I ran a search for this, but the threads I came across were nearly ten years old, so I thought I would see if there has been any new material that people would recommend?

I am wanting to learn a sponge ball routine and would love a recommendation on the best resource for getting started.

Looking forward to reading the replies.

I have used a Sponge Ball routine from Mark Wison's book Complete Course in Magic. The book and pdf can be obtained very cheaply. Lots of other magic in the book but the SB routine has been a foundation for me for many years.

Here is a good place to start https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/9101
Daryl is one of my favorite teachers.

Best of luck
Mark

Steve Dacri's Sponge Ball Toolkit DVD set has always been one of my favorites.

This thread inspired me to go to the Magic Warehouse and buy some sponge balls, and download all the Daryl videos.

He is an excellent teacher, as you all know.

Sponge Balls are simply FUN.

Thank all of you so much for the suggestions! I went ahead and bought both the Dacri toolkit and the Daryl dvd. They both have their strengths. If I had to pick one video, I'd probably go with the Daryl dvd, though it is nice getting the sponge balls and the coin purse with the Dacri toolkit. I already had the Mark Wilson book, so I will check it out next.

My biggest complaint with both videos is that there is not that many routines. I appreciate teaching and learning the slights, but I find I learn a lot better when I am incorporating the slights into a routine that I am trying to get down. I think I may have had my expectations set to high by the Born to Perform Card Magic download by Oz Pearlman. That was one of my first purchases when I got into doing magic and I have yet to find another beginner video that is anywhere near as good or comprehensive.

Hey bangobango!
You might want to look into the Worlds Greatest Magic DVD on Sponge ball magic. it has about 13 full routines by many great performers..

But I gotta admit my favorite DVD on Sponge ball magic is the one with Patrick Page.. it's full with great magic!

The only thing I didn't like about the Worlds Greatest Magic DVD was when some of them used a coin purse.. in my opinion nowadays no one uses them or know what they are unless your old school..

Roberto Giobbi uses it in his excellent sponge ball routine and introduces it as a "Las Vegas Purse". Very clever.

Frosty, just as an FYI,

https://www.amazon.com/WisePoint-Purses-......8-2&th=1

In your exploration of sponge ball use, please do not ignore those where the secret of the balls is never revealed.
Most popular effects decrease the "sense of magic" in favor of "entertainment" by revealing the compressible feature.

It is possible to use these balls in ways that do not reveal, yet make use of the feature for enhance astonishment.

Sponge eggs are an example. The can allow for a C&B type routine using eggs, but the 'secret' should never be revealed.

Just a though to round out your eventual routine design.

I don't know if sponge bunnies fit your style or occasion, but they never fail to delight.

I have two thirteen year old girls, both have coin purses, as does my wife. Just saying...

Tell them what it is. "Do you know what this is?" "No?" "It's my invisible bag. I keep the clasp visible or I'd never find it."

I highly recommend "The Encyclopedia Of Sponge Ball Magic" by my buddy Ben Salinas. This is the most thorough and complete work on Sponge Ball Magic that I have ever seen. Same goes for his "Modern Coin Magic" DVD. I also like Steve Dacri and his Sponge Bunny routines on his "No Filler" three DVD set.

There is also a book called "The Encyclopedia Of Sponge Ball Magic" as well by Frank Garcia, but it is OOP and always very expensive. I had it long ago and it was pretty good as well. I learned most of my sponge ball magic from books as a kid in the 70's and 80's, from Mark Wilson's book, Bill Severn, Henry Hay, and Tarbell.

I also bought a lot of standalone sponge ball tricks which I still do today like "The Color Changing Ball to Jumbo Square" etc. But having an "encyclopedia" gives you all the tools to make your own routines up as well. I also like Daryl's great 8 DVD set "The Encyclopedia Of Card Sleights" which is also the most complete work on card sleights ever made. He also has another four DVD set called "Master Course Sponge Balls."

Also a book called "Stand-Up Sponges by Ken de Courcy." "There are not a lot of books written for those who perform sponge routines on stage. Ken de Courcy's Stand-up Sponges does not disappoint. This is a complete routine and goes into holding out balls, blocking, etc. A fantastic book for sponge workers."

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the many excellent resources for learning magic today. For me the difficulty has always been where to start. I find it best to pick a good teacher and focus on one solid routine to start until I have mastered it.

It's Pursenal by Michael O'Brien and Deuce Gala, which I recently purchased, is a great place to start. It's Pursenal, a solid sponge ball routine, and includes excellent lessons in appearances, vanishes, transpositions, balls across, etc and comes with some nice props (3 sponge balls, a large purse frame, and a black bag).

Here is a demo: https://youtu.be/zbfLTxhH3n4?feature=shared

Now I’ve decided to go with Tony Clark’s sponge ball routine and Daryl’s, what’s a decent purse frame to buy small or large, I’m in uk

I recently bought the "Sponge Balls (World's Greatest Magic)" instant download at Penguin because I want to perform a routine for my nephew in the near future (he's 5). It has a nice mixture of routines and a very good assortment of ideas, is relatively cheap and instantly available. Of course it's quite old DVD material so the video quality is pretty mediocre in some of the routines. Not a big problem and everything can be enjoyed and understood but it's noteworthy. It gave me some good inspirations and I'm working on a relatively simple routine with 3-4 balls (2 inches) that ends on the "hand open with two balls inside" part which to me is the strongest effect in these routines.

I simply bought a pack of four balls on Amazon. Purse coins can also be found on Amazon but usually in packs of 12 or so which is a bit much. The routines in the download I bought have a nice variety of "ball appearance ideas" with some day to day items as well so personally I won't buy/use a coin purse.