talkmagic.co.uk

I've practiced magic tricks when I got Mark Wilsons Encylopedia of Magic. I did the sponge ball rountine. Then I got Magic Hamptons Ridge video. IT says you can master these in minutes. People here said they can't.

I can do all of this smoothly, tell me if anyone can learn this in "minutes":
Take a spongeball, smootly make it disappear from one hand with the retention vanish, and keep it in my right curled fingers. Then, while the ball is actually in my right hand, smoothly convert it to a thumb palm, curl up my left hand in a loose fist, and rotaty both hands around and drop the ball in the left hand into the right.

What's really great is, I can do this:
Take a sponge ball, use thumb clip to pretend to put it into the left hand, while retaining it in the thumb clip in the right. Then, convert it into a curl sleight in my right hand. I can then flash my hand (palm up) in such a way that the ball does not show (The ball is coverd by the middle and ring fingers), then, pretend to grab "particles" from the air, while still in that position, eventually putting the ball in the left hand, and making the ball appear.

I can also do the usual, ball in the pocket, and at the end, make all 3 balls disappear.

The last part I've got down too, its easy now:
Take 3 balls. Both hands are empty.
Do a retention vanish on the left hand, and keep the ball in the right. Do this for the second ball, so now you have 2 balls in your right hand, one in a thumb clip, the other in the curled fingers. Then, take the last ball, put it in your pocket, but really put all of the balls in your pocket. Open up your left hand, and Viola, all the balls have disappeared.

It not only angers me, it baffles me that they could mislead people like this. I've worked for years mastering sponge balls, learning this rountine, making my own, perfecting my misdirection, etc, that is' pretty much an insult to me. Not only that, but I have some major depression, and OCD, and it makes me want to compete to be the best. And when it does say just how "easy" it is, it makes me feel like I pracitced all of that for nothing. What's the point if someone else could learn it in "minutes"?


I've also pretty good with the coin roll. Although I can't do it super fast, I can still do it well.

I can also do the thumb clip from the right to the left hand, as well as the retentino vanish (which you can find at www.coinvanish.com)

Here's my starting rountine, please tell me your comments:
2 coins are on the table. I take the first coin, do a renteion vanish with it, and keep in my right hand curled fingers. I then position the coin and move it up slightly to the base of my middle and ring fingers. I can then flash the coin without revealing it, and it appears my right hand is empty. I can then put the coin into a classic palm, pick up the other coin on the table, and pretend to put this coin in the right hand. I really thumb clip this one.


So now I have both coins in my right hand. The spectator thinks I have one in each hand. I display that the coin in my left hand travelled to my right. I then hand both out to be examined, as all the attention is focused on the coins, I can very easily grab a sponge ball in the proper position in my left hand.

Then, I ask for one of the coins back. I pick up the coin, holding it in my right hand on the tip of the fingers. I then bring up my left hand, and switch the half dollar for a red sponge, via the thumb clip. As I hand that out to be examined, I can easily pocket the half dollar or produce it elsewhere.


I posted some pics of my classic palm. LIke I said, I've mainly done sponge tricks all my life. I'm 17. Please don't think I'm a freak because I have major depression. But it kinda (actually really) upsets me to think, "Well, what's the point? I praticed this for years, and this stupid video is saying you can master it in a few minutes..."

I'd appreciate any comments.

Here is what the video says, front and back:


25 Amazing Magic Tricks with Sponge balls
Mastered in Minutes Video LIbrary

Back:
Amazing magic mastered in minutes!
Learn 25 spectacular magic tricks using some of the most engaging magical props ever devised -- sponge balls. This broadcast quality video teaches you how to use the special properties of Sponge Balls to perform incredible feats which make you look like a professional sleight-of-hand artist in just minutes!

Here is just a sample of the easy-to-learn powerful magic with Sponge Balls you will discover in this wonderful video:
Make a sponge ball appear from nowhere!
Cause the sponge ball to mysteriously vanish from thin air!
Saw a sponge ball in half with your finger; and you end up with two identical balls!
Show a coin purse completely empty, reach in and magically produce a sponge ball from within!
Make sponge balls multiply into more!
Change a sponge square into two balls!
Command a sponge ball to jump invisbily from one of your hands into the other!
And much, much more...

Amaze your friends without years of practice! Perform like ap professional without learning any complicated sleight-of-hand. With the 25 tricks on this video you'll be a master magician in no time.

Copyright 1995 by Hampton Ridge Magic Creations .

[b]Could someone PLEASE give me a link of how to do the heal clip with pictures? Can't find any pics anywhere, and my library doesn't carry magic books. Thanks[/i][/u][/b]

Bro, take it easy. There's really no need to get down on yourself in regards to this video.

The packaging might SAY that, but try to remember - it's a marketing ploy. Sure, they can teach you how to do the moves in 30 minutes - that gets people to buy the video.

What they don't tell you is the amount of practice it takes to perfect it, make it invisible and really sell each move, transposition and vanish.

And why? Simple. Because this:

"Hey kids! Learn the moves in 10 minutes, then spend the next 3-5 years crammed in a dark bedroom in the attic of your parents' house learning how to make it look great, so you can finally fool the seven year old down the street by making the spongeball appear out of nowhere. You'll be a professional in just a hair under a decade!!!"

