Hey Guys!

I am about as ecstatic as I have ever been in my time in magic. Like most of you I got my first cups and balls set when I was first starting out....but I never bothered to really learn it. As I have gotten older I have found myself wanting to develop a solid routine....at the least so I could say I did the effect. Ya know?

Well I dusted off my wooden cups, my 10 year old plastic wand, and started going through the motions. I took some 2 inch sponges and hid them away for my loads and went at it.

I just performed the effect on my testers....i.e. my family....and WOW! It murdered! The loads totally blew them away! It's been a while since I have been able to give them that response, but man this was worth it. I can't wait to fully exploit this effect for everything it is worth. I finally understand it's power

Just needed to share my experience!

Josh

Congratulations Josh!

There is a special satisfaction that only comes from witnessing your audiance enjoy moments of wonder. It is thrilling and rather addictive.

Which routine did you perform?

Best,

dc

I second that Nice one Josh... Wait till the cup fever sets in!
Bri

Way to go Josh… I did not get into the Cups and Balls till late in life and as Bri said caught the fever. Good luck to you and continue to have fun.

Bruce

There is something about performing the C. & B. that has a magic all it's own. I never understood the beauty & art that it could convey until I saw Cellini performing his routine over & over again. (I was really fortunate that day.) I went home & cracked open my copy of "The Amateur Magician's Handbook" to learn what I could at that time. Since then we have a wealth of material on DVD at our fingertips. I highly recommend Mlchael Ammar's 2 DVD set on C. & B. to start; then go from there. Find some moves that fit, use what's available & you'll come up with your own routine!

Sir Richard.

Thanks Fellas!

DC, I performed a blend of Mike Ammars, and Dai Vernons. I'm still working on some flow stuff, but I love the progress that's coming! I'm finding myself with tons of ideas for stories, and scripts! Very exciting!

Josh

Josh,

You showed an effect to people after practicing for less than a week. That's fast.

I've never got around to a C+B routine, but this is inspirational. I always hear about how the C+B are some of the most rooted concepts in magic, and it interests me very much. Thanks for the inspiration.

Josh

Kent, I guess it was fast. But I felt really good about it. I put a lot of preparation into the effect before I began. I tried to figure out the basic form I wanted mine to have, studied a lot of videos of other guys performing to get what was the best misdirection and timing for final loads, etc. I even watched yours prior to pulling it from Youtube. Not to mention I also read all the books I have that had Cups and Balls information. It was after all that, that came the practicing and recording. Three solid hours a day for a little over a week. Then I performed.

It was through doing it for them that I really sensed the dead spots, places where I needed to through in some lines, segments I should modify, etc. I found everything had good flow in practice, but often times what we think/like isn't so much what the audience cares to think or like. Now I'm working on modifying that.

Perhaps it was a little fast, but I didn't compromise the effect through error, or lack of practice. Ask me if I would do what Im working on for strangers in real time...no way. I can only move upward from here I suppose.

Josh, thanks! You'll fall in love with this effect just as I have guarantee it. Nice name too btw.

I'm truly upset now though. In cleaning up a bit I dropped my cups and lost a ball. I have scowered the floor twice and I can't find it anywhere...it has me completely at a loss...

Josh

Josh, SOS Josh, I meant no ill-will. I'm sure you've put enough time into for this stage.

My routine is back on youtube, btw. I never recommend looking at it for those who want to come up with their own stuff. I'd stick with Ammar and Vernon's routines. Everyone else seems to agree with me.

If you end up with a solid routine I'd love to see it.

KG

I spend a lot of time looking for those blasted balls.
BUT I NEVER GIVE UP!

It's there, Josh, don't give up! Those little boogers can bounce like "Flubber".

Sir Richard.

Pretend you paid $100 for it. You will find it pronto!

I always find that once I stop looking for something, it turns up. Something about getting frustrated that clouds your ability to see straight.

Also, if you have cats they might have knocked them into a place where you'll never find them. I have to lock my cats out of my office, since as soon as they hear my cups clanking, they come running.

Glad you're having a good time with the Cups & Balls; I agree it's an oldie but still a goodie.

You mentioned that you are using 2-inch sponge balls for final loads. I know that plenty of folks do this (including Johnny Paul) but IMHO, a solid final load is much more impressive. I produce a lacross ball for a final load, and one of the first things people often do is to squeeze it, presumably to see if it is really solid, which of course it is. In my view, a sponge final load weakens the effect for that reason; people figure they were in the cups all the time.

Just for the heck of it, try some fruit or something solid and see if the jaws don't drop a little further! SETH

Update...its been 3 days and no sign of the ball. I have not resorted to taking aluminum foil and coating them with yarn. The weight is almost the same, and it'll work perfect until I buy a new set of cups... that's a another quest completely Haha!

Seth I really do wanna try fruit, however my cups are wooden so they are a little smaller so they don't fit fruits quite well. Eventually, I'll upgrade to bigger cups and fruit just gotta find ones I like that are the right price. I have an issue with buying cups that I cannot feel, ya know. Till then, the quest for the ultimate routine goes on.

BTW, you can buy replacement ball sets, click HERE for more info. They come in 1" and also in 3/4" size for smaller hands. At this price, get two sets and you'll have enough replacement balls to last a long time.

If you want the knit balls, I suggest you specify the Morrissey brand (from Canada); they are made with thicker yarn, are more durable, and won't talk as much in use. The knit balls from India and such use much thinner yarn, and often aren't even round.

If you take one of your cups to the local Dollar Store, I'll bet you will find some cheap solid rubber balls that will fit your cups perfectly. I demo and sell the small plastic Royal Magic Cups & Balls, and use a golf ball as a final load -- it's easy to handle, won't rot like fruit does, loads quietly and is definitely quite solid. If you have the old-fashioned Bosco-style cups (taller and vaguely triangular), you could also try using an alkaline "D" cell battery as a final load. Then you can make a crack about how the battery must be dead, so that's the end of the trick! SETH

I have several different sets of balls: the Mike Rogers' mini-baseballs, the "mini-tennis balls", & recently, some really cheap "Monkey-fist balls" that I got at a magic store for $2 a pkg.. They're really great to practice with because you're not out that much if you lose one of them.

Sir Richard.

I just had to let you fellas know. I found the ball! It was inside a shoe on the other side of the room! How it got there will no doubt be one of the great mysteries of my life. Thank God for deciding to go on a run!

I think I definitely will go for getting some replacements just in case!

Josh

It got there dude because.....it's magic!

Sir Richard.