I’m BAD

Feb 25, 2018
95
82
So I’m 15 and have been doing magic for 1 year. Some for Christmas I got a trick where you had to do a switch with Rubik’s cube. I decided to show it to my mom but she didn’t see the switch but heard it and called me out on it.
Then the other day I was doing a trick with a spread cull of a card and she said she saw it even though I thought my cull was invisible not the best but invisible to lay people. Every time I get called out I want to quit and it makes me feel like I’m bad. It puts me down. She burns my hands and I can’t get away with anything because she never looks away from my hands. I have to settle for self working trick. Any advice would be appreciated. Any tips. I want to do magic I love it. Please help. And thank you.
 
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Gabriel Z.

Elite Member
Apr 26, 2013
1,997
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I think your mom may be a natural heckler!

But let's give her the benefit of the doubt , and say she is not a heckler!! Then the best advice I can give is to keep practicing the moves/effects until they become as natural as breathing, don't worry about showing people right way. A year is not enough time to master a move let alone a bunch of moves/ effects. Card magic is a very demanding branch of magic and deserves much respect. Once you have gained the confidence in a particular move/effect, then proceed to show your friends. If they don't spot it, it's more than likely that your mom is a secret cardician and knows every trick in the book. Hope this helps.:)
 
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Nov 26, 2017
109
75
I had a similar problem with my dad and considered quitting magic. What I would recommend, since your mom has seen several of your tricks now, is to find something new and powerful, and practice it more before showing it to ANYBODY.
 
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" "Success" only comes before "work" in the dictionary. "

My parents have "called me out" on a trick plenty of times during my 12 years in magic. Yes, it feels bad, but that's why I practice until I am extremely confident before I perform for any friends and family (people I perform for the most) nowadays.

Regular laypeople will most likely not catch anything, but remember, if you perform for your mom over and over again, you'll "train" her eyes.

I have effects I've practiced for 10 years that I haven't shown my family yet. Just haven't found the right time, but when I do, I am certain they won't "find out" the secret.
 
Oct 17, 2017
4
1
Singapore
More practice and Im sure you can do it. Also you can go for those easier yet more powerful tricks that are anti hecklers like for example Blake Vogt's theory11 releases.
 
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JoshL8

Elite Member
Aug 5, 2017
409
393
WA state USA
Getting caught now and again is part of learning. Of course early on you get caught more often but after a few years in you get caught less and less. Even professionals get caught every now and again. In Gregory Wilsons penguin lecture they go over footage of him performing for strangers where some guy nails him several times on his ring and coin tricks. He goes on to show how he got out of that situation but his way of dealing with that guy may not work for everyone. There is some good advice on dealing with hecklers here in these forums, a quick search of the forums on 'hecklers' may be of help for you.

Aside from that you can think of how or why you got caught, what caused them to watch your hands or call you out. Usually when people are burning your hands its because the patter is not on point yet and the audience has no other reason to look away or lose their attention. If you are in this situation already where you can't go back and rescript that second you still have ways of dealing with this.

For instance if a situation arises where someone is burning your hands you can ask them a question while changing your posture toward your back foot while relaxing your shoulders. This will cause them to relax a bit and when they answer you do the secret move while they are thinking and talking.

But I think most people here will agree preventative measures are best. Practice in the mirror and or video, scripting etc. Search the forums for how to handle hecklers because there is some great ideas there as to why it happens and how to prevent it.
 
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Feb 25, 2018
95
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Thanks to everybody for the great information I will get practicing and learn how to deal with hecklers. Thank you once again.
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
Most beginners struggle with overcoming multiple problems at the same time.

First problem, is getting used to performing. It’s the nervousness, it’s doing moves under pressure, etc. You get over it by performing more.

Second problem is learning sleights. Most younger magicians begin by learning off YouTube. Most people teaching on YouTube aren’t any good and you are learning wrong technique. Most YouTube videos focus on the magicians hands. That results in performers looking at their hands. If the the performer is looking at their hands, where do you think the audience is looking?

Third problem is magicians guilt. You know how it is done and your body language “tells” your audience when you are doing a move. It could be that you stop talking, that you tense up, that you look at your hands or even that you change your tempo. Practice the fake action (i.e. what the audience should think they are seeing) and then practice the sleight so it looks like the fake.

