Knuckle-Busting Card Magic

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

I have developed a rather un-natural liking to magic that is absolutely crazy tough to learn and perform. Even though the spectators will never know how hard they will be (which they shouldn't--it should LOOK easy and fluid), I'm still drawn towards it because they are uncommonly used.

At the moment, I am practicing Mechanics Pass and in the process of learning Ray Kosby's 'Raise Rise'. Both moves are flat out hard. At the moment, I can do Mechanics Pass/Shift about 8 times then have to put the deck down for a bit because it flat out HURTS. I love it!

For you knowledgeable types and move-monkies: What are some unusual/knuckle-busting card magic that you know of?

So far, I know OF the above two and Clipshift

 

[Josh Burch]

Perfect Riffle Shuffle
The Antifaro by Christian Engblom
The Center Deal
Back Spin by Jay Sankey
One Handed False Riffle Shuffle by Rene Levand

 

[RealityOne]

By Forces Unseen by Earnst Earnick
Trilogy by Dan and Dave

 

[CrazyClement]

I am not good a knuckle busting card magic (the most advanced sleight I know is the pass--I'm not very good) because I concentrate on the patter more but I think Card Stunts by Gregory Wilson has quite some tricky effects.

Also grab Dan and Dave's Trilogy and Unshuffling the Faro Shuffle by Paul Gertner (not very advanced but quite cool)

 

[eliascaress]

I like the one handed false shuffle and circle fans.

Elias Caress
www.eliascaress.com

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

I like the one handed false shuffle and circle fans.

Elias Caress
www.eliascaress.com

I am hoping to have some Rene Levand DVDs in my hands by the end of the month. So I'm hoping I got the right ones at this point that has the false shuffle.

@CrazyClement : are you talking about the Anti-Faro? If so, I'm trying to find a way to make it practical, but it's proving otherwise at the moment.

 

[Steven Lafitte]

@CrazyClement : are you talking about the Anti-Faro? If so, I'm trying to find a way to make it practical, but it's proving otherwise at the moment.

Yeah making it practical seems to be the issue with that one, Alex Pandrea uses it's application for a Triumph effect which is nice, and R. Paul Wilson uses it for an effect as well.

Otherwise, I haven't seen any further practical uses for it.

|| Steven

 

[Duncan F.]

Learn the Clipshift man! I remember throwing my cards across the room when I first tried to learn it because it seemed impossible. The 26 shift (on the Surfaced DVD) is pretty difficult too. Although, with your affinity for 1 handed cuts, you may be able to pick it up rather quickly.

Quantum Mechanics by Irving Quant looked rather difficult, but I never picked it up so I don't know for sure.

Also anything by Chris Brown

 

[Steven Lafitte]

Learn the Clipshift man! I remember throwing my cards across the room when I first tried to learn it because it seemed impossible.

Ha! That makes 2 of us! I would pace back and forth after practicing and just rant to the walls about how my new arch-nemesis was Chad Nelson.

If I'd of only had a fog machine, a Jacob's ladder and there was an on going thunderstorm during my diatribes, it would have been the perfect ambiance!

|| Steven

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

Learn the Clipshift man! I remember throwing my cards across the room when I first tried to learn it because it seemed impossible. The 26 shift (on the Surfaced DVD) is pretty difficult too. Although, with your affinity for 1 handed cuts, you may be able to pick it up rather quickly.

Quantum Mechanics by Irving Quant looked rather difficult, but I never picked it up so I don't know for sure.

Also anything by Chris Brown

I do have Clipshift on the good ol list. The problem is that between Mechanics Shift and Raise Rise. I won't be able to get to it until next year. Seriously. Both moves are hard. Its taken me a month to do Mechanics Shift over 12 times in a row without a break. That move HURTS. No wonder it's in The Wire's 'difficult' list. I still do it rather slow and it doesn't look pretty, but it's a work in progress. I'm still watching the DVD and trying Raise Rise a bit, but man; its a confidence killer.

My question about Clipshift is angles. Does the speed of it make it 'angle-proof'. I went after Mechanics Shift before Clipshift because it looks more natural looking, but it's not as fast as Clipshift. Although Clipshift looks a bit goofy. Do spectators look at you a bit odd that you're holding the deck in an odd position?

 

[ChrisWiens]

Yeah making it practical seems to be the issue with that one, Alex Pandrea uses it's application for a Triumph effect which is nice, and R. Paul Wilson uses it for an effect as well.

Otherwise, I haven't seen any further practical uses for it.

|| Steven

The move could be very useful for memdeck workers. Juan Tamariz has a lot of applications for antiX-faros, although he uses pile-deals instead of Christian's Anti-Faro (which is of course infinitely more difficult), but the outcome is the same as doing the Anti2Faro Juan describes in his book 'Mnemonica'.

