While I recognize that most magicians and street performers that "swallow" swords are most likely doing an optical allusion, some people have actually done this correct? How is it possible for individuals to put a sword in their mouth and down their throat without perforating their internal organs and without choking themselves? I understand that there must be a lot of training involved, and even with training, it's always risky (I would never do this!! And neither should you!! haha), but how do they physically do it without harming themselves?
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1No! Someone might resolve the mystery, and then we all won't enjoy magic shows any more. I'm guessing it's a trick though and they are not literally swolloing it. Eager to find out! Whoever answers, could you put a spoiler bit around you answer? This would be great!– NarusanMay 5, 2017 at 5:08
1 Answer
I had an uncle that could do this trick, and it always amazed me.
"Swallowing" the sword is really just letting it slide down your throat, but this is much harder than one might think. It requires the peformer to relax all the muscles in the throat (and resist the body's natural urge to gag or get the object out) - this requires a lot of practice.
Perhaps it's obvious, but I should mention that they always use a sword with a dull blade.
So it's not exactly "swallowing" a sword - instead, the performer relaxes his throat muscles, allowing the blade to enter the esophagus.