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Hi all, this is my first post as you can see

I need help perfecting my french drop routine, the drop part of the routine, i have down well and can almost do it flawlessly, its the next parti need help with.

If im sitting down its no problem i just drop it into my lap, but wat shud i do if im standing up.. I kno its a rather large ask for help but if any1 feels like helping a newb.. thx in advance

the french drop is not so much a routine in itself, more a utlilty move to be used as part of a routine. If you keep the routine moving and fluid, reproducing the vanished item from elsewhere should be no problem.

When to execute the drop, the coin should fall into the finger palm position and not your lap. The trick is to follow where the coin should be with your eyes, the spec will do the same. Dont rush it, make it look as natural as possible and you'll be there.

One way I work on getting mine looking natural is to video myself actually taking the coin and make the drop look as similar to that as possible.

As above , french drop is not a trick in itself, but a move, which is part of a routine which has follow up moves. You need to incorporate misdirection by turning your head and looking at empty hand like you are following dropped item. Item, if a coin, can be held in either finger palm position or classic palm position, but there should be some immediate follow up to the vanish reveal. Pick up something, place something, move something, reach for a wand, a coin purse, something. The French drop is one of the easiest to get caught at moves if you simply stop there, most adults mind will immediately switch back to the holding hand once the reveal is done. Never produce object from that hand, you need to pass it some how, or ditch some how. Move on to another move, possibly a tenkai/goshman pinch or downs palm to be able to give illusion of empty hand, etc.

also, follow the hand that "takes" the coin with your eyes. if you believe it is there, there is more chance that your specs will too. the same principal is true of many methods, not just coin work either, TT is a good example for one.

This thread was really helpful to me. It made a few things clear that were not clear before.

Just drop the hand down to the side... then act out making the coin vanish and you can take time with that.. as long as you are looking where the coin 'should be'. then quickly but dont rush.. make th coin reappear from thin air.. your coat sleeve.. through your trouser leg..

or while the coin is vanishing.. get the coin in downs palm.. then bring you hand eye level.. and look around for the coin.. and reach out and pluck it from a warphole in the air

although written a long while ago, there is a book that if you don't own already will help you a great deal with coin magic. ask any magic dealer for bobo's modern coin magic. Even the word bobo will let them know exactly what you are looking for. It is a standard text on coin magic and has many routines and moves for you to choose from and master that will link very nicely with your newly perfected drop.

Unanonymous wrote:Hi all, this is my first post as you can see

I need help perfecting my french drop routine, the drop part of the routine, i have down well and can almost do it flawlessly, its the next parti need help with.

If im sitting down its no problem i just drop it into my lap, but wat shud i do if im standing up.. I kno its a rather large ask for help but if any1 feels like helping a newb.. thx in advance

Hi there Unanonymous

A another way you can get good with learning the French drop is to actually grab the coin like Lady of Mystery just said in her fourm . I look in a mirror to see what it looks like then get it to look as natural as you can by grabbing the coin but dropping the coin in to the finger palm position so it would look like it would do when you actually grab the coin. the next coin vanish to the french drop is called the reverse french drop. I like that coin vanish.

goodluck
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It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it....Happy Magic

if you milk the vanish for all its worth you'll have adequate time and misdirection to ditch the coin in your pocket and nobody will notice

Here is a tip which will make the French Drop much more illusive. I never see anyone do it this way but they should.

Instead of simply taking the coin with the right hand MOVE the left hand (which holds the coin) towards the right hand. Far more effective and illusive.

Try it and see.

that's a brilliant tip Mark, I'd never thought of that before.

That is a good tip Mark!

as has been said earlier in the post... I repeat it because it represents the best advice I was ever given, practice your FD repeatedly actually "taking" the coin. study what that looks and feels like so you know it so well it becomes second nature. then... once you have that so smooth and natural... simply, dont take the coin.

add in Mark's "reverse delivery" and you may even fool yourself.

if your still having trouble, get yourself a "Corbeau"...

Thanks for the tip mark, it makes the move look so much more natural!

Another thing is that it is fatal to place the coin in French Drop position into the left fingers with the right hand beforehand and THEN do the move. Not very logical if you think about it. You should pick up the coin from the table or elsewhere with the left hand and do it so that it is automatically in position.

Once the move is done DROP the left hand to the side. Don't move the right hand until the left hand is out of the way. You don't want to see both hands moving at the same time. LOOK at the right hand and really believe it has gone. Focus youre attention on it.

You almost hypnotise yourself into believing it is really there and this belief will somehow transmit itself to the audience.

Ooops! I see that I have just mentioned hypnotism. That may have been a mistake. Forget I even said the word.