Fourth, there is presentation. Most magicians use say-do-see presentation where they say what that are going to do it, do it and ask the audience to see what happens. If the you are telling the audience only what you are doing then their logical focus is going to be how you are doing it.

The best way to get over this is to get some good self-working effects where there is nothing to catch. Then, start learning sleights in a way where they are invisible because they look like the action you are mimicking. Practice sleights as part of your performance rehearsal - that is do them while talking and moving. Learn to do sleights on the off beat where he audience’s attention is elsewhere. Add presentational elements that give the audience something to think about.

As for dealing with hecklers, most of the advice given is bad. The best way to deal with hecklers is not to have a performance that creates hecklers. That means looking inward at your performance to find those things that create hecklers.

Finally, those that know us best are our most difficult critics. They know we are not magical creatures. Also, your mom may think the rules of the game are to try and figure it out. It seems that she waits until you are done to say something. Use that to improve your performance. I perform a lot of works in progress for my wife and she will tell me what I’m doing wrong and what looks unnatural. I then can try different things to see what works. That helps me improve. Use your mom’s comments to make things perfect.

Stick with it and put in the hard work. It will be worth it.
 
Feb 25, 2018
95
82
Most beginners struggle with overcoming multiple problems at the same time.

First problem, is getting used to performing. It’s the nervousness, it’s doing moves under pressure, etc. You get over it by performing more.

Second problem is learning sleights. Most younger magicians begin by learning off YouTube. Most people teaching on YouTube aren’t any good and you are learning wrong technique. Most YouTube videos focus on the magicians hands. That results in performers looking at their hands. If the the performer is looking at their hands, where do you think the audience is looking?

Third problem is magicians guilt. You know how it is done and your body language “tells” your audience when you are doing a move. It could be that you stop talking, that you tense up, that you look at your hands or even that you change your tempo. Practice the fake action (i.e. what the audience should think they are seeing) and then practice the sleight so it looks like the fake.

Fourth, there is presentation. Most magicians use say-do-see presentation where they say what that are going to do it, do it and ask the audience to see what happens. If the you are telling the audience only what you are doing then their logical focus is going to be how you are doing it.

The best way to get over this is to get some good self-working effects where there is nothing to catch. Then, start learning sleights in a way where they are invisible because they look like the action you are mimicking. Practice sleights as part of your performance rehearsal - that is do them while talking and moving. Learn to do sleights on the off beat where he audience’s attention is elsewhere. Add presentational elements that give the audience something to think about.

As for dealing with hecklers, most of the advice given is bad. The best way to deal with hecklers is not to have a performance that creates hecklers. That means looking inward at your performance to find those things that create hecklers.

Finally, those that know us best are our most difficult critics. They know we are not magical creatures. Also, your mom may think the rules of the game are to try and figure it out. It seems that she waits until you are done to say something. Use that to improve your performance. I perform a lot of works in progress for my wife and she will tell me what I’m doing wrong and what looks unnatural. I then can try different things to see what works. That helps me improve. Use your mom’s comments to make things perfect.

Stick with it and put in the hard work. It will be worth it.
Thank you @RealityOne this is awesome. I will listen to my moms comments and practice a lot to make it the best. I will also work on my presentation witch I agree needs work. I am planning to put in the work and stick with it no matter what. I have been learning all my tricks and slights from my magic books ( royal road, expert at the card table, card control and expert card technique. And thank you again for the great advice.
 
Oct 2, 2018
167
144
also....watch other magicians you admire. take notice of their delivery, timing, patter...even head movements and other distractors. then practice practice practice.
 
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Seth Hughes

Elite Member
Jun 21, 2018
259
264
21
VA
DUDE I HAVE THE SAME PROBLE!!! but I have found the best way to cover up a sleight is to pretend that you didn't do it. By this I mean that if you act suspicious then the spectator will naturally look at your hands. but if you act natural and then they will almost never catch it.
the timing is also important. I believe that almost every sleight should follow the top change principle. being that you should do it in the off beat. I would suggest you watch the TED Talk with Apolo Robins on misdirection. this really helped me.

bottom line you are NOT BAD. you just need to work on your timing. only 10% of magic is the method itself so even if you do have to go to the self working tricks, you will still be great.
 
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