The Same Tricks Over And Over?

Today’s post is HUGELY important so listen up…

I get a lot of emails from magicians demanding more tricks from me.

(First of all, how about a “thank you” for the good tricks I DO send?)

Just kidding.

Seriously though, the problem isn’t that they ask for new tricks all the time. The problem is that they NEED new tricks all the time.

Let me explain.

Maybe you’re in the same kind of situation.

Maybe you perform magic for the same people over and over and over.

It could be your family. It could be your co-workers. It could be the other kids at school.

Day in and day out, they want to see…NEW TRICKS!

“Whattya got today?” or “Any new tricks for me?” or “Hey, do some magic for Jim!”

It forces you to try and stay one step ahead of them.

It forces you to never TRULY learn a single magic trick.

Think about it.

If you spend all your time learning new tricks, then you’ll never have time to PERFECT the old tricks.

Read that last sentence again…it’s important.

It’s okay to show people lots of tricks (as long as they ask to see them). In fact, it will help you to discover which tricks are good and which ones are not so good.

But at some point, you must focus your time and energy on a small number of tricks or routines.

Perform these few tricks regularly for new people and they’ll turn into mini-masterpieces.

For example, my sponge ball routine is spectacular.

I’ve been doing it since I was 14 years old. I’ve literally performed it for tens of thousands of people throughout the years.

It is a well-oiled machine that guarantees amazement, laughter, key “photo-ops”, and
audience participation.

And it didn’t happen overnight.

It happened because I perform it for real people. Over and over and over again.

Take the time to learn a few good routines. REALLY take the time. Learn them. Perfect them. And they will serve you well for the rest of your magic career.

Go spread some wonder!

- Tim David

P.S. Members of my new “BPP Market Domination Program” will receive my entire sponge ball routine (among MANY other things).

All the lines, all the jokes, all the moves, and all the experience.

If you ever do a show for kids of any age, then you NEED a routine like this.

There’s still time to be part of this life-changing program:

http://www.BirthdayPartyPro.com/wanted.html

Developing THE Act…

I hope you had a great weekend (and vacation week if you’re here in the States).

I attended a bachelor party on Saturday (and NO we didn’t go to a strip club!)

Actually, we went to play paintball and I’m still sore! After that, we went out to dinner and they convinced me to do a little magic.

I didn’t have anything on me, but I was still able to wow them with some items that were readily available.

Here’s my question for you…

Do you have a routine or a series of effects that you can do anytime, anywhere that will guarantee you a huge reaction?

Maybe with just some coins or a pack of regular playing cards?

When your reputation builds, you’ll see that people will often ask you to “Do a trick”.

You should have a KNOCKOUT routine that you perform for people who have never seen you do magic before.

Script it. Rehearse it. Perfect it.

And it will serve you well.

Personally, I have a few.

One for mentalism.

One for when someone hands me a deck of cards.

And one with whatever coins are available to me at the time (1, 2, or 3 coins)

Here are some guidelines:

- Must be totally impromptu…no gimmicks.

- Must be astounding magic presented in an entertaining way.

- Must be quick. 5-10 minutes tops.

- One trick should logically lead into the next.

- Must create a highly memorable moment for the spectator. They should think that you are the best magician they’ve ever seen. Seriously.

This little impromptu set will probably be the act that you perform most often, so you should really get it down.

Don’t change it every week.

Sure it’s okay to make some tweaks, but you want it to become SOLID.

Which tricks do YOU do?

Post your routine as a comment below.

Go spread some wonder!

- Tim David

P.S. Even if you don’t post, now’s your chance to see what other magicians are doing.

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Get your magic biz launched now:

http://www.BirthdayPartyPro.com/wanted.html

There are still some spots open! Deadline is next week.

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For serious card magic students:

http://www.CardTrickInsider.com

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Card Tricks for beginners:

http://www.HighImpactCardTricks.com

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Jay Sankey is the man and he’s got some free magic for you over at:

http://www.JaySankeyMagic.com

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Which Beginner’s Magic Book Is Best?

People ask me all the time…

“I want to get started in magic, what should I buy?”

Surprisingly, I DON’T always tell them to buy my tricks!