Two reasons:

A - that won't fit on the front of the video box

B - No one would buy it.

If they told you the full truth, many people would put the video back on the shelf. Sadly, we live in a world of instant gratification - and all markets (no matter what they're selling) feed upon this very notion.

Don't let it bother you. Instead of thinking you've wasted your effort, go find a group of young kids and show them your routine. Watch them scream and shout and tug at their ears to see where you put that ball. Use your skills and dedication and show people some magic.

I guarantee, you'll reconsider how much time you've "wasted" practicing.

Hey kids! Learn the moves in 10 minutes, then spend the next 3-5 years crammed in a dark bedroom in the attic of your parents' house learning how to make it look great, so you can finally fool the seven year old down the street by making the spongeball appear out of nowhere. You'll be a professional in just a hair under a decade!!!"

Damn you really shouldn't say that out loud. Thats supposed to be hidden in the fine print. Oh well at least I'm not stuck in my parents attic.

Demitri wrote:Bro, take it easy. There's really no need to get down on yourself in regards to this video.

The packaging might SAY that, but try to remember - it's a marketing ploy. Sure, they can teach you how to do the moves in 30 minutes - that gets people to buy the video.

What they don't tell you is the amount of practice it takes to perfect it, make it invisible and really sell each move, transposition and vanish.

And why? Simple. Because this:

"Hey kids! Learn the moves in 10 minutes, then spend the next 3-5 years crammed in a dark bedroom in the attic of your parents' house learning how to make it look great, so you can finally fool the seven year old down the street by making the spongeball appear out of nowhere. You'll be a professional in just a hair under a decade!!!"

Two reasons:

A - that won't fit on the front of the video box

B - No one would buy it.

If they told you the full truth, many people would put the video back on the shelf. Sadly, we live in a world of instant gratification - and all markets (no matter what they're selling) feed upon this very notion.

Don't let it bother you. Instead of thinking you've wasted your effort, go find a group of young kids and show them your routine. Watch them scream and shout and tug at their ears to see where you put that ball. Use your skills and dedication and show people some magic.

I guarantee, you'll reconsider how much time you've "wasted" practicing.

Hahahaha, thanks man.


Yeah, I see what you're saying. I REALLY want to write an email to hampton ridge just to hear their response on this.Think I should?

Yeah, I show it to adults too. I've been trying to perfect a coin rountine where I can just take a coin, make it vanish and slip it into my pocket without no one noticing. I think I've gotten better at it now and can finally do it. For some reason, they would always look at the hand which had the coin in it, EVEN WHEN I WAS LOOKING AT THE OTHER HAND. I suppose I did too sharp of movements. But they never suspect anything with the sponge balls.
s

Oh, and good point.

Demitri wrote:Bro, take it easy. There's really no need to get down on yourself in regards to this video.

The packaging might SAY that, but try to remember - it's a marketing ploy. Sure, they can teach you how to do the moves in 30 minutes - that gets people to buy the video.

What they don't tell you is the amount of practice it takes to perfect it, make it invisible and really sell each move, transposition and vanish.

And why? Simple. Because this:

"Hey kids! Learn the moves in 10 minutes, then spend the next 3-5 years crammed in a dark bedroom in the attic of your parents' house learning how to make it look great, so you can finally fool the seven year old down the street by making the spongeball appear out of nowhere. You'll be a professional in just a hair under a decade!!!"

Two reasons:

A - that won't fit on the front of the video box

B - No one would buy it.

If they told you the full truth, many people would put the video back on the shelf. Sadly, we live in a world of instant gratification - and all markets (no matter what they're selling) feed upon this very notion.

Don't let it bother you. Instead of thinking you've wasted your effort, go find a group of young kids and show them your routine. Watch them scream and shout and tug at their ears to see where you put that ball. Use your skills and dedication and show people some magic.

I guarantee, you'll reconsider how much time you've "wasted" practicing.

Yep, I've shown magic to everyone I can. Even people on streets. Unfortunately, I live in Sun city, a retirement home city. 70% of the population is old people, and they don't relaly care about teenagers sometimes it seems. (They got that notion stuck in their head that all teenagers these days are trouble)

The other day, however, I went next door to show a neighbor some magic. One of the people there was a magicians assist for several years. I showed her my classic palm, and she said it looked good.

She said my magic was good.

But then I asked her, "How long would it take someone to master sponge balls? Could they do it in a few minutes, like it said on my video tape?" and she said,

"Well, it all depends on the person. But if they practiced, they could learn sponge balls and master it in a few minutes."


This kind of ticked me off. I've showd them to my parents, everyone, and no one can even get CLOSE. I've also mastered the coin roll, and the thumb clip of coins, etc. I Jut want to know how to do the heal clip with coins, or the back palm with coins, someone please give me some pics for this!! (My library doesn't have any videos!!)

Jay Sankey is a Tenkai clip fan...it's used in his coins across routine (I hope I can say that). You can find that on The Very Best of Sankey vol.1

Kati