Criss Angel Magic Trick Breakdown: Walking on Water

We know that Criss Angel can’t really walk on water. We know that nobody can really walk on water -- the physical principles that have been proven time and again tell us so! The fact that none of these magicians can replicate their feats in a laboratory is another giveaway -- but that's a good thing, isn’t it! It means that magic is accessible to the masses … us. Today we are breaking down the Criss Angel "Walk on Water" illusion from the Mindfreak series, checking out how it might have been achieved, and with some pointers to the video.

First, watch the video direct from the Mindfreak series. If you don’t want to buy the DVD (although it is highly recommended for magicians aspiring to do Criss Angel magic tricks!), just have a look at the two minute Youtube clip of Criss Angel walking on water.

It's impossible to pick (at least with Youtube resolution and screen size) exactly what Criss Angel's magic trick involves him walking on. It ain't water, that's for sure -- but what is it? Here are some points to consider, to help you formulate your own tricks of this sort.

• The swimmers are unlikely to be random people: The magic trick was performed on a television show, with people that were hired as extras to also perform. Their job is to make the illusion look real, not break it down! If you were performing this trick with volunteers from an audience, the mechanism keeping you up would have to be hung from the ceiling, out of the way of the volunteers.
• Video editing is a grand thing: You might notice in the video that on some shots you can see Criss' weight hitting the surface, while on others his feet just gracefully hang in the water. Some shots you will notice that his feet are flatter than in others -- this has led people to suggest that a plexiglass platform was used for faraway shots, edited together with shots of him hanging above the water using wires for the point-of-view angles.
• CGI is out there … Just as Photoshop has forever changed our perceptions of how pretty, thin or clear skinned a magazine model really is, CGI has changed our perceptions of what is realistic in a film. It would have been easy to edit out any traces of platform protruding from the water. Not that most of you will have access to this -- but remember that Criss Angel's magic tricks are often illusion of this sort.
• Girl in a red bikini: She swam under Criss to show that there wasn't a platform extending to the floor -- a nice touch to add to realism (although it certainly wouldn’t preclude a thinner platform being there)
• Girl in sunglasses: She passes in front of Criss, but does so very deliberately -- and Criss then does not step where she passed. There could be an area of platform missing.

Contortionist Magic Trick Myths

Some of the most impressive magic tricks in any magician's array are contortion tricks! The pairing of an ultra-flexible female and a sleight of hand-trained male have made for some amazing magic shows all over the world. If you'd like to become a contortionist, we highly recommendMichael Giles' book "The Contortionist" -- but for those of you who are wondering whether you should buy it, we highlight a couple of myths about this highly versatile art.

Contortion Myth 1: Only a tiny fraction of people can do contortion tricks

Completely wrong! The setup of most people's bodies is basically the same. Training, practice and a love of the art is what gets any athlete to an elite level, not having a different bodily makeup. The large majority of people can do contortion magic tricks, and while it is easier to learn when you are young, even older people can do them.

Contortion Myth 2: 26 is the magic cutoff point for learning contortion tricks

Just as we now accept that it IS possible for an old dog to learn new tricks mentally, we now know that the body is equally amazing. While contortion magic tricks won’t come as naturally to adults as they do to kids, it certainly is possible to train your body into doing them. Professional help is always advised -- in book form at least!

Contortion Myth 3: All contortionists are double-jointed

Contortion magic tricks have little to do with flexibility in the joint, or even the range of motion that a joint has. They are much more about how flexible your muscles are. Hypermobile joints may help you perform some contortion tricks -- but even the rare event of having two hypermobile joints, and no contortion training, would make for a pretty short magic trick show!

Contortion Myth 4: Most men can't become contortionists

Women, especially those that have had children, have had their tendons and ligaments exposed to a hormone called relaxin which prepares the pelvis for childbirth. It affects all the joints in the body -- but this certainly does not mean that men can’t become contortionists! As we mentioned, performing good contortionist magic tricks is more about muscle flexibility and muscle control than any aspect of your joints.

5 Trick Decks for Street Magic

Card magic is both one of the most basic and one of the most impressive styles of magic tricks. The existence of self-working decks for magic tricks has made many audience members suspicious, however. We'll look at some of the most famous trick decks, and their pros and cons for aspiring magicians. The easiest are often those that are regarded with more suspicion, while those that require a little more skill are better for misdirecting the audience.

1. Stripper Decks

Some of the trick decks to come, like Svengali or Invisible Decks, cannot be handled at all by audience members -- they will immediately be seen to be false. Stripper Decks are good for controlling a large proportion of the cards in your deck, from 10 cards to half the deck, usually. Sleight of hand is needed -- Stripper Decks are not self-working.

2. Forcing Decks

These trick decks either have all blank cards, or all identical cards. Obviously you can’t let the audience handle the deck. However, using sleight of hand you can perform a deck switch, where you can let the audience handle a regular deck, and then switch it for your forcing one. They make self-working tricks.

3. Svengali Deck

These were invented by Burling Hull in the early 1900s, and the secret of the Svengali deck has been available in magic books for quite a few decades. Svengali decks are usually shaved to allow the magician to identify cards by feel, not by sight. They have a faster riffle and a characteristic sound.

4. Marked Decks

These have subtle indications on the colored side of the cards, which can show the magician which color and number he is looking at, as well as suit if required. X-ray vision magic tricks are made easy with a marked deck -- they are useful for all sorts of magic tricks.

5. Miniature Decks

These decks are much easier to do vanishing routines with, and are also great for switching. You can make your own Svengali cards out of them, and expand the number of tricks you can do by performing a good deck switching magic trick.

Three of Grandpa's Magic Tricks Reinvented for a New Century

Good old Granddad … I used to be amazed when he'd show me his empty hand and then pull a coin from behind my ear. Yes, this variety of magic is mostly useful for little kids … but today we are looking at some quick tricks that can still impress our David Copperfield-hardened generation. As long as you practice a little sleight of hand, these beauties will get you either some big gasps or a lot of laughs the first time you do them. Great magic tricks for beginners!

1. The Goldfish Bone-Crunch

Carve out a goldfish shape from a piece of large carrot. When you are at a bar or club with a fish feature, hide the carrot up your sleeve, reach into the tank and seemingly pull out a goldfish and eat it. The crunching sound of the carrot makes it all the more horrific … until your friends realize what you've done! You'll need to practice letting the fish down from quite high in your sleeve, to avoid having to eat fish-tank water. Ugh.

2. Levitating Beer Can

Beer can do amazing things, making people look prettier than they really are, jokes funnier than usual and your friends more huggable. But can it levitate? In this bar magic trick, it can. Using a half=full beer can, hold the can above the bar loosely. As the can starts to slide towards the bar, bring your hand upwards to give the illusion that the can will be floating when you remove your hand. You can utilize the can's natural moisture or grease from the bar nuts to help you in this trick. Practice in front of the mirror -- it is all in the execution.

3. Card Vomit

Another good magic trick for the pub! Just make sure that having the cards in your mouth won’t cause you to actually vomit. In this trick you'll point to your mouth, showing the audience that it is empty, and reach inside to produce a full deck of cards spewing forth. If you've just finished a trick, palm some cards into your right hand. Point to your mouth with your other hand, and with the card hand quickly place it up to your mouth, pop the cards halfway in and then let them spew forth. Keep pointing with your left hand -- this is essential for the misdirection. It can be transparent, but still look effective if you practice.