(You’ve got to walk before you can run.)

Instead, I usually recommend the following…

GENERAL MAGIC BOOKS:

“Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic”
“Amateur Magician’s Handbook” by Henry Hay
“The Tarbell Course in Magic”
“The Klutz Book of Magic”

CARD MAGIC:

“Easy to Master Card Miracles” by Michael Ammar (DVD)

“The Royal Road To Card Magic” by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue

COIN MAGIC DVDs:

“Modern Coin Magic” by JB Bobo (4 DVD set):

http://www.TheMagicTeacher.com/bobo.html

“Revolutionary Coin Magic” by Jay Sankey:

http://www.JaySankeyMagic.com

That should keep you busy for a while!

Once you master the basics and you’re ready to “upgrade” to the next level, then you might be ready to try a few of my DVDs and downloads.

In the meantime…

Go spread some wonder!

- Tim David

Is Magic Really A Performance Art? Or Just A “Kid’s Thing”?

One of my biggest pieces of advice to you has always been…

…Show your magic to “real people” as often as you can!

Practice doesn’t make perfect, real-world experience makes perfect.

Practice helps, but experience puts you over the top.

So naturally, the next question from my students is quite often…

“How do I find people to perform for?”

My recommendation is just to start booking yourself anywhere you can.

I’ve found that the fastest and easiest way to do this is by working kid shows.

Why?

Because kid shows are available around every corner.

For some reason, most people think of magic as a “kid’s thing”.

Think about it…

When performing for adults, how often do you hear them say…”Wow! My kids would LOVE this!”

I hear it all the time. And when I don’t hear it, I know they’re thinking it.

Even though I’m doing my best, knuckle-busting stuff…they’re still thinking it.

To them…

Magic is for kids.

So you can either go against the grain, or you can embrace it and run with it.

I got my start in magic by working for kids.

It was an amazing experience and I really honed my skills. Not only that, but my little magic hobby quickly became my full-time career!

So if you’re ready to get some more bookings, consider creating a show that kids would enjoy and then get out there and get some real world experience!

- Tim David

P.S. If you want more kid shows, or if you want help creating an act, I can help…

For my help with kid shows, visit:
http://www.BirthdayPartyPro.com/wanted.html

P.P.S. And yes, entertaining with magic IS a performance art. The only problem is, most people don’t see it that way.

Magic For Valentine’s Day

Most guys would agree that Valentine’s Day has a special “magic” all its own.

Yeah…

It makes your money disappear!

The people who make candy, chocolates, flowers, gifts, and cards are all raking in the dough right now.

Many people believe that Valentine’s Day is just a made-up holiday so that greeting card companies can make a few bucks.

Whatever your own opinion is, I encourage you to bring a little magic into the life of that special someone today.

Magic can be a great way to say “I love you”.

Make a special message appear on a playing card, turn a paper rose into a real rose, or write a simple poem about how she (or he) brings magic into your life.

As for me….

Valentine’s Day is a perfect time for me to say “I love you” to….

YOU!

I honestly love my customers and my subscribers.

Without you, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love day in and day out.

For that, I LOVE my customers.

Now, for those of you who think that Valentine’s Day is all about making your money “disappear”, then I’ve got just the thing for you…

My “Unmake” coin vanish REALLY makes money disappear.

And for the next 24 hours only, you can get the Unmake download for 40% off. (That’s just $8.98!)

Watch the Unmake video and get the download here:

http://www.TimDavidMagic.com/unmake.html

It’s my Valentine’s Day gift to you.

Go spread some wonder!

- Tim David

P.S. There are still a few spots open for those who want to get started doing family magic shows…

http://www.BirthdayPartyPro.com/wanted.html

Don’t wait on this, it’s starting soon.

Dave Matthews Does Magic?

Recently, I learned that Dave Matthews does magic!

Okay, maybe he’s not THE Dave Matthews of “Dave Matthews Band” fame, but he is still a pretty smart magician.

How do I know?

Because THIS Dave Matthews sent me the following email:

“Tim,

I have been puzzling over the SOS coin production for weeks and have now purchased the download version I did come up with a few ideas of my own none as clean as your idea.

