It's been two years since I first received The Imaginary Ball from Matt, and I thought that I should share some of my thoughts and observations.

I'll include a brief review, then I'll move on to some of my thoughts after using TIB for a year. After careful consideration, my overall rating is 5/5 stars. (Disclaimer: Matt did not send me an early review copy; I purchased it. I am unbiased in my thoughts.)

I'll first discuss the surrounding aspects of his release. This includes service, formatting, writing style, etc.

Service: Matt was quick to reply to my questions through email. Back near the beginning of the release, he had an extra idea--an addendum--that he sent out to people after they purchased TIB. Now, it's included in the PDF or new video download. As soon as I asked him for it, he responded (exactly) 7 minutes later with his ideas. He was also willing to chat and answer my questions that were unrelated to his release (what his creativity process is, how he creates his effects, etc.) His interaction with customers has always been amazing! (Just a quick note...TIB works exactly as advertised. No false advertising.)

Formatting/Writing Style: The Imaginary Ball document was formatted in Matt's standard easy to read format (effect description, intro/history, full presentation acted out, method description and explanation, additional thoughts and ideas, credits, and an addendum) with clear pictures. His writing was easy to understand. The descriptions of the main effect, the main principle, and it's applications were laid out in a logical manner, and his ideas flowed together nicely. He was thorough enough to give you a complete grasp of the material, but left enough open to encourage creativity. Near the end, proper and accurate credits are included.

The next aspects that I'll cover is the effect itself, applications of the main principle and gimmick, and some details about the gimmick.

Effect: Structurally, the main effect is clear and direct, which is great. I think TIB's biggest strength is its originality in premise. Spectators haven't seen this plot before.
Before the purchase, I was concerned that TIB used dual reality and I wondered if the spectator experiences the same thing that the audience sees. Matt assured me that it was amazing for the spectator as well, and he was right. In fact, the effect is made even more amazing when the spectator goes back into the audience and discusses the effect with his/her friends/family.
Earlier, some people mentioned that it was not strong enough to be a stand alone effect. Personally, I believe that the contrary is true. TIB is powerful enough to be a stand alone effect. However, I believe that it would be strengthened if it were performed to lead into a PK touch routine (as Maddy suggested). Its best position in an act is near the beginning as an opener, or as Maddy suggested, to be performed to lead into PK touch routines. I've opened one of my shows with TIB for a couple months now. I use it to display the power of imagination, and how fun adults can have if we try to use it. I explain that over time, as we grow up, we seem to lose that imagination. After I perform TIB, I encourage my audience to use their imagination and enjoy the show instead of trying to work out the methods in their heads. Have fun and be kids again! To me, I have noticed that they seem to be more involved in the show compared to when I don't make this introduction.

Applications of the main principle and gimmick: Moving on with the review...The main routine isn't where all of the value lies. Near the end, Matt describes a method in which the spectator can feel the exact moment a thought is thrown into their head. I use TIB as a cheaper alternative for Yigal Mesika's Electric Touch. For those of you who don't have The Imaginary Ball, the ability to make an intangible thought tangible is powerful. The "thought throwing" effect can be applied to many effects, and is easy to incorporate into performances. It gives a little kick to the presentation. My favorite application is a little idea that is included and briefly explained at the end of the ebook...It took a couple months before I realised how clever this really was. He doesn't go into much detail, but it's a devious method for forcing colours, playing cards, coins, etc. After a few months of thinking, I took the underlying concept behind his force and created a system out of it. This system allows one to perform a drawing duplication without ever seeing what's drawn on the paper. Spectators can think of cities, countries, cars, restaurants, sports teams, iconic landmarks, or anything you can come up with and draw their created scene all on the same paper (or draw it in their head they want). Then you duplicate it. This routine isn't included in his book, but he left his ideas for everyone to expand on.

Gimmick Details: The gimmick is extremely cheap to make. I guarantee you already have the supplies around your house. If you don't, it can be picked up at the dollar store. Smile The gimmick is easy to make as well, and not hard to carry around. I make about 20 performances worth of gimmicks and carry them around in my pocket...If you guys do walk around, the ability to do that is a plus. The gimmicks aren't cumbersome, so TIB is easy to use. You end clean, too.

After using it for a year, I found that it's a strong effect. People really enjoy it. I promised that I would give my thoughts on TIB after using if for a year but I'm tired haha. I think I've weaved them through the review, so I'll close by saying: This is highly recommended. It's worth the money, and you'll use it. After you're done reading it, try to create your own uses for it. I promise that with a little creativity, you'll get a little more use out of this than advertised!

I did like the effeect in the end but when i first bought and opened the file and Matt said "this is how you make it" my heart sank. I am a very raw and real mentalist in that i do not like any sort of gimicks when making my shows and so if you, like me were tricked into thinking that this was impromtu and a (forgive the phrase) "holy grail" then think again before buying. That being said if you arre into gimmicks then this trick is fine.

Good effect , didn't think it would work but it does , get this over at theory 11 its 4.95 , don't know why its soo much more here , guess you really do have to shop around...

The spectator with the eyes closed does not feel the gimmick and if you do not have perfect lighting conditions, the specatators withthe eyes opend will see the gimmick.

Just like most mentalism, performance is key here. Matt has released yet another really great effect that's cheap, portable, and requires very minimal setup.

Pros:
Most inexpensive, easiest homemade gimmick ever made. I'm talking 1/100 of a penny per gimmick.
Incredibly easy to do.
Relies on your ability to perform (which could be a con depending on how you perform, but I LOVE that!)

Cons:
Going from magic to mentalism, I feel like the "secret" here is very gutsy. Granted, when you perform it the right way, everything is hidden, they don't expect anything, but it still just feels wrong.
Lighting can make or break it.

All in all a solid effect, and one that I've had fun with in the past.

In my opinion, the method to this effect was not exciting. This effect is way over priced, if it was $6, it may have gotten 4 stars.

Effect is neat, presentation doesn't fit The method. You may be able to play with the presentation a little to fit the method a little more. But the method certainly doesn't feel like a ball...

This is a great piece of mentalism. I used it half a dozen times over the weekend after learning it. It is better suited for low-light conditions. It achieves the best results when you create a strong frame in the mind of the spectator as to why this is happening and bring the crowd on board to support the fact that you did not touch the participant. Can also be done as a one on one trick, I've played with this successfully by having the mark look into my eyes to misdirect the event happening in their hand.

I had to buy the PDF on another site because the link for the PDF on Penguin just takes you back to the video download.

But if this video is identical in the teaching method, then ADD TO CART!

How about using a live cricket...so it'll jump out of the hand?