Michael Ammar: You asked about the Classic Pass, something I spent a lot of time with years ago, but which I have since completely quit using in my routines. I see the pass as just one means to an end, and if you can accomplish what you need to do in some other way, then you should use the technique that you find most efficient as well as most effective. Ultimately, I found that none of the routines most effective for my use actually required the pass. As a result, I no longer invested time in it. Others, however, see the pass as a 'rite of passage'. This type of magician doesn't see the pass as a tool, but as a way of distinguishing those who are 'really serious' from those who are not. So this magician works on the pass for different reasons. Having invested the time to put this move into his own repertoire, he then tries to establish the pass as THE ONE MOVE that PROVES he is a REAL magician. As for whether or not the pass is truly invisible, you get into a gray area of discussion. One person I know, who even produced a video on the pass, SWEARS his pass is invisible. Yet I proved time and again I could see when he did it. I told him, "I'll look away from you at a 45 degree angle - using only the corner of my eye to see. Don't say anything, just do the pass when you think I won't expect it, and I'll tell you every single time when a pass takes place." Which I did. Incredibly, he continued to insist that I couldn't see it! So what was happening? Was I reading his mind? No. The fact is, I COULD see the action taking place, even if he had done the move 20 feet away, because, as Vernon used to say: as important as the sleight itself, is how you go into it, and how you cover it with misdirection. By trying to make it truly invisible, you misdirect YOURSELF from the real objective, which is to make it functionally invisible. Through your presentation and construction of the routine, you should create the necessary misdirection that makes any move seem invisible. Furthermore, you should do it in a way, as Erdnase used to say, "...in such a way that the most critical observer won't even SUSPECT, let alone detect, the action." The bottom line: if the magic you want to perform requires you use the pass, then you can, and should, master the pass. But remember what makes the pass invisible isn't speed alone - it depends on the mind just as much as it does on the eyes. A lot of guys use the Classic Pass to control one card - which is like using a sledge hammer to kill a fly. Why move all 52 cards to get the one? I much prefer the Hofzinser Spread Control, because you only move the one card, and use the other 51 cards as cover. So, as you can see, I haven't taught you how to do the pass. There are many sources for that in print and video. I've tried, instead, to share some broader thoughts on the issue, and hopefully to make you think about it as well. -- ▁▁ ▕小佑▏ ▕之印▏ ￣￣ --

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