vigere
08-17-2009, 09:25 PM
What's happening? I go by Vigere on the boards ... I could tell you my real name, but then I'd have to kill you! I'm a twenty something from San Diego who works for "the man" who first found out about the community after reading the book. I also watched some of the show and have dabbled in the works of other instructors picking up tips and tricks here and there. This past weekend, I took the ABC bootcamp in LA with "the APB" and "the Gareth" as the instructors. I decided in April to sign up for a bootcamp and commit myself to learning the skills of pick up because I felt that I needed these tools to increase my chances of finding "the one". I have had great relationships in the past, but there was always something missing, a void that was not completely filled. I attributed this to my limited experience (I've had three real relationships, all of which lasted 2-3 years each, a handful of casual dates in between, and a few randoms). I knew that if I someday found the one that I could not solely rely on fate and destiny. Instead, my own effort to meet many different types of women from many different walks in life was the only way to increase my chances of meeting that special person. Enough about me, let me tell you about the bootcamp experience!
Day #1
I arrived to the seminar fashionably late (damn LA traffic ... if google maps says the drive to LA takes 1.5 hours, be prepared from whatever direction your coming from to leave four hours ahead of time). The first day we went over A and B. We did exercises in proper posture, gait, vocal tonality, vocal inflection, and facial expressions. We also practiced our canned openers with an assistant named Claire. She was good at taking on her role as a nice girl, drunk girl, bitchy girl, etc. Pissed me off a few times when she played the role of the bitch because of her convincing acting. Because we started an hour late due to my mastery over LA traffic, we didn't have a lot of time between our class and our first night in the field to grab dinner. Word of advice: bring food to seminars because there is only a coffee shop that sucks and a deli that is not open late.
So we arrive at Edison's. Cool place, with unique decor, and a tasty house beer that I highly recommend. We started off warming up ourselves by warming up the room. This basically consisted of saying hi, saying cheers, and having general chit chat with people around the venue. I'd have to say that this is a very useful way to start a night. It sounds simple enough, but I think that 99% of guys go to clubs, bars, etc without taking the time to warm up, and this likely has a negative impact on their pickup. About 30 min to an hour is all it takes, and it makes a big difference. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the warm up exercises so much that I continued to do them throughout the night. After an hour, we started the time dedicated to A and B. This was not as bad as I thought it would be. I opened about 12 sets that night with varying success. Only one or two groups blew me out, the rest were fairly receptive. My approach was fine and I was having fun bantering with the girls in the sets. I remember one two set in particular with two attractive Puerto Rican women (Latin women are my favorite). I think I was working the attraction and the bantering well given their laughing and accepting my compliance test. They were both a whole lot of fun and I couldn't decide which to isolate, so I got both of their numbers. There were other girls who I talked with and got numbers from, but none that were as fun as the two Latinas.
After Edison's, we ate at a nearby diner. The burger I ate there must have been one of the best I have ever had. Maybe it was because I was starving after only eating fruit and pretzels at the seminar (once again, bring your own dinner, snacks, gum, etc.) We debriefed and the APB was "pleasantly surprised". We all did well for our first night.
Day #2
I arrived late once again, but instead of 1.5 hours late, I only arrived 15 minutes late. This was because the parking garage was closed and there was no decent parking around the building. Word of advice: carpool and expect LA traffic to suck, no matter what time, no matter what day, no matter if you are only one block away. The topics for that day were C and D. One of the key points of this day was that comfort was about making a connection. Two random people meeting and being able to get past the mundane chit-chat and share that brief moment of deeper understanding. After talking about comfort, the D phase of dropping the BS and verbally expressing interest in the girl was discussed. Like the day prior, we practiced on the lovable Claire, and this once again made out for a few good laughs. All in all, this is all I remember about the classroom instruction for that day. I was high on caffeine and low on sleep. Word of advice: if you are like me and have very particular sleeping habits, go to you physician and ask for a short prescription of Ambien before you start your bootcamp. I made the mistake of leaving my prescription at home and was only able to sleep about four hours that first night, so my body and mind were hurting bad the next day.
So we arrive at a place called Cafe Deluxe, ordered bottle service (P.A.B.’s made it a two bottle minimum instead of one bottle). The venue was small. The place had few people when we first went in. I warmed up with the usual cheers and "hey, how are you" for about 30 minutes. Our mission that day was C and D. Coming from a guy who works for "the man", I would call this night a “mission failure”. Sure I managed to create a connection (weak one), directly express my interest, bring a girl to our table, and manage to get a smooch, but this didn't count. I was able to approach and banter with other sets of girls, some more successfully than others, but my C just wasn't there. C is supposed to be the easy part right?
