Hi...
I'm working with a group of kids (ages 9-12)... and would like to get recommendations for a GOOD DVD on beginning sleights... cards, coins, cards. Any ideas?? (Is this the right place to post? or would kids section be better??)
Thanks!
Doug

If you are already knowledgeable about sleights yourself, I would suggest you simply show the children how to perform the sleights yourself. And based upon my experience in teaching Magic Workshops for 6th,7th and 8th graders, I would stick to a Finger Palm, a Thumb Palm and a Shuttle Pass. That's plenty of finger-flinging for them, will teach them some misdirection basics, and will still allow them to perform effects like the Miser's Dream or the Cups & Balls, and let them switch in gaffs like a C/S coin.

Trying to teach a tough sleight like the Classic Palm will only get them frustrated. Finally, I'd leave the French Drop in France; I always thought there were plenty of better and easier ways to vanish a coin or ball, and this one was never convincing for me.

If you still need a good sleights DVD, I'd suggest Michael Ammar's "The Complete Introduction to Coin Magic, click HERE for more info. Coin worker David Roth also has a good basic sleights DVD, "Expert Coin Magic, Volume 1," click HERE for more info.

One more tip -- instead of giving the kids real quarters to practice with, go to the hardware store and pick up some steel washers of the same size. They will only be about 3-4 cents each, and not as liable to "disappear" as the real quarters. SETH

I'm with Seth on this.
You should teach them some basic sleights like Finger Palm, Thumb Palm, Bobo Switch, Utility Switch as well as Simple Vanish and French Drop, all are in Bobo's MCM and can be used with coins, balls, keys, dice and other smallish objects including washers .

For cards, you should first teach them how to handle the deck.
Regular shuffles, hand to hand and ribbon spreads and pinky breaks.
Jog Shuffle, a simple Double Lift, Crisscross Force. The Hindu Shuffle is pretty versatile and can be used as a force as well.

While DVDs are nice, prices may be too much for 9-12 year olds. Two inexpensive books to consider are "Modern Coin Magic" by J.B.Bobo and "Complete Course in Magic" by Mark Wilson.

By the way, Doug, is the DVD for you to show to the kids, or are you expecting each child to buy it as their "textbook"? I assumed it was the former, while Jaz seems to assume the latter. Can you clarify for us?

I also agree with Jaz that it would be tough to improve upon the Bobo book "Modern Coin Magic" (see HERE) and Mark Wilson's "Course in Magic." Another good one is Hugard's "Royal Road to Card Magic," (see HERE). It's ironic that you can get Bobo in softcover (the Dover edition) for about $10 AND the Hugard book for $15 or less (in hardcover!) -- both books together would still be less than the price of one DVD.

Also, do I correctly assume that you will be teaching some tricks to go along with these sleights? Otherwise, they won't see the point of them and may get bored very quickly. SETH

That's extremely important. Every sleight taught must have a trick to go with it. Otherwise, they will be of no value at all.

Also, do not think that just because they are young, they can't do things like a classic force. One of the BEST classic forces I ever saw was done by an 11 year old. There was no rushing, no fiddling about. He spread the cards and you took the right one.

Teach them how to learn from books, if you possibly can. Read the Story of David, which is the second post in this thread: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......1&10

It's a true story.

Encourage them to take their new-found knowledge and be creative with it. If you can teach them a force (any kind -- riffle force is better than a criss-cross force, if done right), a control and some way of getting a card out of a deck, then they can do miracles.

I used to ask my classes to come up with 10 different ways of revealing a selected card. They did not have to actually do them. I just wanted several ideas we could work on. Then we would figure out, as a group, how to accomplish them. Get those young imaginations to work!

Yes, for good all around forces the Classic and Riffle work better than the Crisscross but they have to start somewhere. If they haven't learned to handle a deck yet then the Crisscross works.

An idea.
Do a card trick using two or three easy sleights.
Give a good presentation and ask their opinions.
Do another trick with the same sleights and ask their opinions.
Teach the sleights.

I'd have to agree that both Bobo's and the Ammar introduction to coin magic video are invaluable sources,
Ammar covers the basics very clearly in his DVD and Bobo's is the book to progress those basic slights into an array of tricks.
a bit of searching should find you something in there that the kids will pick up and not get to frustrated with.

The thing about teaching the riffle force from the start is that it is very, very easy to do well, and very, very easy to do badly. I've never had a student who could not learn the riffle force in 10 minutes. And they always feel less guilty about it than the criss-cross.

Point made.

I may be wrong, but just thought to check, maybe Doug is performing for the kids and needs material himself. Could be wrong just thought to check.

Bobo switch and the shuttle pass would be great sleights to teach and will keep them all entertained for hours.

Kids love to watch sponge tricks. Purchase the Patrick Paige's and Goshman's videos.