HOW MANY TIMES DOES IT TAKE PRACTICING TO GET THE ENDS SWITCH DOWN?!?!?! I have been working on this for the last 6 months and still don't feel comfortable doing this move, the most basic move in the routine. I can't get past the feeling that it is just so obvious. When Richard Sanders does it, it's not obvious. Any tips? PLEASE?!?!


Sammy the (frustrated) Kid

Sammy
I felt that way too until I realized there are gasps coming out of the audiences mouths; it is just real, real good misdirection. So just smile, don't look at your hands, and remember you are never going to fool Sammy. It is the combination of moves that makes both the middle and the ends of the rope jump around in front of their eyes.
IT IS POWERFUL MAGIC
Al Angello

Sammy,

Al is right.

It seems we all suffer from “Pygmalion effect”, to some extent. We become like the professor. We never see the changes in our student, ourselves. Thus become victims of our own narrow perspective, never seeing what we become. We must try to see our performance from the eye of the spectator, and that is sometimes hard for me to do also, but try we must.

Respectfully,
Tom Bartlett

Sammy,
With some misdirection, this should be a non-issue.

On the other hand, I applaud your concern. It tells me you give a rat's pa-toot about magic. Good for you. I did not do the Professor's Nightmare until this summer because I spent years wondering about the count and how to make it look right.


Be fluid, look at your spectators, and watch your "other" hand slide down the rope.

Direct attention where you want it. On your face, then to the clean hand, etc.
It's a beautiful thing. Be fluid. That's all it takes.

Bravo to you and your concern. Everyone should be so concerned!
Instead, they put up their stuff on YouTube and, without knowing, explain all methods to their tricks to the lay public because they don't give a crap enough to practice first.

They are too busy trying to be "on the net, baby!!!"

The real answer to why this is a non-issue:
At the part where you are concerned...

When both hands come together and separate a bit, it is unclear to the audience which hand held rope and which hand allowed the rope to slide. You're basically holding a ring of rope. That is enough to throw everyone off. Also, they are so far behind you that they are not thinking along those lines anyway. They are watching for "slight-of-hand" at that point about as much they would be looking for a Morgan silver dollar to appear on the tip of your nose.

Just do it and be smooth. (And don't let them see you sweat).

Bob Sheets does an even more bold move that comes from "Insomnia", I believe, but I'm not sure. You could look that routine up. It might be on his Rope thru Body DVD.

Frank, I DO NOT perform a routine until I can do it in my sleep. So, yeah, I give a rat's hiney. I don't want my mistakes to take the wonder out of people's lives.
Thanks for the tips, guys. I think I'm making more of it than it really is. Trying again for the video camera, and it looks good....maybe I'm just being neurotic.

Thanks again, guys,
Sammy the Kid

3 days....

Can't be much more help. I found if you perform it as explained, it looks great!

Where abouts in IL are you at?

I agree with all the above...I'm more concerned with the sliding ends portion.....

I practiced the entire Fiber Optics routine for two months before I performed it for the first time. You just have to remember that what you may see as a mistake may not even be noticed by the spectator. As a magician, you are always your most harshest critic. You will notice that you may have made a tiny mistake, but remember that the audience doesn't even know how your doing the effect and won't even know if you've slightly mishandled a move or not.

Just for the record, Sanders' Professor's Nightmare is my favorite PN routine overall. It's very visual, and if done right, can baffle even other magicians.

You mean the version on Fiber Optics, or does he have his own separate version?

I find F.O. a bit complicated for my antique brain to sort out and will stick with the Nemo Rope version (my own), as I can do it without thinking about the moves or sequences.

I mean the version on F.O. I have seen the PN performed several times by several magicians, and it's all cut and dry and boring. Sanders found a way to spice it up and make it fun again.

Pete Biro,
You are right, my friend, Fiber Optics is 22 confusing moves that just serve to create a series of optical illusion, which is why I do "Full Circle" with a sprinkling of Fiber Optics moves to jazz it up. "Full Circle" tells a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and is just as amazing, but much easier for all ages to follow. Much to my surprise, I have even got audible gasps from little children with it.
Al Angello

Watch the DVD again. It took me about 30 minutes just solid practicing this one move to get it looking good. You won't expect it to fool anyone, but it does. I think the hardest move, out of every move, is taking the centre off and putting it back on.

I dunno. I've never had anyone think any of the moves are confusing, nor an "optical illusion".

I've also gotten audible gasps from little children (and adults) with it... I wouldn't say either of you are "right" about this.

Don't blame the effect for the fault of the performer.

I'm not even saying that this is in any way a bad thing for either of you to find the effect confusing or whatever. Everyone is different, and this effect is not for everyone.

But don't say the effect ITSELF is confusing, or simply an optical illusion, because there are a number of performers using it to get great reactions, which instantly disproves your statements....

This is THE rope DVD that finally got me off my butt to do rope magic.
I love the eye-candy-ness of the moves. And they are not difficult.
The hardest part, in my opinion, is a descent presentation. What is on the
FO DVD might work for RS, but not for me.

I also skipped the PN part of it.

Yes, people definitely like it. I also started doing PN recently, and people love that as well. Especially with some fun patter.

I will admit that, with my small mind, the Tabary stuff bored me to tears and Daryl's routine was too much for me to chew on at once, but now that I've gotten a taste of how audiences really like a good rope routine, it will remain a permanent fixture. And rope is easy to find anywhere, unlike other props.

I am not a packs small, plays big fanatic, but when it works out, I'm happy.

Nice post, Frank. Richard Sanders really has put out a wonderful product in Fiber Optics. I've yet to hear of any disappointed purchasers. It's a shame you didn't like the main Tabary routine. I performed a segment of it a while ago at the Magic Circle in London to some space-themed patter, which was well-received. I like the fluidity of the moves in this, as well as the FO routine.

Cheers,

Chris

Good for you, guys, you have Fiber Optics. I learned the end switch from the Three Ropes and a Baby manuscript. But now, I do the Lickety Split rather than the end switch.

This routine has served me well professionally, and I have to thank Pete Biro for bringing Three Ropes and A Baby to my attention.

At first, I was disappointed with the manuscript, since I had to imagine how the routine would look like, so I decided to sell it. No one bought it, since there was no demo, so I was forced to learn it to sell it. Still, no one bought it until finally I gave it to George Mamonluk as my birthday gift, but I have already almost mastered the routine.

It is worth learning it. It is just practice. Until now, I still watch the Fiber Optics video and see Richard Sander's flawless moves to improve mine.

I love Fiber Optics as well, and do a variation of the one rope routine, ending it with a "rope-through-body" effect.

Regards, Steve

For all you Fiber Optics owners,

Has anyone come up with an interesting/funny story you tell while performing your Fiber Optics moves? I perform a wizard-like show for children, and have been working on a story about how hard it is to use "Goblin rope" because of all the things that can go wrong it (e.g., the ends move around, the middle comes off, keeps changing from one to two ropes, etc.). Let's hear your ideas.

Regards, Steve

I use the hypnotism gag, and at the end, break the spell and the ropes return to their original lengths.