When I was a young child I loved watching magic being performed on television. It didn't matter what kind of tricks they were, or who was doing them, just that something mysterious, unexplainable, and, well, magic, was on display. I loved it then for one simple reason: I believed magic was real, and that magicians had special powers.

Then I grew up and realized they didn't. In fact, I discovered that magic was made up of illusions, of sleight of hands, of misdirection. And my love for magic evaporated. There is little middle ground with magic, you either love it or you hate it. But even those who don't like watching it being performed can become interested if they're performing the tricks for themselves.

The fantastical feats achieved by the big names in magic are shrouded in secrecy, but there are simpler, everyday magic tricks that you or I can perform if shown how to do so. What follows are a selection of websites that you can use to teach yourself amazing magic trick secrets.

About Magic

The very well-known About.com has a great section dedicated to magic. It's updated regularly with a heady mix of news posts, profiles, reviews, and features. The 'Learn Magic' segment should be the main focus for those looking to find out how to perform magic, as there are tutorials available for a large number of easy tricks. The 'Pro Magic' section is for those who know the basics and are looking to start performing magic on a more serious basis.

FreeMagicTricks4U

As long as you're careful not to click on adverts posing as tutorials, this site offers some great content. Stick to the 'Free Magic' section on the right-hand sidebar which covers 'Coin Tricks', 'Card Tricks', 'Street Magic', and 'Mentalism'. Clicking on any of these topics brings up a selection of tricks which are detailed and demonstrated before the secret behind them is revealed. At that point you, I, or anyone else should be able to perform them like a pro.

Learn Card Magic Tricks

Card tricks are some of the easiest magic tricks to explain but the hardest to perform well. This is because they require the magician to have mastered sleight of hand, which is no easy task. This site focuses entirely on teaching ordinary punters how to perform card tricks, as its name clearly suggests. Simple and not-so-simple card tricks are demonstrated in YouTube videos embedded on the site, and a good place to start is with the 'Top 10 Tutorial Videos'.

Xplore Magic

Xplore Magic has all of the content related to magic you could ever hope to find. There are sections dedicated to all of the different types of magic, including the ever-popular 'Bar Tricks' that are much more fun after some alcohol has been consumed. There are video tutorials, performances from big names such as David Blaine and Criss Angel, and even a 'Magician Directory' which lists magicians seeking to be booked for shows in their local area.

Mr Magician

Mr Magician keeps things very simple, and that makes it a must-visit site for all those who want to learn how to perform magic. The tricks are once again divided up into sections, including an awesome 'Quick Tricks' compendium of simple feats of magic that require very little preparation or practise. If you feel like a change of pace you can switch to reading about 'Famous Magicians', with the biggest and best illusionists profiled in great detail.

Learn Magic Tricks

Learn Magic Tricks offers daily updates with new video tutorials and tricks being revealed on a very regular basis. There are the standard sections dedicated to different types of trick, with all of the videos archived by month for easy exploration. The best way of tackling the site is to revisit it once a week or so and catch up with all the new videos posted in the previous few days. YouTube is once again relied on heavily for content, but that's no bad thing.

Conclusions

If you cannot learn how to perform at least a few magic tricks from that list of sites then you may want to give up now. After all, they offer a range of tricks taught in a range of different ways, with text tutorials and videos aplenty on hand to demonstrate the methodology behind some amazing magic secrets.

As a bonus you should check out this wikiHow article suggesting a number of tips for all budding magicians. And if you found value in this article please share it via social networking sites for others to read. If you know of any other websites dedicated to revealing the secrets behind popular magic tricks then please let us know in the comments sections below.

Image Credit: Steven Depolo