Amazing Close Up Magic…

I have been a big fan of astonishing close-up magic for over 4 decades. I love the ageless classics of close-up magic… real impromptu magic; things like coins, cards, ropes, and silks. You know, magic that is captivating and can be carried in your pocket and be pulled out at a moment’s notice.

Imagine performing incredible mesmerizing close-up spur-of-the-moment magic that you can pull right from your pocket with no setup, no crazy sleight of hand, no weird moves to master. Further visualize slow, right before your eyes mind-blowing magic feats that leave your spectators speechless and wanting more all performed with magic’s classics like the thumb tip. Wait, what? Did you say the thumb tip? Yes, the thumb tip. Dozens of astonishing thumb tip effects; new twists on age-old classics and a few things I’m sure you’ve never thought of. Effects for beginner, intermediate and advanced magicians.

Ok, imagine the advanced ultimate angle proof vanish that can be performed right under a spectator's eyes utilizing the thumb tip. Incredibly angle proof. Slow controlled movements. Short sleeve shirt. I know, there are so many tricks and effects that say, ‘Ultimate.’ This one really is! 

Even most magicians miss it!  (No, it’s not the kick steal or back steal.)

I think this is what magic is all about. Magic should be fun, thought-provoking, and should really catch people totally off guard. This type of close-up magic brands people an instant legend and can become your trademark.

Make sure you learn my ‘22 Basic Thumb Tip Handling Positions.’ Just learning and practicing these positions will inspire you and get your creative juices flowing. Many tell me that learning and mastering these 22 positions was a pivotal turning point in skyrocketing their skills and becoming a great thumb tip magician. 

I learned long ago that your magic should elicit an emotional response. So, what do I want my spectators to feel? How about this for an emotional response? Wow! That was so unbelievably cool and surprisingly different. I’ve seen that trick done a thousand times and I sure didn’t see that coming. Even seasoned magicians will say, “No way! What just happened?”

I will teach you with a down-to-earth, slow, close-up camera angle methodology so you get it.

The real magic is making someone's day brighter and turning their frown upside down.

-Hal 

To me, impromptu close-up magic is perhaps the most fun and most exciting form of magic. It is not the easiest, but it sure is the most rewarding especially when done right and it takes the spectator's breath away and they are totally speechless. Close-up thumb tip magic is REAL classic magic.

Close-up magic is NOT the self-working mechanical magic tricks of the modern era, but awesome magic that has truly withstood the test of time.

Imagine the ultimate silk vanish, dollar bill switch, salt vanish, cut and restored headphones, linking chain, and more. Tricks you can perform right in your hand in front of your spectators eyes! How about water from an empty mini solo cup. Oops, the salt is dumped out of the shaker onto the floor so I will reverse the effect and add salt to an empty shaker from visibly empty hands. The torn, emptied, and restored sweetener packet and dozens of other cool tricks. It is all right here.

How about performing the silly old silk vanish but with a huge twist…. It’s right under a spectator’s eyes… They won’t see a thumb tip! It’s amazingly angle proof and for you seasoned magicians…. it isn’t the Vernon kick steal or Slydini back steal. 

Imagine a spectator pouring pepper into the top of your closed fist and salt pouring out the bottom. They stop pouring and the salt stops. They resume pouring pepper in and the salt starts pouring out again. Repeatable and on command. They stop and then you show your hand to be empty. 

Or dry instant coffee is poured from a small envelope by a spectator into the top of your fist. You hold motionless until they get their mini coffee cup in place and they tap your hand and out flows real coffee from the bottom of your fist. Then to top it off, the dry instant coffee is returned to the envelope and your hand is shown empty. 

Real magic is not fast wacky hand gestures. Real magic is where something magical happens; a vanish, production, transformation, restoration, or transposition from apparently empty hands along with rolled up or short sleeves performed by a consummate expert. By consummate expert, I mean someone young or seasoned who performs an effect in a planned, proactive, and intentional manner. One who is controlled in their approach, not sleazy or with weird, ridiculous, manipulative hand movements. 

You see, it’s not about speed. It is about being believed…. 

It’s not about speed. It is about being natural…. 

Now that’s magic!

I migrated to the thumb tip because of an injury and a love of classic magic. 

I had a horrific injury to my hand in 1985 that required microsurgery and much physical therapy. Then in 2000, I suffered a fully displaced fracture of the distal radius on the opposite hand. (A badly broken wrist.)

A fully displaced fracture of the distal radius was the number one fracture in the 1920s. Do you know why? Well, as I was told by my doctor, in the ’20s, cars were started by manually turning a crankshaft by hand. When cars backfired, the hand crank starting rod would spin around backward very rapidly and break the wrist of the ‘starter.’

These two injuries affected my cardistry and coin manipulation ability. The range of motion was affected as was my sense of touch.

I decided that my love for magic would not be deterred. I would find a fit for my abilities. As it turned out, the thumb tip was perfect. There were hundreds of amazing effects that could be mastered.

I also knew I disliked the sleazy, fast, wacky, and manipulative hand gestures of so many magicians today. So, slow methodical, and controlled was perfect for me. I hit a nerve it seems in the magic community. Many folks said, “I love the way you teach and perform.” One seasoned magician said, “You are slow, you tell me what’s about to happen. You perform right in front of my eyes and still I miss it every single time.”

If I can pull off amazing effects, do it slowly, in a controlled manner, tell my spectator I’m about to vanish this or do that and pull it all off with short sleeve shirts and get astonished “Wait. What? Show me more!” responses…. you can too.