Original Publication Date: March 14, 1999
This month I'm going to briefly discuss Slydini's thoughts regarding the Thumb Palm (really Clip).
Since I began lecturing in 1975, I've always tried to perform an effect at each lecture using the Thumb Clip and then pointing out Slydini's handling and subtleties. He thought it was very important and I certainly couldn't agree more.
The basic idea behind the sleight is to apparently drop a coin from one hand into the other. In most basic books I've seen, the beginning of the sleight is taught with the coin held as shown in photo 1. The coin is held between the index and second finger making it easier to bend the fingers to clip the coin with the thumb. Actually, holding a coin like this is totally unnatural to the audience and, if anything, telegraphs the fact that "something sneaky" is about to take place. Instead, Slydini would begin the sleight by holding the coin with the right fingers in a natural fashion (photo 2) and
then bring the right arm up slightly and then back down (see arrow), during which time the coin is positioned between the index and second fingers and then clipped by the thumb ALL IN ONE MOTION! By the time the hand came back down the coin would be safely clipped (photo 3). He would explain it as a pitcher recoiling his arm back before he would pitch the ball. This was the same idea. The coin is held at the fingertips...the arm slightly raises and lowers (about twelve inches or so) and in the process two things quickly occur...(1) the coin is clipped between the index and second fingertips and...(2) the fingers bend in to allow the coin to be clipped by the thumb.
All this happens while the arm is in motion (big motion covers the little motion)...then the coin is supposedly dropped into the waiting left hand...that's it. By the time the hand comes back down (again photo 3) the total action is completed.
If you make use of the Timing Techniques that Slydini and I created for this sleight, as it is explained my teaching materials, the whole action happens between the first and second beat. The first beat is photo 2 and the second beat is photo 3.
Then he would gently "crumble" the coin in the left hand and open it showing the hand empty. Just the fact that he did it in such a simple, natural fashion made the sleight valuable.I believe that the reason most books show the beginning of the sleight incorrectly for coins is because most use of the sleight was used as part of cigarette manipulation. The cigarette is held between the index and second finger. Naturally, that makes sense because it is held that way to smoke it. But holding a coin or other object that way is unnatural and Slydini saw that and corrected the discrepancy immediately. Just another example of his taking any unnatural action, no matter how insignificant, and making it natural in execution.
I hope you give this some thought and practice. Many fine effects need an effective Thumb Clip. If you adopt this technique you'll be very pleased with the results.
コメント