Many people were not succeeding in Disarming their opponents at all, but merely causing them to jump backwards a few paces or wince as their feeble spell whooshed over them.
The clever bit is that while whooshing the reader along on a tide of wit, the author also neatly explores the morals and values of different generations and the impact that these have on family dynamics.
He could not see the ring in the dark so he put his right hand on it. WHOOSH! There was a sudden noise, and blue smoke came out of the ring. And then, out of the smoke came a big jinnee.