The Notion of Non-Control

How often does a new DVD or book come out toting a great new control for a playing card?  Too often.  Many are terrible, some are brilliant, but even the brilliant just explain the mechanics and little more.  Critical pieces of thought are left out.  Here is one of them... Non-Control.

Non-Control is the idea that when a card is controlled, all apparent motion of the deck ends at the second the card is last seen separate from the deck.

Take for instance, the ever present and ingenious Marlo Tilt Control, or the Vernon Depth Illusion.  A card is seen to be pushed into the back end of the pack and left there.  That is it.  All too often I would see a performer do this control brilliantly, yet to see him square up the deck, or riffle the corner of the pack after the card is lost.  You and I know that nothing happens in that motion, but what would the spectator know..?  In their minds, you did something.  It is the fault of habit that one would square the pack or riffle the deck at the conclusion of the control.  And for habit, we loose the very essence of conviction that we achieved by using a great control.

Darwin Ortiz spoke of degrees of conviction in his wonderful text, Strong Magic, p. 52.

"One of the most important factors that will determine how strongly your magic registers with an audience is the degree of conviction you achieve in their minds."

This is too say that by riffling that corner or by squaring the deck, you are weakening your magic.  The minute we learn to avoid those habits, is the minute we begin to step foot on the path to perform card magic well. 

The amount of time wherein the performer has no hands or only one hand on the deck is directly correlated to the conviction he can achieve in that effect.  Think about it.  Lay audiences are happy to acknowledge the fact that by the simple fact that you are a magician, you have some kind of skillful hands.  

Go back to the old quote: "The hand is faster than the eye."  We attempt to limit this time to the fullest degree by allowing the spectator to shuffle, tabling the deck (the alternative to which in a stand up situation is dropping the deck hand to the side of the leg in neutral position), and most importantly by having a very good reason to bring the hands together.  Much has been said before about motivation.  But clearly it has been ignored.  What is the motivation for holding the cards with both hands when nothing should be happening??  I doubt I will ever receive an appropriate answer to that question.  Simply do not do it when you are not doing a move.  

After the right hand leaves the deck holding left hand because it is done inserting the card, it has no reason to go back.  Let it fall to neutral position or use it in gesture.

To relate this back to the notion of Non-Control, the essence of what I am saying is give yourself no room whatsoever where the spectator might think manipulation could occur, and the end result is the fact in the spectator's mind that the cards were not manipulated, they were Non-Controlled.

I would like to recommend a few very solid controls that follow along this thought of mind.  Some of these you might not be familiar with, and other I know you have learned, but cast them aside because that Jog Shuffle or Classic Pass was easier or for whatever reason.

• Marlo Tilt / Vernon Depth Illusion
• Le Paul's Bluff Pass
• Aaron Fisher's Nowhere Pass ( A continuation of the Bluff Principle) And Additional Handling
• Herman Spread Pass
• Top Change ( think about it, it cannot get much better )
• Side Steal  ( though be careful to fully motivate the return of the card ) 
• Oliver Macia's WOW Card Control

That list should be sufficient to find it's way into your working repertoire.

I will have a lot more to say about these controls individually in a few days.  Particularly the Side Steal.

I hope this gets you thinking.  I also know it will get a lot of you thinking I am overly critical.  Well that depends on your point of view of that phrase.  I simply believe I am critical to the point that I can get the absolute most out of my magic, and so should you be too.