attention and awareness is low. And you can make any secret move without any problem.
And now take a look at the master of misdirection