Understanding Misdirection

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Copyright 2012 Clint Baron and Merchant of Magic Ltd. All Rights Reserved
Copyright 2012
All Rights Reserved.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
What is Misdirection?
The 4 Principles of Misdirection
Principle 1: The Off-Beat
Principle 2: The Eyes
Principle 3: Use Your Natural Style
Principle 4: Justification of Moves
Putting It All Together
Final Thoughts
Credits & Useful Resources
Introduction
In the world of Magic, one thing that sets a Magician apart from someone who
just performs tricks is the ability to understand and implement the power of
misdirection. Understanding misdirection will allow you to make your magic more
powerful, more real, and will leave a lasting impression with your audience like no
other.
Misdirection makes magic stronger. It makes you a better performer. However, it
is the unspoken art within magic, and finding good theory and resources on the
topic is hard to come by.
In this book, you will learn what exactly misdirection is. You will learn the 4 key
principles that it involves, and you will understand how you can incorporate them
into your existing and new routines.
If you have never considered building in misdirection into your routines before
then be prepared to find out how you can massively increase the impact of your
magic, and how you can leave a lasting impression in your spectators memories.
This book is aimed at magicians who require the basic understanding of the
principles involved in misdirection, and it is deliberately kept compact to serve
more as a reference than a definitive source. It is designed to enable you to
understand and implement key concepts quickly and efficiently without too much
theory. So with that in mind . . . lets get misdirecting!
What is Misdirection?
Some people find the term misdirection offensive, as to use the prefix mis
generally has negative connotations. Terms such as mistake, misfortune,
misunderstand and misuse all refer to the negative aspect of the given subject.
On this basis, misdirection implies that you have failed at directing. So if we
cant call it misdirection, what do we call it? Personally, I have no problem with
the term misdirection; however, many people prefer to use the term Direction of
Attention. This identifies the process more clearly, and doesnt have the negative
connotations associated with using mis. Whatever you prefer to call it, for the
sake of this book both Misdirection and Direction of Attention mean the same
thing.
In essence, misdirection is about ensuring that your audience does not see things
you do not want them to see. This can include anything from a deck switch to
secretly loading a selected signed card under a glass, a full deck under a glass or
a coin switch, heck, it could even be switching yourself on stage with your
assistant!
Author of Leading with Your Head Gary Kurtz says Misdirection has nothing to do
with distraction. It has everything to do with controlling audience attention, at all
times. Or as Erdnase says, Not only shouldnt they [the audience] see anything,
they shouldnt suspect anything. So, misdirection is not about covering moves.
Its not about turning your back while you do a dodgy switch or half pass; its
about
controlling audience attention so that when you are going to execute a move, the
audience is not only looking somewhere else, but they dont even suspect you are
doing anything. It is about ensuring that suspicion doesnt enter your audiences
mind. Jarle Leirpoll, author of Pocket Power says
A sleight is not perfect when the spectators are unable to tell what youre
doing. Only when theyre completely unaware that you did anything at all
will they experience magic.
Youve heard the old expression the quickness of the hand deceives the eye
right? Well guess what, its wrong! Eyes have the power to track you hand
movements a lot faster than your hands are able to move. Quick moves done in
full view only arouse suspicion, and remember, we do not want suspicion at all.
The hand is not quicker than the eye. Misdirection is quicker than the eye!
Moreover, speed attracts the eye, so by doing something quickly will bring more
focus on what youre trying to disguise.
Maybe you think that you dont have any routines based around misdirection. Well
you can get that out of your mind right now! Nearly all magic effects can be
enhanced with good, solid misdirection principles applied. You can apply it to
existing routines, as well as create new ones with it. The possibilities are endless,
once you understand the basic principles.
If you want to see a wonderfully simple effect in practice that uses the principles
of misdirection applied by a master of the art, there is no better than Slydini
performing his version of the paper ball routine. To see this in action, go to
http://bit.ly/JRy23P. Tony Slydini was considered by many to be the master of
misdirection. A search on YouTube for any of his routines is certainly worth a look
and a good opportunity to see a professional in action.
Tommy Wonder is also a name that cannot go unmentioned in any talk on

misdirection. His applied principles are well documented in his Visions of Wonder
series, and again to see him in action is a pleasure. His original cups and balls
routine encapsulates misdirection so well that even when you know whats going
to happen, you still miss it. You can see Tommy Wonder performing his cups and
balls routine by going to http://bit.ly/KIaI2S.
The 4 Principles of Misdirection

Misdirection is very difficult to break down into simple component parts as a lot
depends on your own performance style. For example, how you hold yourself,
how you stand, your posture, you mannerisms and so much more all contribute to
how you as an individual can apply misdirection to your performances. With that
in mind, everyone has to find their own way to maximize the 4 principles
involved.
The 4 principles are:
1) The Off Beat
2) The Eyes
3) Your Style
4) Justification of Moves
Principle 1: The Off-Beat