That night was a bust. The APB said that it was "hump day" and it really was. Our debriefing was curbside that night. Maybe APB was so sickened that he couldn't stomach having a meal with us. He was harsh, but I've heard worse (I work for "the man", remember?). His criticism helped me evaluate why I eject so quickly from sets, why I do not negotiate obstacles consistently, and why I have such a hard time with C.
Day #3
Guess what? I was on time for class! No, I'm lying. Actually, I WAS ten minutes early, but then I left to buy a sandwich, which made me about five minutes late. My sleep was even worse that night, maybe three hours total. So there I was, looking and feeling like a zombie, trying to learn about E and F. These lessons were short, but this didn't bother me too much. As the APB stated, this part is suppose to be the actual “game”, but my main reasons for taking the bootcamp as stated earlier was to be able to meet as many quality women as possible, and eventually (long eventually) find that special woman. We then had exercises on AMOGing. This was fun and frustrating at the same time. I then splitted the scene while the other dudes strutted around in their new threads and sculpting their new hairstyles. I tried to get in a nap, but I didn't sleep a wink ...
Our final venue was Cinespace. This was definitely a "rocker" club as described in previous posts. It was an 18 and over club, so some of the girls looked way too young. I'll pass on the jail bait, thank you. My energy level was equivalent to a plane on slugging on the Tarmac instead of a jet at hypersonic Mach 5 like I was suppose to be. I approached a few sets, but once again, could not establish C. My mind was so fried, and my body was so beaten down that I could not recall any of my prepared or canned stories. I could not even practice correctly on APB's hired guns! I had a few bursts of energy throughout the night, but nothing sustained. Tried my luck on the dance floor and had a few small successes but overall it was a bust. I'll give myself credit though, I did not have a single alcoholic beverage that night. This is a huge step for me because I'm usually downing about six drinks during a night out.
Conclusion:
So, you've made it this far through my ranting-raving-reviewing bootcamp testimonial. Congratulations! You win nothing from me! Okay "all bullshit aside" ... :lol: ... this bootcamp was worth the money I spent, time I gave, fear I endured, and shame I felt. Why? It was not because of the tips and tricks of pick up. You can get those online or in books. You can torrent that stuff. What it gave me was an experienced third perspective. You can go read PUA stuff, go to bars, try it out, and savor in your small successes, but this will not replace a trained eye. Come on, can you learn Muay Thai or Jiu-jitsu from a video? Do you think you can learn pick up from a book without an instructor? If you're Asian, are looking to improve your dating life, and don't mind having your ass handed to you (it's a good thing, trust me) then sign up for a bootcamp with APB. He is a tough, no non-sense kinda guy in the field, but he cares about your growth in pickup. If you're on the fence, jump over and do it!
Vigere
Oh, BTW – P.A.B.’s stands for “punk ass bitches”
Day #1
I arrived to the seminar fashionably late (damn LA traffic ... if google maps says the drive to LA takes 1.5 hours, be prepared from whatever direction your coming from to leave four hours ahead of time). The first day we went over A and B. We did exercises in proper posture, gait, vocal tonality, vocal inflection, and facial expressions. We also practiced our canned openers with an assistant named Claire. She was good at taking on her role as a nice girl, drunk girl, bitchy girl, etc. Pissed me off a few times when she played the role of the bitch because of her convincing acting. Because we started an hour late due to my mastery over LA traffic, we didn't have a lot of time between our class and our first night in the field to grab dinner. Word of advice: bring food to seminars because there is only a coffee shop that sucks and a deli that is not open late.
So we arrive at Edison's. Cool place, with unique decor, and a tasty house beer that I highly recommend. We started off warming up ourselves by warming up the room. This basically consisted of saying hi, saying cheers, and having general chit chat with people around the venue. I'd have to say that this is a very useful way to start a night. It sounds simple enough, but I think that 99% of guys go to clubs, bars, etc without taking the time to warm up, and this likely has a negative impact on their pickup. About 30 min to an hour is all it takes, and it makes a big difference. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the warm up exercises so much that I continued to do them throughout the night. After an hour, we started the time dedicated to A and B. This was not as bad as I thought it would be. I opened about 12 sets that night with varying success. Only one or two groups blew me out, the rest were fairly receptive. My approach was fine and I was having fun bantering with the girls in the sets. I remember one two set in particular with two attractive Puerto Rican women (Latin women are my favorite). I think I was working the attraction and the bantering well given their laughing and accepting my compliance test. They were both a whole lot of fun and I couldn't decide which to isolate, so I got both of their numbers. There were other girls who I talked with and got numbers from, but none that were as fun as the two Latinas.
