Magic is a popular form of entertainment for an audience of any age. And it takes a lot of skill to be a successful magician. Magic is not just about moving quick. It is also about showmanship and being charming to your audience.
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Anyone who witnesses a magic trick will often be left amazed and with the question “How did he do that?” in their head. Today, we are revealing the secrets behind the most common and popular magic tricks.
Floating cup
A common magic trick that even amateur magicians can do is the floating cup. As the picture shows, a magician makes a cup float between his hands. It’s a definite crowd pleaser especially during parties.
Source: The Delite
The secret behind this trick is really simple. The cup has a hole in the back. The magician then puts his thumb through the hole so the cup is sucked in and attached to his thumb. You just have to know what angle to go with so that nobody notices.
Bending a spoon
This common trick is often done at parties or in small crowds. The magician would pick up a random spoon from a table and then shows everyone that he can bend it using his mind. Then, he bends it back to its normal state.
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But this is all an illusion – the truth is that the spoon was never bent in the first place. The magician uses a silver coin to mimic the edge of the spoon’s handle and then hides the rest of the spoon as it “bends” in their hand. To “unbend” the spoon, they just stash the coin quickly so that nobody notices it and shows the real spoon.
Smoking fingers
With this trick, the magician wows the cloud by producing smoke from his hands out of nowhere. It would appear that the mere friction from putting their fingers together can cause smoke.
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But this is actually a trick that can be dangerous if you are not in control. This will require you to put leftover phosphorus from a lit match and then apply it to your fingers. When you rub your fingers together it would re-enact the friction that happens when striking a match.
Sword swallowing
This is a pretty common trick and street performers are also able to do it. Sword swallowing can be uncomfortable to watch – even if it is a blunted-looking sword. The smallest one can even destroy someone’s throat.
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But the sword actually folds down into a smaller length as the magician “swallows” it down slowly. So, the magician is not really swallowing its full length. However, the magician must learn to master his gag reflex.
Pulling a rabbit out of a hat
This is probably one of the most common and popular tricks magicians do. The magician will reach into their hat and somehow gets to pull out a fully grown rabbit from it. Others simply assume that this is a simple trick where the rabbit is hidden in a secret compartment in the hat.
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But the truth is that the magician performing this trick has quick hands. The rabbit is in an opaque bag that is usually placed on the back of a table. When the magician pulls out the magic, he quickly grabs it from the bag into the hat. It is actually a difficult magic trick that requires quick reflexes.
Biting a coin in half
In this trick, the magician asks for a particular coin from an audience member. Then, he bites on it and shows them the coin into pieces and that the coin has actual bite marks on them. Kids are easily impressed by it because this is impossible to do.
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But the truth is, the magician actually switches the real coin with a fake one. You have to be quick with your hands for this trick. The prop coin is designed to break when pressure is applied to it and the break is designed to look like bite marks.
Water turns to ice
Have you seen a magician turn water into ice? They usually do the trick by performing water into a cup. But when they pour the water out, the water surprisingly turns into ice cubes.
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The magician actually adds ice and a sponge into the cup as quickly as they can. This way, the water is absorbed by the sponge and the ice will be the only thing that comes out when he “pours” the water out for his audience.
Sawing a person in half
Somehow this act of dismemberment is very popular with those who are into magic. In this trick, the magician’s assistant climbs into a box and her body is cut in half. The legs and the arms of the assistant will be exposed to show that they are still moving.
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The truth is this trick involves two assistants. These assistants must be able to scrunch up their bodies because they actually go into the table that holds the boxes. From afar, the boxes look hollow but they are actually solid boxes.
Using a buzzsaw to cut a person in half
This is the same as the previous trick of sawing a person in half but more dramatic and dangerous because of the buzzsaw. This trick is actually more dangerous since the buzzsaw is real.
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The secret behind the trick is almost the same too. Only this time, one assistant is needed. Her lower half slides into the box before the saw come down and what you see dangling on the other box is a pair of fake feet.
Producing pigeons out of thin air
This magic trick is all about making a pigeon appear out of nowhere. The trick usually comes with a bright flash before the pigeon appears. And most magicians wear a long sleeved top.
