There are two rules of misdirection involving your eyes.
- If you look at something, the spectators will look at it.
- If you look at the spectators, they will look at you.
This is why you should never look at your hands when performing a sleight.
It is a good idea to look into the spectators eyes, whilst doing a secret move. This is better still, if you can talk to them at the same time, a funny line, perhaps!
If someone is determined to stare at your hands, you simply look straight at them and talk. They will then look right back at you, you can do your move and continue. It's only polite for them to do so, besides they can't actually help themselves, it's human nature!
All too frequently, magicians can destroyed good effects through poor use of misdirection. Properly used, misdirection can allow you to make moves you could never otherwise have made without being caught.
Here’s another way:
There is an old saying in magic "A large action covers a small one".
This essentially means that if you are trying to disguise a move, you can help to make it invisible to the audience by distracting them with a larger action. For example. If you are trying to execute a move with a deck of cards such as a 'Pass', if you do it in the process of putting the cards onto a table, the move will become much less detectable.
In this example, the larger movement of moving your arms to put the cards on the table compenstaes for the smaller movement of the action of your fingers. Speed is not an issue here. A large movement can make for such good misdirection that it can be done at a natural pace.
Try it with one of your tricks, and watch the move become invisible yourself!
Yours Magically
Solomon
Interested to learn magic for fun or profit? Would you like to hire a magician, hypnotist or an emcee for your event? Visit www.themagicofsolomon.com for more info..
