Well, if you’ve started to do any sort of magic then you’ve definitely heard of the double lift, (or the double pushover) it’s an essential move for any sort of magician looking to get into magic or increase their level of magic ability.
Expert to pro, everyone uses the double lift. So what is it?
What is the Double Lift?
Simply, the double lift is a magic move where magicians lift two cards as one making it appear as if they have only moved a single card. So to the audience, it appears that the performer has only moved one card, when in fact they have moved two. There are many ways to perform the double lift, some are entirely sleight driven, while others depend on mechanics and good showmanship in order to pull them off.
Where did the Double Lift come from?
Before we get into the details of the double lift I think it’s time for a quick history lesson! The term double lift was first coined by the famous mentalist Theodore Annemann (a name that if you haven’t heard before you certainly will hear again.) However, the trick was being performed a long time before he put a name on it, insane as it may seem, the trick dates back into the 1700s, crazy huh? So when you learn it, you can tell people that you are performing magic that dates back into the 1700s! Enjoy that!
The first mention of the trick was found within Richard Neeve’s book The Merry companion. However we have no idea who the first person really was to perform the trick.
Why is it so IMPORTANT?
I have to admit that the double lift is probably the trick that I have practiced the most, I remember as a 14 year old sitting on a train riding to see my girlfriend while I constantly performed a double lift. (I thought people would notice me and be impressed… Which they weren’t… No-one said a thing.) So why did I spend so much time doing the trick? And why should you do the same?
Well it just has so MANY uses! I mean lets take the most famous routine in magic- the ambitious card.
Something I do a lot just to confuse people while we play card games is I take a card (doing the double lift) flash it at them and then ‘place’ it in the center of the deck. Next I click my hands and BOOM just like that, the card jumps right back to the top.
Another person that you might of heard of also makes good use of the double lift: DAVID BLAINE. If you’ve ever seen the trick where he makes a card travel magically through somebodies hand and back into his own, then you’ve seen the double lift at work.
How to perform the double lift, easy tutorial!
I’m going to teach you the way that I do it! Before everyone jumps on me, I know that it’s not the normal way to do it, but I feel like for me it’s a least the easiest. I tried for a long time to do it like David Blaine where he flips the whole card around, but for a beginner it was extremely difficult. Many people will tell you to get a pinky break and go from there, but for me that makes the move way to easy for people to spot so here’s my version.
- Take the deck in whichever hand is not the one you do tricks with and hold it in front of you.
- Riffle up the cards with your other hand all the way to the top (the way that I cover up this move is usually by focusing on the sound -I call it magic or whatever)
- As you near the top of the deck riffle until you only have to cards left. (When I say riffle I’m not talking about something like a waterfall force, it’s really just barely touching the cards and trying to grab two of them.)
- Now you have two cards in your hand, pull them off as one and there you go! You’ve just done the double lift.
I get that maybe that tutorial is confusing so feel free to leave a comment if you find that to be the case 🙂
Different Types of Double Lift
So, that’s just one way to do the double lift, but above I told you that I would be teaching you a bunch of ways to perform the double lift! So let’s get into that.
Push Off Double Lift
The push off double lift is the one I mentioned above that I found really difficult to master! It’s a double lift that many professional magicians favor because it looks more natural than anything else! Essentially, you push two cards over completely as you would in any other situation.
*WARNING* This version of the double lift is not for the fainthearted, it’s extremely difficult to pull off and any sort of mistake can give the whole thing away!
The Double Turnover
The double turnover is one of the best ways to do the double lift for beginners, there’s more room for error and the method is easier to pick up. However, it’s not natural enough looking for professionals to use, but you can watch the video below and make your own decision.
2-Card Pushover
The 2-Card Pushover is for sure the most difficult to get good at. On the other hand, it is also the most natural and consistent. By consistent, I mean you can easily do it under pressure and in a variety of conditions. Basically: The 2-Card Pushover in method is pretty close to the Double Turnover but looks infinitely better.
Which Method is the Best Method?
Well, it’s hard to say which is the best method for sure, I would just say that the best method is the one you can do most naturally where you are right now. Sure perhaps the 2-card pushover is the one that the pros use the most, but if you can’t do it seamlessly, don’t even try and put it into one of your routines.
Work your way up slowly and put in the blood, sweat and tears and wherever that lands you, that’s the method I would use.
Well thanks for reading folks, this was the ultimate guide for how to do a double lift!
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