The mistake that I am making is thinking the trick is over because I finished the major move or sleight.

One example is when I do Jumbo Brainwave. It works great but twice I have flashed the secret when I put the cards back in the deck. I also did that with some disappearing silk moves.

John B.

I see the same mistake all over the internet.....NOT PRACTICING BEFORE PERFORMING.

The biggest problem is guilt. Not "BELIEVING" what you want the audience to believe.

Robert

I think the biggest mistake is to not focus on just a few select effects. Most of us have way more books dvds than we need and are constantly going from one trick to the next. Just work on one or two effects and keep plugging away at them until you have made them your own. That means you keep practicing and perfecting them even after you've shown them to everyone you know... When you can't make them any better than you can add another effect or two to your repertoire--but even then you always want to go back to the old ones and keep them fresh.

-Rob

I completely agree with all of the above posts. From teaching and mentoring younger magicians, I noticed some common technical issues; though these are more subtle, and overshadowed by the important ones already mentioned.

1. Movement in the wrong hand. e.g. In executing beginner moves like the French Drop, beginners always want to move the fingers, to "catch" the drop. Alternatively, they immediately move the hand away.

2. Failure to Ditch. Beginner's tend to think once they've mastered the move perfectly, then that's enough - but even with the most flawless [sticking with previous example] French Drop, the audience is eventually going to ask to see the other hand.

My pleasure.



I think that there is a lot to be said here. While I believe it is a good idea for a beginner to memorize a word for word script for the reasons you've cited, I believe that word for word scripts often come off as stale and unoriginal. I use a technique suggested by Jay Sankey, which is to have a number of key lines memorized and rehearsed that are essential to the routine, but everything else ought to come naturally as a interaction with the audience. Helps keep things fresh.

Not looking natural.

Not covering the angles correctly.

Not palming correctly.

Thinking that knowing the mechanics of a magic trick makes one an entertainer.

Bob Sanders
Magic By Sander

I'm practicing card magic for about 3 months now and I studied very hard on my first trick. I studied evening after evening, till I finally got all the movements "stored" in my muscles. The next day I went to work with a deck of cards in my pocket, proud to present my first trick. I run up to my first "victim" and performed my trick. After my performance, my colleague said: "Duhh, I saw you gliding that card... !!".

A spectator looks from a different angle. Some things that I can't see, he can !!!. Since then, I perform each trick in front of a mirror and try to catch all different angles, before I go in public.

A mistake of sorts that I see all to often is bringing the show to a halt to locate your next prop/effect, a little pre show prep and rehearsal would eliminate extended stage waits.