How To Catch a Playing Card In Mid Air
Want to learn to catch a playing card from a deck of playing cards that are flying by? I'm happy to teach you. Anyone can do this. It just takes practice.
I decided to reveal the method myself because I think "revealed" videos that are prevalent on YouTube are just terrible. They steal from the artist; they give away their art of craft without permission. And they steal from the viewer, who is given the illusion of knowledge.
I wanted to beat them to the punch this time. Not just by making my own "revealed" video first, but by selecting a magic trick to perform on TV that would only grow in appreciation when "exposed."
Some magic secrets are simple and silly. Some are clever. Others are complex, difficult and fascinating. As Teller has said before, studying magic a little bit may ruin it for you. But studying it deeply can only bring you greater appreciation for this beautiful art.
I encourage anyone who wants to learn magic to go to the source, the books, the videos and the artists who create them, not the people who steal from them and post "revealed" videos online. Those people only waste your time and give you the illusion of knowledge. You're better off going to the source.
This magic trick, which I've alternately titled "Catch-52" or "Catch Me If You Can" in my notes, is a rare opportunity for me to teach a magic method while respecting the art, and potentially elevating the perception of magic for those who are curious fans, but not practitioners.
I have been a close-up and stage magician for 20 years. Along with performing magic I love teaching it.
For those who are serious students of magic, I hope this contribution will inspire them to practice and perfect their magic.
As the erudite mentor who put me on the path to learning, Jon Racherbaumer, would say: "Onwards."