The off-beat has been described as the blind spot in the audiences perception.
But what does this mean? A lot of people have heard of the off-beat but dont
actually know what it is. The off-beat is quite simply the moment of relaxation. It
is when your audience takes a break from watching intently and more crucially, it
is when they drop their guard!
Most spectators, well at least those genuinely interested in what youre doing,
watch you like a hawk! They want to try and catch you out. They want to be able
to say to you I saw you do that, or I saw that move. It is our job as magicians
to ensure they dont see it, but sadly a lot of magicians fail terribly at this. So
why dont the audience say anything? Mostly it is because theyre friends or family
and are just too polite. However, when youre being paid to entertain in a
professional
manner, it is your responsibility to ensure you are professional, and doing dodgy
moves that spectators see is a sure-fire way to no-more-bookings-ville.
So we need to create an off-beat in order to do the move. How do we do it? Well,
quite simply it is by creating the moment of relaxation. This can be done in a
number of ways. The first thing to control is your stance. Leaning forward, even
slightly, creates anticipation in your audience. It puts them on edge and theyll be
watching everything you do. So take a step back, lean on your back foot. This is a
relaxed posture and just using this alone will signify to your audience that they
can relax too, because if youre relaxed, your audience will follow suit. Being
active creates tension, being relaxed creates relaxation.
When your audience is relaxed, they drop their guard. After watching intently
they need a break. However, this break is only a few seconds; you may have a
window of anywhere between half a second and 5 seconds, but thats all you
should need.
Your audience will take a breath, look away from you briefly, perhaps to gauge
other peoples responses, before coming right back to you so dont hang around!
Off-beats can be the apparent end of a trick or routine. It can be a moment of
laughter or any moment of relaxation. The off-beat is not a mystical moment that
few can create. By knowing your routines well, and knowing at what points there
are natural pauses or moments of relaxation, you too can create the off-beat.
Knowing your routines well means audience testing them. Whilst you may be
amazing at a routine in front of the mirror, you must test your routines in the real
world, with real people in order to know how your audience behaves, so that you
can take advantage the moments when they drop their guard.
Any secret move must be done in the off-beat, and it must be done in a relaxed
way.
Principle 2: The Eyes

Establish and maintain strong eye contact. I see a lot of magicians falling over this
hurdle. Im not just talking about magicians who are just starting out either.
Experienced, professional magicians who have been in the industry for years still
get this wrong. And here it is . . . your audience will look where you look. Thats
it. Sounds simple right? Well, it is. The problem is that a lot of magicians buy
something new and are desperate to show it that they dont spend the necessary
time practicing and rehearsing to the point where they know the routine inside
out.
The result is that when they perform it to the real world, any time there is a
crucial moment where they need to do a move or need the audience to look away,
they themselves get that glazy eyed look on their face. They stare into space and
their whole body freezes while they do the move. Then, in a moment of back in
the room, they spring back into life.
Your audience will watch your eyes; it is human nature and is a big part of the way
we interact with other people. If your eyes arent doing what they should, people
notice. This means that you must be aware of yourself, and truly act as though
you do indeed have the magical powers to do what you are claiming to do. If you
have secretly palmed a coin and want your audience to believe that you still have
it in your other hand, then your eyes need to follow that hand. If you pretend to
throw something invisible into the air, then your eyes need to follow too.
Practice your routines as though it were for real and see how your eyes move and
follow the action. Perform your routines as though you believe what you are doing
is real.
That way, your behaviour will look authentic. Then, when youre fully aware of
how to act, build in the secret moves while retaining your previous eye moments.
In misdirection, people will look where you direct them to. Dont forget this. It is
one of the most important things to note. Check out Tommy Wonders video
again from above. Look at how he directs his audience to look where he wants
them to look simply by using his eyes. Hes looking as astonished as the audience
at what is going on, and they totally buy into it because of his eyes. Imagine how
the final load of the bag would look if instead of looking at the cup on the table,
he turned his head and looked at the bag and cup nearest him. It would give the
whole game away.
John Ramsey says When you want the audience to look at something, look at it
yourself. This underpins how important the eyes are and is another reason why
you must act as though you are really doing what you are pretending to.
Ramsey goes on to say What you want them to look at you, look at them. This is
a clever trick to use as it is human nature to look at someone who is looking at
you. People can feel your eyes burning into them so use this to your advantage.
This has a lot to do with confidence. Looking your audience in the eyes take
confidence and comes with experience. If youre just starting out in magic, or do
not perform that much, do not underestimate the power of looking your audience
in the eyes!
For a good example of a master of eye contact, watch Bill Clinton in the 1992 Bill
Clinton vs George Bush Debate at http://bit.ly/LajFnJ, where Bill Clinton uses the
power of eye contact to great advantage.
Use peoples names to draw their eyes to yours. You can also ask them a question
as this naturally draws their eyes to yours too. Finally, if it fits in with your
performance style and is appropriate, a touch on the arm will draw their eyes to
you too!
Principle 3: Use Your Natural Style

