I notice that the pass discussion has made it's way over here by now. Here's my thoughts:
You should practise the sleights that power the effects in your repertoire. Only two of my current effects use variations of the pass, but that means that they have to be as smooth as possible. I use the Backstage Pass, the Riffle Pass and the Charlier Pass and all of them work well with or without misdirection - for laypeople.
Magicians catch a flash, and they know you've done a pass. Laypeople see a flicker of something, and they dismiss it if they consider it unimportant. And whatever you consider unimportant...so do they.
It is a utility move, it's almost always replaceable (I ONLY use it when it's the only tool for the job) and it's difficult. But so's a double lift, or an elmsley, or a jog shuffle...etc. etc. The problem is that people think these are "easy moves" because they are more accessible than others, but they require just as much attention. I am still not happy with my injog overhand shuffle! One of my good friends is a Mixed Martial Arts Coach, and he has a saying that he's very fond of with regards to training, which I think applies well to magic as well:
"There are only two types of techniques: basics, and gimmicks".
Basics are your fundamental skills, "high percentage techniques", and should be drilled in and improved upon - forever.
Gimmicks - in this context - are "low percentage techniques" - ones that you rarely have the opportunity to use. It is interesting to note that many martial arts schools spend more time on gimmicks than on basics. Why? Because they are more glamorous, and more fun, and often more showy. It is often the case that a gimmicky move can be replaced with a basic move to the same or better effect.
Now maybe you consider that the pass is a basic move, but I would be inclined to disagree, and I'm definitely not alone. If you want to be a good card worker, there are many more fundamental techniques to work on than the pass - for instance those mentioned above. Every now and then you will encounter a situation where the pass is necessary, but we have the luxury of choice - you can decide whether or not you want to add that effect to your repertoire, and if so then you then have to commit to practising the pass until it is at a performable standard.
It is also worth noting that harder sleights do not make better effects. Some of the best card tricks out there are self working! There is no correlation between technical difficulty and strength of effect.
My point is simple. If you have an effect that you really want to be able to do that uses a version of the pass, then make sure you can do it well. If that's not the case, then you would be best served reinforcing your basics, the moves that you do all the time. One day if you need a pass, your solid knowledge of the basics will make learning it much, much easier as well, so you win all ways around.
Cheers,
David
You should practise the sleights that power the effects in your repertoire. Only two of my current effects use variations of the pass, but that means that they have to be as smooth as possible. I use the Backstage Pass, the Riffle Pass and the Charlier Pass and all of them work well with or without misdirection - for laypeople.
Magicians catch a flash, and they know you've done a pass. Laypeople see a flicker of something, and they dismiss it if they consider it unimportant. And whatever you consider unimportant...so do they.
It is a utility move, it's almost always replaceable (I ONLY use it when it's the only tool for the job) and it's difficult. But so's a double lift, or an elmsley, or a jog shuffle...etc. etc. The problem is that people think these are "easy moves" because they are more accessible than others, but they require just as much attention. I am still not happy with my injog overhand shuffle! One of my good friends is a Mixed Martial Arts Coach, and he has a saying that he's very fond of with regards to training, which I think applies well to magic as well:
"There are only two types of techniques: basics, and gimmicks".
Basics are your fundamental skills, "high percentage techniques", and should be drilled in and improved upon - forever.
Gimmicks - in this context - are "low percentage techniques" - ones that you rarely have the opportunity to use. It is interesting to note that many martial arts schools spend more time on gimmicks than on basics. Why? Because they are more glamorous, and more fun, and often more showy. It is often the case that a gimmicky move can be replaced with a basic move to the same or better effect.
Now maybe you consider that the pass is a basic move, but I would be inclined to disagree, and I'm definitely not alone. If you want to be a good card worker, there are many more fundamental techniques to work on than the pass - for instance those mentioned above. Every now and then you will encounter a situation where the pass is necessary, but we have the luxury of choice - you can decide whether or not you want to add that effect to your repertoire, and if so then you then have to commit to practising the pass until it is at a performable standard.
It is also worth noting that harder sleights do not make better effects. Some of the best card tricks out there are self working! There is no correlation between technical difficulty and strength of effect.
My point is simple. If you have an effect that you really want to be able to do that uses a version of the pass, then make sure you can do it well. If that's not the case, then you would be best served reinforcing your basics, the moves that you do all the time. One day if you need a pass, your solid knowledge of the basics will make learning it much, much easier as well, so you win all ways around.
Cheers,
David