After Edison's, we ate at a nearby diner. The burger I ate there must have been one of the best I have ever had. Maybe it was because I was starving after only eating fruit and pretzels at the seminar (once again, bring your own dinner, snacks, gum, etc.) We debriefed and the APB was "pleasantly surprised". We all did well for our first night.
Day #2
I arrived late once again, but instead of 1.5 hours late, I only arrived 15 minutes late. This was because the parking garage was closed and there was no decent parking around the building. Word of advice: carpool and expect LA traffic to suck, no matter what time, no matter what day, no matter if you are only one block away. The topics for that day were C and D. One of the key points of this day was that comfort was about making a connection. Two random people meeting and being able to get past the mundane chit-chat and share that brief moment of deeper understanding. After talking about comfort, the D phase of dropping the BS and verbally expressing interest in the girl was discussed. Like the day prior, we practiced on the lovable Claire, and this once again made out for a few good laughs. All in all, this is all I remember about the classroom instruction for that day. I was high on caffeine and low on sleep. Word of advice: if you are like me and have very particular sleeping habits, go to you physician and ask for a short prescription of Ambien before you start your bootcamp. I made the mistake of leaving my prescription at home and was only able to sleep about four hours that first night, so my body and mind were hurting bad the next day.
So we arrive at a place called Cafe Deluxe, ordered bottle service (P.A.B.’s made it a two bottle minimum instead of one bottle). The venue was small. The place had few people when we first went in. I warmed up with the usual cheers and "hey, how are you" for about 30 minutes. Our mission that day was C and D. Coming from a guy who works for "the man", I would call this night a “mission failure”. Sure I managed to create a connection (weak one), directly express my interest, bring a girl to our table, and manage to get a smooch, but this didn't count. I was able to approach and banter with other sets of girls, some more successfully than others, but my C just wasn't there. C is supposed to be the easy part right?
That night was a bust. The APB said that it was "hump day" and it really was. Our debriefing was curbside that night. Maybe APB was so sickened that he couldn't stomach having a meal with us. He was harsh, but I've heard worse (I work for "the man", remember?). His criticism helped me evaluate why I eject so quickly from sets, why I do not negotiate obstacles consistently, and why I have such a hard time with C.
Day #3
Guess what? I was on time for class! No, I'm lying. Actually, I WAS ten minutes early, but then I left to buy a sandwich, which made me about five minutes late. My sleep was even worse that night, maybe three hours total. So there I was, looking and feeling like a zombie, trying to learn about E and F. These lessons were short, but this didn't bother me too much. As the APB stated, this part is suppose to be the actual “game”, but my main reasons for taking the bootcamp as stated earlier was to be able to meet as many quality women as possible, and eventually (long eventually) find that special woman. We then had exercises on AMOGing. This was fun and frustrating at the same time. I then splitted the scene while the other dudes strutted around in their new threads and sculpting their new hairstyles. I tried to get in a nap, but I didn't sleep a wink ...
Our final venue was Cinespace. This was definitely a "rocker" club as described in previous posts. It was an 18 and over club, so some of the girls looked way too young. I'll pass on the jail bait, thank you. My energy level was equivalent to a plane on slugging on the Tarmac instead of a jet at hypersonic Mach 5 like I was suppose to be. I approached a few sets, but once again, could not establish C. My mind was so fried, and my body was so beaten down that I could not recall any of my prepared or canned stories. I could not even practice correctly on APB's hired guns! I had a few bursts of energy throughout the night, but nothing sustained. Tried my luck on the dance floor and had a few small successes but overall it was a bust. I'll give myself credit though, I did not have a single alcoholic beverage that night. This is a huge step for me because I'm usually downing about six drinks during a night out.
Conclusion:
So, you've made it this far through my ranting-raving-reviewing bootcamp testimonial. Congratulations! You win nothing from me! Okay "all bullshit aside" ... :lol: ... this bootcamp was worth the money I spent, time I gave, fear I endured, and shame I felt. Why? It was not because of the tips and tricks of pick up. You can get those online or in books. You can torrent that stuff. What it gave me was an experienced third perspective. You can go read PUA stuff, go to bars, try it out, and savor in your small successes, but this will not replace a trained eye. Come on, can you learn Muay Thai or Jiu-jitsu from a video? Do you think you can learn pick up from a book without an instructor? If you're Asian, are looking to improve your dating life, and don't mind having your ass handed to you (it's a good thing, trust me) then sign up for a bootcamp with APB. He is a tough, no non-sense kinda guy in the field, but he cares about your growth in pickup. If you're on the fence, jump over and do it!
Vigere
Oh, BTW – P.A.B.’s stands for “punk ass bitches”