Every performer is different. Some are very mobile while performing, some stand
very still. Some are nervous, some are confident. Whatever your style of
performing is, you must use that style in your misdirection.
How do you know your style? Well, if youre not aware of how you perform, the
first thing you should do is video yourself. Next time you perform, whether that
be for friends, family or a paid gig, get a friend to video you, even if just on a
mobile phone. Then watch yourself back and see how you interact with your
audience.
Look at how you hold yourself, and look for the moments of relaxation in your
routines, the off-beats. Then start practicing building the principles into your
style.
Heres an example. A friend of mine always performs wearing a jacket. Hes the
sort of person who is always putting his hands into his jacket pockets for things.
Maybe hes trying to find a marker pen for a spectator to sign a card. Maybe hes
looking for a coin, or a deck of cards. Anything really. Now he knows exactly what
pockets has what in, but he never goes straight to the pockets. Instead, he
deliberately goes to the wrong place, and then looks as though hes searching for
the item. By doing this, he establishes in his audiences minds that his hands are
dipping in and out of pockets, so when he does a deck switch, or a coin ditch, the
audience dont think twice. It seems so natural. This is because he is capitalizing
on his own natural style.
This is one of the principles of misdirection that most people find difficult, partly
because we see other people performing a lot more than we see ourselves, so we
naturally tend to mimic others. With this principle, you must look to yourself and
see how you perform. It is not about changing your behaviour to suit a move, it is
about suiting a move to you.
For example, if youre sat at a table and have a glass of water which you regularly
take a sip from, then it would not arouse suspicion when during the moment a
spectator is signing a card, to take a sip of water. During this action you could
load another card under the glass. However, conversely, if you had a glass of
water and
did not touch it at all through the routine, and then suddenly at the end tried to
load a card beneath it, the action will likely rouse suspicion. Again, this is not
about changing your style; it is simply ensuring that your style suits the move you
want to do. Remember, we do not want our audience to suspect anything!
Principle 4: Justification of Moves

Using your own style ensures that you have a reason to do something. Whether
that is taking a sip from a glass, dipping into a pocket, moving a card box, even
turning your back, there must be a reason. Lets take an example. Assume you
have a deck of cards in your left hand. Someone has selected a card and signed it.
You have had it returned to the deck and controlled it to the top, and then palmed
it into your right hand. You want to load it into a wallet in your left breast pocket.
You could simply put your right hand, with the signed card, into your jacket
pocket, load it, and then come back out. If you done this, even the most
inattentive audience will know you done something untoward. However, if you
also had the pen they spectator used to sign the card in your right hand finger
tips, and used returning the pen to your pocket as justification, then there is a
logical reason for doing so. Your audience will simply see you returning a pen to
your pocket.
If you are loading a card under a glass, combine it with moving the glass out of
the way for something, i.e. spreading the cards across the table. If youre wanting
your audience to look to the other side of the stage, ensure there is a reason why
you want them to look away.
For every movement you want to pass unnoticed, all you have to do is find a
stronger action to counterbalance it that is logical and motivated, but remember
that there must be a reason for your move.
Putting It All Together

Misdirection is an art in itself. It is an acquired skill that takes practice. You will
not pick it up overnight, so start out small by applying the principles to routines
you already know and use well. Test some ideas out. See whether your audience
looks where you direct them to. Look out for the moments of relaxation and try
out doing something, not necessarily related to the trick, in that moment to see if
you get away with it. If it doesnt work, dont worry, simply try something else.
The key to applying misdirection successfully is not to confuse it with trying to

distract. You must control your audience. Use the 4 principles of the eyes, the offbeat, your style and justification of moves and have fun with it. The more you use
it, the more youll understand how to maximize its potential in your own routines.
Final Thoughts
Be prepared to get caught out. As I mentioned above, it is an acquired skill and
will take time and practice to get right. Misdirection will enhance your magic and
will make you a better performer, so I hope youve enjoyed understanding its key
concepts. I have deliberately not gone into too much detail as it is important to
find your own style based on the key principles involved.
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Credits, Useful Resources & Further Reading

The following resources have helped in compiling this book, so my full
recognition and appreciation goes to the following. If you would like to continue
your research into misdirection, they are a good place to further your own
knowledge on the subject.
Books of Wonder, Tommy Wonder

Carneycopia, by John Carney
The Annotated Magic of Slydini, by Lewis Ganson
The Best of Slydini...and more, by Karl Fulves
Visions of Wonder, Tommy Wonder
Magic by Misdirection by Dariel Fitzkee
I would also like to give a special thanks to David Gemmell for his help in sourcing
references and further reading.

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www.MagicShop.co.

Tommy Wonder is also a name that cannot go unmentioned in any talk on

The 4 Principles of Misdirection

Principle 1: The Off-Beat

Principle 2: The Eyes

Principle 3: Use Your Natural Style

Principle 4: Justification of Moves

Putting It All Together

The key to applying misdirection successfully is not to confuse it with trying to

Credits, Useful Resources & Further Reading

Books of Wonder, Tommy Wonder

Magic by Misdirection by Dariel Fitzkee

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