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The secret is that the pigeons are stuffed in the magician’s sleeve. The flash is used as a distraction to sneak the pigeon out of their sleeve without anyone noticing. If you see a magician pulling this trick in a short-sleeved outfit, then he has serious skills.
Floating woman
The floating woman is a fixture in most magic shows. The magician would use their assistant or invite a woman from the audience and have her lay down on a plank that is being held up with two chairs. Then the magician will slowly move away from the chairs to reveal that the woman and the plank are floating.
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Often, a hoop will be used to pass through the woman to prove that no strings are holding her up. In reality, the magician is standing next to a metal rod, which is holding up the plank. The hoop that is used is a red herring to distract the audience’s attention so that they will not see the rod.
Hand going through glass
Another common magic trick magicians love to perform is letting their hands go through glass. They will even let you touch the glass to confirm that it is totally solid. The secret to this trick is how you move your hands.
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The glass is made out of several panels. You have to move those panels into a particular place to be able to slip your hand through it. The trick is to make sure that the panels are clear enough so that nobody notices.
Levitating man
Most street magicians use the levitating man trick because it never fails to gather a crowd. As you can see in this picture, it can be very intriguing to see one. How can a man sit cross-legged mid-air with nothing but a pole to hold on to?
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Well, it turns out that this pole is part of a rig. There is a bottom circle connected to it and it is usually hidden with debris. The magician is usually seated on a basket, hidden inside his robes.
Walking on water
Jesus Christ walking on water is one of the most popular miracles that he has done as shared in the Bible. And there are a couple of magicians who have managed to do this trick.
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The truth is, perspex boxes are already planted in the water before the trick is done. The height of the boxes stops just below the water’s surface so it is not visible. The clear boxes are quite sturdy and the magician looking wobbly while walking is all just an act for a good show.
The zigzag box
In this trick, the magician’s assistant walks into a wooden box. The magician will then dislodge the central part of the box by moving it to the side. This puts the box and the assistant’s body in a zigzag position.
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The secret to this trick is to have a slim and flexible assistant. The assistant must be able to turn her body on the side while maintaining her face and hands in the right holes. That must be a tight and awkward position to be in.
Walking through a solid wall
As we all know, it is impossible to walk through a solid wall. So, the magic trick of seeing a magician walk through one can be quite a treat. Usually, this trick entails the use of a sheet.
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The magician will make ways to show everybody that the wall is solid and even ask audience members to check it out themselves. The sheet is then put up but this is just for misdirection. There is actually a tunnel underground unseen by the audience where the magician can pass.
The Michael Jackson lean
The King of Pop’s dance moves is undeniably good. But even Michael Jackson uses some tricks on his sleeve to please his audience. This performance from Michael Jackson has been iconic and is one of his most well-known dance moves.
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But did you know that there is actually a trick behind this move? His soles are triangular in shape. He then catches them on nails that are sticking out of the floorboard. These nails help him achieve the gravity-defying lean.
Underwater box
This is one of the most difficult and dangerous tricks that a magician can do. A magician places himself in chains or handcuffs and then gets into a transparent crate. Then the crate will slowly be filled with water and the magician has to escape before he drowns.
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The bindings of the magicians are usually not real. They actually can slip out of them without any trouble but wait until the last minute for a more realistic and dramatic effect. Also, there is a panel in the box that they can easily use in case of emergencies.
Underwater torture
This magic trick is similar to the one we discussed before only it has an extra layer of danger to it since the locks are on the magician’s feet and the magician has to be suspended upside down. If you are not in good shape, it is recommended that you do not attempt to pull this off.
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The trick to this is that the assistant removes the hinge on the top of the box before looking at it. This will help the magician push up the lid easily with their feet. Also, the assistant usually slips in a key to the restraints in case of emergencies.
Switching places
Magicians often do tricks where they switch places with their assistants. Usually, it starts first with the magician getting into an enclosure. The assistant will then raise a curtain. When the curtain falls, they have already switched places.
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It is all a quick but difficult trick. The secret behind this magic trick is simply an easy exit and moving quickly. In fact, some magicians are so good at this that they can do it within just 2 seconds.