You have great imagination and excellent handling of it. I have watched your demo video once so far and even though I know how you still have a slick handling which still fools me. This tells me that it is a very good effect.

The dream everyone has to produce Money from thin air, your effect is the closest I have
come to in all my years of magic. It is what I consider the nearest thing to real magic.

Congratulations on an excellent mind and presentation. It is refreshing to see a younger member think a routine through as well as you do.

Keep up the excellent work.” – David Matthews

Awww shucks David…

I’m humbled by your words of encouragement.

And don’t worry, NO ONE has figured out the exact method I use for the S.O.S. production.

I’ve gotten a LOT of “guesses” from some very talented magicians, but no one has been able to duplicate the effect.

It is a magician fooler to be sure.

I can’t say much more about it, but when you learn the secret…you’ll be blown away.

(And if you like this one, you should see the other 8 tricks on the DVD…)

It looks like the word is starting to spread about the magic on this DVD.

…And the word is good.

Seeing other magicians use this material to bring wonder to people’s lives makes the years of work that I put into this project all worthwhile.

If you don’t have this DVD yet, then you’re missing out on something special.

Get it now at:
http://www.TimDavidMagic.com/sos.html

Use it to spread some wonder!

- Tim David

P.S. I think the DVD is becoming more and more popular because of the poor economic
conditions.

People want to make money appear and this is the most natural way to do it.

Give your spectators what they want…

http://www.TimDavidMagic.com/sos.html

Q&A With Tim David

Every day I get questions about the art of magic or about my own magic.

Right now, I’d like to take just 2 of those questions and answer them.

Sort of like an interview…but much shorter.

If you have a question for me, submit it to tim@themagicteacher.com.

OR post it as a comment on this site.

QUESTION #1:

“Hey Tim, I have been doing magic for 9yrs. I just started learning about Hypnosis. It’s very interesting and I wanted to know if you can share some tips or some places where I can learn more about it. I want to infuse it with my regular magic to make something new.” – Brandon Beard

Brandon,

I use hypnotic techniques in my magic a lot.

It certainly elevates your magic to a new level.

I have some great info on how to use hypnotic techniques in your magic in my “Sly Art of Misdirection” videos.

These videos rock…

http://www.TheMagicCollege.com/slyart.html

Also, you can learn hypnosis here:

http://www.TheMagicTeacher.com/pages/Learn-Hypnosis

Be careful. Hypnosis can be powerful.

QUESTION #2:

“I believe that Youtube kill the art of magic. They must remove all ‘explanation’, ‘revealed’ magic videos. With this rythm in a few months no one will be interest to come and see our live performances. We must be doing something…” -Nikos

Nikos,

Okay, this isn’t really a question, but it is a common comment that I get.

I agree. Something should be done.

And that is this…

Make your magic better!

If your magic is being revealed on YouTube, then you need to make your magic better.

Add personality, come up with a new method, or make the trick more entertaining.

People don’t come to live shows to see tricks, they come to see the performer’s personality.

(Write that down and remember it.)

Your PERSONALITY is more important than your tricks.

If you are entertaining, you will always have an audience.

Go spread some wonder!

- Tim David

P.S. Here is a recent review from someone who took my “Sly Art of Misdirection” course:

“Hi Tim!
 
Very comprehensive course on misdirection. I enjoyed it very much. I have not seen anyone touch on the technicals as you have.
 
Your Truly
Al Durante”

Every magician must master misdirection and my course is the fastest way to do that:

Get it now at:

http://www.TheMagicCollege.com/slyart.html

I’m Giving Away My Birthday Party Business

Booking gigs is an exciting feeling for a magician.

Especially full-time magicians who depend on gigs in order to pay the bills!

Unfortunately, many magicians are feeling the economic times and just aren’t booking as many gigs as they used to.

At the local magic club meetings, everyone is “Doom and Gloom” and whining about the lack of work out there.

Everyone accepts that it’s “just the way it is right now” and some magicians are closing up shop and giving up entirely.

I encourage YOU to be different.

I encourage YOU to be POSITIVE.

Not in a fake, unrealistic way, but in a genuine way.

You may ask, “How could anyone be POSITIVE in this kind of situation?”

