There are three rules that are often given as the key to attaining perfection in any art. They are: Practice, more Practice, and still even more practice. Those rules apply also apply in magic, but not in the way that you would think. many tricks are quite easy to learn, while others require a great deal of time, study, and practice. You should always remember, however, that the real art in magic lies in the effect that you create in the minds of your audience, not in the method that you accomplish it. In short, you can become a "magician" the first time you try a trick, but your career will be short unless you progress beyond that.

Naturally, the first few tricks that you learn must be a simple to perform, which means that your success depends chiefly upon the surprise that the tricks create on the viewers who have never seen them before. Should you repeat a trick before the same group, their surprise will be less, which will them more critical. It will also enable them to watch for something they did not see before and perhaps learn the "secret."

To offset that, you must practice even the simplest effects until you can do them without hesitancy, thereby smoothing over any parts of your routine that might arouse suspicion. As you add new tricks to your program, you can often get around a request to "do that trick again" by presenting a similar effect utilizing a different method, which will throw sharp observers completely off track. that, in turn, requires still more practice, so you can switch from one routine to another without getting the two confused in your mind.

As an added factor, as you progress in magic, you will naturally wish to present tricks which require more skill. This, in turn, will demand more practice. With most tricks, the first phase of practice is to run through the effect as though actually performing it before an audience. You can go through the motions of dealing cards, vanishing a coin, or cutting a rope with real imaginary objects, whichever you prefer.This is more like a "rehearsal" than practice-but it fulfills the same purpose as it leads to the next step, which applies to method.

Here you practice any secret moves given with the instructions, such as dealing extra cards, retaining a coin in one hand while you apparently put it in the other, or cutting a small loop instead of the actual rope. Even the simplest of such moves must be practiced until absolutely perfect, because when performing them, you are often saying one while doing something entirely different, so any slip at that point can ruin your act. Also, your secret move must resemble your natural action so closely that no one will notice the difference.

After you deal several cards, people will be suspicious if you suddenly change your grip on the pack, so you must to make two "deals" the same, even if it means changing your normal style. This applies to other types of magic besides card work. Actually, this is your key to the final stage of practice, which consists of going through the whole effect in conjunction with the method until the two are blended to perfection. By then, you have acquired a routine, which can be practiced in its entirety to strike a proper balance. That will enable you to stop any tendency to speed up your natural actions or to "tighten up" when you come to a secret move, which may give away your real purpose.

That is one of the dangers of practicing entirely in front of a mirror, as it causes you to concentrate too much on "moves" when working before an audience. Mirror practice is essential with difficult sleights, particularly when studying hand positions from various angles; but if you spend too much time admiring your work in the mirror, you may lose sight of audience reactions, and this can greatly weaken your routine.

Never neglect practice with tricks that depend on some secret device, as many of these are designed to increase the effect rather than simplify the method. Hiding a "gimmick" may require more skill than "palming" a coin, so the rule that "practice makes perfect" applies here as well.

Brad Chadwick
Professional Magician and avid writer

Grownup Magic Tricks [1]