Hi all,

I have received many emails and conversations lately on this illusion from folks adding it to their shows or working on rouitning for it. The single thing that comes up the most is safety issues and what to look for when working with the illusion. I thought it may be helpful to list some tips and suggestions here in hopes it can benefit you. My pleasure.

Safety Tips:

Although you may really fall in love with this illusion, be sure you really adhere to some very common safety tips when performing it.

- Make sure even though the illusion (sommer's and Mak models) can handle 150-160 lbs, I never ever go over 100lbs. This is just a safety measure I do and keeps the board from sagging at all. In fact I will usually try and use a kid under 85lbs as it works better.

- Make sure that you do a triple check of the alignment before placing the child on it. Once when you set it up, secondly right before the show starts and one last time as the child is coming up on stage. Make sure everything is aligned right on the anchor chair. (I can go over more details on this in a PM)

- Be careful when the child is sitting and then going into the laying down position. I always have myself (if doing it solo) or my wife help hold the non anchored chair where the board rests on. This is done for a reason. If the child moves forward or backwards on the board, it can cause the board and anchor point to pivot like a lever and it can cause the weld to snap right off. Be careful of this and have someone or yourself hold that board top the non anchor chair when the child is sitting and lying down.

- Make sure the child is in the right position. That is that their shoulders are aligned with the top of the anchor board. This distributes the weight evenly and adds to the illusion of the person being suspended just by their neck area alone. This is the proper look and feel for the illusion.

- Do NOT ever perform the trick just because you feel like you have to or because you want to. That is never a good enough reason. Your most critical and first notion when performing this is to make sure that you have every safety precaution met before you perform it. If any of the safety steps are not met or can not be met, then you must be willing to not perform it and move on to something else. I have done this several times and it is out of safety first. The client never had a problem with it, because I make it clear to them that safety comes first.

- If you feel or sense a child becoming scared or uneasy with the illusion, do not continue with it. Let the child sit back down and applaud them for being so brave. Give them a certificate and make them feel special. Getting on the board can sometimes scare children and even if you feel you are taking all the right steps, it can still happen. You must be willing to send the child back (happy) and not risk doing it with them.

If they are scared, then you can always empower them again by allowing them to be the magician and it is THEM that makes a friend suspend. They still are made to be the star.

- Make sure to have the child lay down flat on their back and in the middle of the board. Fold their hands on the lap in front of them and place their legs close together. This makes them feel comfortable but also limits them from wanting to move during the illusion. It is a relaxed position.

- Do NOT rush right into the illusion. I always do this as an ending to my show. By this point the children know me and have fun with me and I have built up trust within them. Even then, I take my time and structure my routine so that I build confidence in the child before we place them on it.

- Never ever touch a child unless you ask their permission first. When I perform this, I take steps in getting them into position on the board. We take steps so that each part is understood by them and they know what to expect. I ask them if it is OK if I can lift them up to sit on the board. I ask them if I can move them forward. This builds trust between you and the helper and is very critical.

As I am clearly saying here and right now, even with my safety first precautions, there is no certainty that nothing will ever go wrong, Things do happen and that goes for a lot of various effects. But, you really can minimize your chances of anything happening by following some simple tips. If you follow these tips, you will rarely ever have a problem or issue.

- Always do a triple check of the area in which you are performing this illusion. If indoors, make sure the floor is level and the anchor chair is level as well. It must not rock or tip in any form. Also check to make sure that the chair is sitting right so that it is not leaning or wanting to lean backwards.

- If outdoors, be even more careful the ground you are setting the chairs on. Make sure you have a nice level area and that the chairs are sitting properly.

- Place the board and anchor points right aligned with each other. Check these points and make sure they are sitting and anchored properly. Check this and triple check it. 1) check it at first set-up, 2) check it before the show starts and 3) check it right before you are about to place the child on. They must be aligned correctly. (can discuss in more detail in a PM)

- Use a step stool to help the child up onto the board. This makes it easy for them and for you without them jumping up on it and possibly hurting themselves or shifting the board in the process. They can simply stand up on the stool and sit down easily. The psotion of this stool can also allow the child to be in the perfect spot without you having to do much of anything.

- Make sure that the child is positioned right on the chairs. This is one area of which I constantly see people doing wrong. If not properly placed on the board, it can cause the board to sag or lean. Make sure to 1) Have the child centered on the board 2) fold their hands on top of each other on their laps (centralizes the weight more) 3) Make sure their shoulders are even with the edge of the anchor chair.

These are just some of the safety tips I do every time out. It seems like a lot, but it is so important to the success of this illusion. And, if you do them as often as I do them, then it becomes habit and you just do it every time naturally.

It works great if you know how to not only set it up right, but how to routine it so that the child feels safe, trusts you, and wants to take part in the FUN of the effect. If you also follow the simple safety measures I discussed, you should never have a problem with it at all.

Just remember that safety on this ALWAYS comes first over anything else. You must not get carried away with the magic, that you forget the safety of the child involved. When getting them to lie down on the board, do it in two steps. Have them sit first (then pause), and then have them lay down on their backs. By breaking it down in this fashion, it makes it easier on you, easier on them and the move does not cause the board to get off kilter.

I hope this is of help to some and gets you thinking if you already own the illusion or if you are thinking of buying one for usage in your kid's shows.

if anyone has any questions? pleas let me know. if you have things that you do with your routine that helps in the safety and proper performance of the illusion, please share them here so that we may all learn.

I would love to hear your thoughts an ideas.

Kyle

Great advice Kyle. How are you guys doing?

Also would say a must have is Kyle's book about this very subject.

Now I feel much safer... thank you for sharing.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the kind words about the tips as well as my ebook. It is most appreciated.

Kyle