talkmagic.co.uk

I am just wondering... should this be THAT hard to learn? It seems like it should be fairly easy to get a hang of but I am having a hell of a time.

I swear, I am making more progress on the classic pass than I am the DL. I mean, I can do the push off DL but it looks very unnatural. I have a hard time pushing off exactly two cards with my left hand and if I push off more than 2 then I have to really focus and take my time to pull off just two cards (which is obviously very suspicious looking).

Could anyone give me some pointers?

TIA,
AcrylicAce

It is indeed very likely that you will get to grips with the pass before you do with the push off D/L. I find it to be a very difficult move as do many others. I would say it is a rather advanced D/L. There are other D/Ls though. The strike D/L is good if you don't want to use a get ready.

But yeah I find the push off to be quite hard and I don't really use it. If I were you I would try to get on with an easier D/L first and come back to it later. Otherwise - keep practicing!

Yeah, i just like being able to place the card back in the deck with some sort of false placement like the Marlo Tilt and be able to take the card off right away without having to get set up for the D/L.

I will look into the strike D/L.

Thanks,
AcrylicAce

The push off is very tricky. I just use a thumb count and then hold a break when doing my DLs. Much easier and just as effective from a specs point of view.

I agree.
I have seen the push off D/L being done both well and badly and have to say that i does not look very natural. I know in my case that if i am not that confident that i tend to hold the cards much firmer which does attract attention.
However one tip i can give you is dont worry about trying to push over exactly two cards. You can gently push over with your T so that you have a mini fan(if that makes sense). then with the right hand square up the amount you want to D/L. You may find this a little easier.
Hope this helps.
I must admit i find Michael Ammars presentaion of the D/L much smoother and it looks so natural that i tend to stick with that one.

Hope this helps

OOPs hope i have not given too much away.
Sorry mods.
Just read my mail back.

AcrylicAce wrote:Yeah, i just like being able to place the card back in the deck with some sort of false placement like the Marlo Tilt and be able to take the card off right away without having to get set up for the D/L.

I will look into the strike D/L.

Thanks,
AcrylicAce

Not entirely sure what you mean, but I just get a break on the top card before the chosen card is placed back, and then it's instantly ready.
But my standard method is riffling the back of the deck letting the cards fall, and I can usually hold onto the required amount at the end of the riffle. Although a few packs of bikes I've bought lately are too floppy to do this with accuracy. Are they phasing in a new feel of cards, or is it just variable quality from bicycle?

I use the thumb count, I can't remember whether I learned it from RRTCM or Oz Pearlman. It is the move I probabaly practice more than any other. When I am watching TV if I am not currently working on something else, I just do D/Ls, one after another.

Whilst I know that another magician would spot what I was doing I have never beened burned by a spectator and have never seen any reason to learn any other method.

I know the thumb count method is in Mark Wilson's book and I'm pretty sure it's in Royal Road too.

I've invented a few little manerisms when I perform. One is to riffle the back of the deck when chatting to the spec, that makes getting ready for a DL very natual looking.

I've never been spotted using it.

Thanks for the comments everyone... I will continue to work on the push off D/L because the way you pull the cards off is the way I would normally flip over a card (not with the whole flashy twirl though)... I want it to fit how I normally pull cards off a deck.

While I am learning the push off D/L I will work on some others as well because I have a feeling the push off is going to take some time.

Thanks again,
AcrylicAce

I'm not sure whether what I'm about to say will help.

I am currently doing a hybrid of the strike and the push off...
main caused by my lack of technique and taking too many cards in the push off.

I can tell how many I've got by the feel. If it is two great. I just collect the pushed off cards

If not I run a secondary strike dl to get just to get the top two.

If that fails (I can always tell before I turn over), I pause... patter... put the cards back on the top and start again. Usually as I'm pattering by now anyway I'll find a break under the top two to just be sure of a clean lift the next time round. It can be few days between this happening but having it as a backup reduces tension for me (always a bad thing).

beeno wrote:

AcrylicAce wrote:Yeah, i just like being able to place the card back in the deck with some sort of false placement like the Marlo Tilt and be able to take the card off right away without having to get set up for the D/L.

I will look into the strike D/L.

Thanks,
AcrylicAce

Not entirely sure what you mean, but I just get a break on the top card before the chosen card is placed back, and then it's instantly ready.
But my standard method is riffling the back of the deck letting the cards fall, and I can usually hold onto the required amount at the end of the riffle. Although a few packs of bikes I've bought lately are too floppy to do this with accuracy. Are they phasing in a new feel of cards, or is it just variable quality from bicycle?

Well, you can't just have a break on the top card and place the card back on top because then you have a DL but in the wrong order (chosen card on top of random card, random card the one you would display)... I don't know if I am missing something or....?

I mean, i guess you can just flip over the top card and hold the deck down and hold a break so that when you place the card back face up on the deck it becomes the second card.... is that what you mean?

AcrylicAce

Ah sorry, I see what you mean now.
In this case I would do a top switch with a bit of misdirection, get the break, then drop on top. Then DL as proof that you didn't switch.

I find it easier than I first did. Its just a matter of practice, you do actually get used to the feeling of two cards and can tell when you have one or three. The best way is to push off a few cards and use yu thumb and first finger to square up to and do the DL onto your left thumb and keep the cards moving.. the specs eyes arent trained well enough to see slight misadjustments and the cards moving will make it impossible for them.

I use the push off D/L and also the one Jay sankey uses ( cant remember the name ) where you dont use a break, you just lift two cards and flip them over.. that looks very natural when you can get the lift right.

I spent ages using the D/L where you use your middle finger and thumb and the left index finger as a support but I no longer like this as it doesnt look so natural, even though Ive never been caught using it.

Theres a load of different D/L's in Card College... might be worth looking at