Personally, I just had my best month EVER.

And I’ve done that without lowering my prices.

You could tell me there’s no work, but I probably won’t listen to you. I’m too busy doing shows.

There IS work out there, but you may have to change your approach in order to get it.

I believe there is incredible opportunity right now for magicians.

- There’s less competition because magicians are getting out of the game left and right.

- The cost of running a magic biz is much cheaper because everything is much cheaper.
(Advertising, printing, etc.)

- People need to be entertained now more than ever. Their spirits need a lift.

- People don’t want to waste the money they DO have. They need to make sure their money is well spent.

If you can get people to like and trust you, then you won’t have any competition.

In these times…

What are you choosing to focus on?

The “doom and gloom”?

…Or the incredible opportunity?

Go spread some wonder,
- Tim David

P.S. If you’re willing to be positive, then I want to work with you.

I’m giving ten magicians everything I use to create lasting success in magic, regardless of the economic situation.

Everything. (Literally).

My entire kid show business.

Routines, shows, DVDs, 1-on-1 coaching, products, CDs, bookings, scripts, strategies, systems, and much, much, much, much more.

I’d love for you to be one of the ten.

Here’s all the information on the program…

http://www.BirthdayPartyPro.com/wanted.html

Go there now and check it out.

Big News For Kid Show Magicians In The U.S.

Today I’ve got some big news for any kid show magician in the U.S….

But first I want to finish my series on the Superbowl.

What made the Steelers successful in the Superbowl and how does that affect our magic?

As we’ve discussed this week, the Steelers:

1. Overcame their opposition
2. Overcame themselves

Today, I’m going to talk about how they…

3. “Overcame The Boos”

During the game, it seemed like everyone wanted Arizona to win. The Cardinals were the underdogs. You could hear the booing whenever the Steelers did something good.

However, the Steelers didn’t let it affect their game plan.

Even though it seemed that most of the stadium was against them, they didn’t let it get them down.

At some point in your magic life, you’re going to have to “overcome the boos”.

Maybe you get a bad review of your show or maybe someone talks bad about your magic behind your back, or maybe your closest friend or family member tells you that you should give up and try something else.

Most magician’s won’t tell you this, but we’ve all had our share of boos along the way.

I know I have.

I’ve had customers give me bad reviews, I’ve had friends figure out my tricks, and I’ve had my own family discourage me from pursuing my dream of performing magic.

It’s not the boos that you receive that are important. It’s how you respond and react to the boos that’s important.

Use the boos as an opportunity to improve your skills. Get fired up. Get angry (at yourself).

Then use that energy to get better.

Boos can hurt you, but they will never kill you.

Don’t let them kill your magic either.

Go spread some wonder!

- Tim David

P.S. Ready for that major announcment?

Check it out:

http://www.BirthdayPartyPro.com/wanted.html

There are only 4 spots left…

The Superbowl’s Magic…Part 2

Yesterday, I wrote about how the Steelers “stole” the Superbowl by “Overcoming opposition”.

Today I want to continue the series, but discuss something a little different…

2. Overcoming Yourself

In the Superbowl, the Steelers committed seven penalties.

That means that they had to overcome themselves in order to win the big game.

After they committed a penalty, they had to immediately forget the mistake and focus on trying harder next time.

In all of sports, teams are forced to overcome themselves in order to win.

It’s the same for magicians.

In magic, you’re going to commit “penalties”.

You’re going to make mistakes.

You can’t let those mistakes get into your head.

Just because you flubbed a trick or had a bad show, doesn’t mean the next time will be just as bad.

Learn from your mistakes, but don’t focus on them.

Sometimes the biggest obstacle we have to overcome is ourselves and our own thoughts.

Go spread some wonder!

- Tim David
http://www.TimDavidMagic.com

P.S. Sometimes it helps if you have a trick that is almost “mistake-proof”.

When a trick is so simple that you KNOW you can do a trick perfectly, you’ll have a lot more confidence.

Kranzo’s “Squish” is a trick like that.

It is SUPER easy-to-do, but it is very impressive and amazing.

Watch the video here:

http://www.TheMagicTeacher.com/squish.html