I am bought this trick a while ago. Practiced it for a while, and showed to a couple of friends. I find it pretty neat, but have had trouble making room for it in my tablehopping sets, mainly because I haven't found a satisfying presentation.... What I have done so far is to hype up the expectations telling them about this great trick that I am about to do. I pull out the ball slowly and with great care. Bounce it, and wait for the applause..I look at their faces and acknowledge that they didn't find it very impressive. I challenge a spectator as I switch the balls to try and do the same thing. Getting a nice laugh as the ball wouldn't bounce.

Anyone here that wants to share their presentation?

I don't see this as a table hopping trick. The problem with "bounce, no bounce" is that it requires floor space to perform. If you are doing this in a restaurant, the ball can have a tendency to get away from you.

I certainly wouldn't want someone bouncing a ball off my table while I was eating.

I don't think a sucker presentation is a good idea on this trick.

The original presentation went like this:

"I have just found a very interesting product. It is like those 'superballs' that you have seen in the stores, but it has a built in useful like, sort of like planned obsolesence. This ball will bounce exactly 999 times. Then it goes flat.

"You don't believe me? Watch. I have already bounced it 997 times. Look 998, 999 (switch) 1000 (no bounce)."

But even with that, I don't see this as tablehopping material, just because of the food contamination danger.

Don't waste your time on trying to work out how to do something that isn't appropriate for the venue. Aside from the likely negative reaction to bouncing a ball on the table from the folks at that table, what happens when the ball takes a 'bad bounce', right onto another table, spilling their soup on them, or landing in the lobster & crab special? Are you going to pay for the expensive replacement, and cleaning of their clothes? I doubt your boss (soon to be EX-boss) will want to. Even if you bounce it, "with great care," Kinesis can tell you that some bonehead will grab that ball from you, and may either eat it, or bounce it himself, likely with NO care at all.

Find another effect...

JM

Yeah! Do doves instead.

Thanks for the tips. I might use it only in a strolling situation. And I'll think the presentation over.

I had this trick, the one by Daryl. My nephew found it and decided to mix it all together so I had a mixture of bounce/no bounce. I was equally impressed as you all.

Wow, some strong reactions to bounce no bounce. Personally it wouldn't work for me but remember that presentation is everything.

For a whole slew of presentation ideas, Jeff Brown has a book out that is sold with or without a set of the balls. The name escapes me at the moment but it's something like the Bounce, No-Bounce Book, or something equally obvious. Jeff must have been desparate because he even included a long routine by me in the book!

However, I must agree with the other posters here: I don't really believe that bouncing balls is suitable for table work. (But then I suppose it depends on what kind of tables you're bouncing them off! )
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

Ok, I use this for table hopping every 3rd table. It instantly resets, and with the correct presentation and the correct spectator you won't have a problem.

That said, I did chase the ball one time, but it wasn't at the restaurant I normally perform, it was at a fund raiser....

I use the patter that Chad Long uses because I love it and it fits me. Basically you say:

"I'm going to let you decide how much magic I do. All you have to do is hold this up and drop it." Demonstrate. "If the ball goes relatively high, I'll do a lot of magic. If it doesn't go so high I'll just do a couple of things."

Switch and hand to the spectator. After the bounce it say, "Thank you, you've been a great audience." Then pick up your mat if you have one and pretend to be going to the next table.

This gets a great laugh and if presented right they WILL lift it up and drop it - not throw it. However at the fund raiser I handed it to an old lady. She managed to not only throw it, but throw it more horizontal then vertical. It did hit the table but was quickly off and rolling.... This has never happened at the Fazoli's I normally work at and I've did it a bunch of times - but I normally have quite a bit of table space.

sd

Shane,
In a very similar vein, I did a routine in my Showtime column in the Linking Ring of October, 1997, called "The Laugh-Meter." Basically, you have a graduated "thermometer"-type board and the two (one, to the audience) balls.

Every time you tell a joke or do a humorous routine, you "check the comedy value" by bouncing the ball next to the Laugh-Meter. The higher it goes, the funnier it is. Finally, a joke or trick falls flat (on purpose, we hope!) and you check it on the Laugh-Meter. The ball is dropped, it hits the floor -- and stays there.

I haven't done it in a while but it was very effective. You may have inspired me to start doing it again.
cheers,
Peter Marucci
showtimecol@aol.com

I have a set which is blue in colour...It is similiar in colour to the Viagra Pill, not that I've tried them before, but from what I gather...?

I have built a presentation around it and use the bounce effect to gauge the need or otherwise as a "Viagra-Meter"....to judge if you are a suitable candidate for taking "Viagra."

I make myself the butt of humour so as not to insult the volunteer...I also make sure that I have gauged whether or not the folks in my group will find it offensive before I introduce this one. I don't make it a habit to use "Blue" material and so this is my only adult themed humour in my sets.

I also use a ruler to aid in the measuring the height or "Rise" if you will of the "Little Blue Pill"....
Cheers!~rr

Mr. Puentes,
You got me interested. I always wondered why these balls were not available in other colors than black (they are practically invisible on my dark suits or in less than ideal lit environments).
Where did you get the blue ones if I may ask?

Giday Elliot

I have an effect I purchased where you combine some plasticine in the shape of a ball and some bouncing plasticine in combination with the bounce no bounce balls and transfer the bounce from the ball to the putty.

I get this effect out every now and again and practice the moves but have not yet included it in my routine.

But this discussion has opened up ideas to a wider range of applications.

Thanks to you all. I will see if I can get hold of some in different colours.

Troppo Bob

I developed an effect with the "Bounce, No Bounce" balls that gets a great reaction. Anyone who's interested can PM me and I'll gladly share.

Regards, Larry D.

Anyone know a source of a ball that is half and half (half sphere is bounce and half non bounce)?

I'll tell you how I present it in a bar situation. It could also be done in a restaurant if they serve booze.

I present it like it's a sobriety tests. I talk about how when a bar tender thinks someone might have had to much to drink they should come up with a test to see if they can serve them another one or cut them off. "So if they can bounce this ball off the table and catch it in the other hand 5 times without missing it then they wont' cut them off". Obviously the outcome is that they can't even do it once.

It can get a lot of laughs in the right atmosphere.

Ron Jaxon

The question was asked by someone else, but no answer so far. Are there Bounce/NO Bounce balls available in different (lighter) colors?
Patrick

I would recommend placing some primer around the balls, then placing them any color you perfer. A neon color will be interesting.

RNT II started manufacturing last month several different types, crystal marble bounce balls, psychodelic, solid colors such as red, blue, green. We can also do these in different solid colors. We also make bounce/no bounce working balls for the chop cup and cups and balls. The entire line is slated for release around the end of this month.

Jake

I usually perform this routine using a straw. I suck the bounce from the ball and put it back into the ball as well. The ball vanishes as I suck too much of the bounce from it and appears in my mouth as if I sucked it up into the straw (incidentally I do not actually put the ball in my mouth at all). I then move into the jokes of here look it is a normal ball as I try to hand it to them and they will not take it. I then vanish using the striking vanish and it appears under the cup on the table.

As you have guessed this is part of a not so chop cup routine that I do which there is little of the normal chop cup, I just have it appear twice and move into the final load. Generally I end with the spectators watch under the cup. I do let them discover this fact themselves by lifting the cup from the table to hand it to me.