ARROW CATCH

EFFECT

The performer shows the audience a toy bow and arrow, and tells an assistant or volunteer to fire the arrow. Even though the performer has their hands up their sleeves until the last moment to make it more difficult, they catch the arrow anyway!

YOU WILL NEED

• A Toy Bow and Arrows (These are advailable at 99p or toy shops)
• Long Sleeves
• A Volunteer or Assistant

PREPARATION

1. Place one of the toy arrows up one of your sleeves. Have it close to your wrist but in a way that does not prevent you from being able to move your arm.
2. If using an assistant, tell them to fire away from you

PERFORMANCE

1. Show the toy bow, with an arrow in, and your otherwise empty hands
2. Give the bow and arrow to your volunteer or assistant. If using a volunteer,  tell them that the arrows can be fired in a curved path, and stand a marginal distance to the side.
3. Tell the volunteer/Audience that you will catch the arrow with your bare hands, but, to make it more diificult, you will have those hands in the sleeves until the last moment. Use this to take hold of the arrow up your sleeve
4. Tell the volunteer/assistant to fire. As they do, pull both hands out from the sleeve quickly, with one of them containing the arrow. As the real arrow flies away, show the duplicate arrow and tell the audience that you have caught it. This misdirection means that no-one will notice the fact that the real arrow is somewhere else.

If performing in a small room for a small audience, have the real arrow fired so it lands behind them. If performing on a large stage, do the trick side on, next to the curtain. The real arrow will land behind the curtain. In both cases, no-one will see the real arrow, and everyone will assume that you caught it.