The Continuous Front and Back Hand-Palm and Tricks in Connection Therewith
THE novel sleight with the above title is of comparatively recent invention, the idea it embodies being to enable the performer to conceal one or more cards in his hand, although
at any moment showing back and front of the hand to be perfectly empty.
To successfully accomplish this feat, great digital dexterity is essential, but this, of course, can be attained by assiduous practice.
I will first of all describe the method of working this sleight with one card.
To begin with, the card is held between the tips of the middle finger and thumb, as in Figure. 8.
Figure 8
The first and little fingers now grip the card, as in Figure 9.
Figure 9
The two middle fingers are next bent and brought down under the card and round to the front of same, thereby causing the card to revolve between the first and fourth fingers, as
though on an axis, and assume the position on the back of the hand clipped between the first and second and third and fourth fingers, depicted in Figure 10.
Figure 10
After considerable practice it will be found that all the movements I have just described will be-come practically one, and the card will apparently vanish from the hand without
the most astute spectator having the faintest idea where, especially if the manipulation is accomplished with a sweeping motion, as though the card were thrown in the air.
Now to reverse the card to the front of the hand again, so as to enable the back of the hand to be shown to the audience. To accomplish this, the fingers bend forward so that the
thumb can press on the middle of the face of the card (see Fig. 11), and pull it sharply round to the front of the hand, where it is held between the fingers, as shown in Fig. 12.
Figure 11
Figure 12
The principal difficulty encountered by students when learning this sleight, is to prevent the audience from catching a glimpse of the cards as they are brought from the back to
the front of the hand, or vice versa. This can, however, be surmounted by practicing before a mirror, as you will then be able to ascertain the exact angle at which the movement can
be undetectably accomplished.
To further heighten the effect of the sleight, when the card is in the position (as in Figure 12), with the back of the hand, of course, facing the audience, I push the card down
into the palm, as shown in Figure 13.
Figure 13
This movement, which is absolutely impossible to describe in writing, will become apparent to the learner after a few trials.
With the card in this position, of course the fingers and thumb can be spread wide apart. When manipulating more than one card, the above movements all hold good, with the exception
of bringing the cards from the back of the hand to the front. Instead of the thumb pulling the cards round to the front, which would practically be impossible, it simply presses upon
them, while the first finger moves to the other end of the cards, and pushes them down into the attitude illustrated in Fig. 12.
The foregoing is the correct method of executing the continuous front and back hand palm. There are, of course, innumerable additions to the original idea, a few of which, used by
me in my act, I will now describe.
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