 

[Steven Lafitte]

The move could be very useful for memdeck workers. Juan Tamariz has a lot of applications for antiX-faros, although he uses pile-deals instead of Christian's Anti-Faro (which is of course infinitely more difficult), but the outcome is the same as doing the Anti2Faro Juan describes in his book 'Mnemonica'.

I know a little about Mnemonica but not much, I'm going to have to break down and buy the book and go over the material just so I can say that I have. Haha

I've rarely used any type of memorized stack in my magic and they very few times I have I used Stebbins. I've always wanted to take a deck and shuffle it a bunch of times and then copy down the order that they are in and memorize it by sheer brute force to the point I could ask someone to call out a number between 1 and 52 and be able to tell them which card is at that number. I'm positive I can do it because after all the Mnemonica stack is a true memorized stack itself, I just kinda want have my own stack that's original to me and make it my own.

|| Steven

 

[ChrisWiens]

I know a little about Mnemonica but not much, I'm going to have to break down and buy the book and go over the material just so I can say that I have. Haha

I've rarely used any type of memorized stack in my magic and they very few times I have I used Stebbins. I've always wanted to take a deck and shuffle it a bunch of times and then copy down the order that they are in and memorize it by sheer brute force to the point I could ask someone to call out a number between 1 and 52 and be able to tell them which card is at that number. I'm positive I can do it because after all the Mnemonica stack is a true memorized stack itself, I just kinda want have my own stack that's original to me and make it my own.

|| Steven

Then I would do what Darwin Ortiz suggested.
Shuffle the deck a couple of times and memorize it.
Voila, your own memorized stack which should be quite unique
Unfortunately I'm not able to memorize a deck on the fly. There are magicians who can do it for real, I'm not one of them. I'm suffering from 'digital dementia'.
It took me sooooooo long to finally memorize one stack (despite Juans great tips for memorizing it in a couple of hours) that I wouldn't even try to memorize it on the fly
To be honest I prefer working with a half-stack (Mnemonica) as you can hand out the other half for shuffling, and many tricks with a half-stack are as powerful if not more.
The reason I've learned the Mnemonica stack is that I could go into the stack or mirror stack from european deck order and vice versa without deck switching.

 

[WyattSB]

It took me sooooooo long to finally memorize one stack (despite Juans great tips for memorizing it in a couple of hours) that I wouldn't even try to memorize it on the fly
To be honest I prefer working with a half-stack (Mnemonica) as you can hand out the other half for shuffling, and many tricks with a half-stack are as powerful if not more.
The reason I've learned the Mnemonica stack is that I could go into the stack or mirror stack from european deck order and vice versa without deck switching.

The technique for learning the Menmonica stack is very different to what other people use to memorise shuffled decks quickly.

 

[Duncan F.]

My question about Clipshift is angles. Does the speed of it make it 'angle-proof'. I went after Mechanics Shift before Clipshift because it looks more natural looking, but it's not as fast as Clipshift. Although Clipshift looks a bit goofy. Do spectators look at you a bit odd that you're holding the deck in an odd position?

The Clipshift is definitely not angle proof, but it's pretty close. Chad covers a lot of different handlings in the DVD that can help cover the move, but I just aim the back of my hand towards the spectators eyes. Honestly, I very rarely get called out on the Clipshift. The only time I do is when I show it multiple times. The sound gives it away more than anything else. People don't notice the "odd position" because most laymen don't know the first thing about handling cards. Don't shy away from it because it's a strange biddle grip, It's such a visual move and it really does amaze people!

 

[Justin.Morris]

I'm sure you are already familiar, but I'd suggest some of Shin Lim's material. Some of it seems unattainable because of how knacky it is, yet he does it so well so consistently and the effects can be really strong. There's a penguin lecture available that's a reasonable price for a bunch of material.

 

[Steven Lafitte]

I'm sure you are already familiar, but I'd suggest some of Shin Lim's material. Some of it seems unattainable because of how knacky it is, yet he does it so well so consistently and the effects can be really strong. There's a penguin lecture available that's a reasonable price for a bunch of material.

Some of Shin's stuff is nuts to pull off, I enjoy his work and watched the lecture you're talking about, however, some of things he advertises it slightly misleading unfortunately. Great performer and has some seriously mad skills, after all he is a F.I.S.M-NACM, IBM, and WMS winner and if someone wants to learn difficult moves, he is the one!

|| Steven

 

[Joey144]

You can't get any more difficult than to study false deals imo. Try a full grip push off second deal for example.

 

[Steven Lafitte]

Richard Turner's sweep second deal...whew!

Starts at 2:17 - this gentleman has been my idol for years.

|| Steven

 

[joaoS]

Check it out and give me your opinion !