Here’s my review of the Las Vegas Boot camp with Hawaii (8-10-07 / 8-12-07)
Classroom:
First off, Hawaii has been limiting his Vegas boot camps to just three students. So with the small number of students, Hawaii was able to tailor our lecture portion each day to our individual knowledge levels. In fact, this started a few days before the boot camp with a call from Hawaii. During the call, he gets a feel for your knowledge and skill level and plans the entire boot camp accordingly. This was really helpful as we spent more time learning and practicing material that was specific to our individual needs. In fact, I don’t think we spent any time going over concepts or material we already knew. I took pages of notes and got lots of new material to try out in the field.
Field:
Day 1 was at a local night club on the strip. We thought it was going to be just us and Hawaii, but to our surprise, Matador joined us also. Since this was demo night, the first thing we did was watch Hawaii open a set. Hawaii approached a two set and was sitting down with them and had them laughing within thirty seconds. The target was leaning over the obstacle she was so attracted! Hawaii used the exact routines he had taught us in class and they worked perfectly. Listening to someone talk about this stuff is one thing, but to actually see it in action is incredible. After Hawaii’s set, Matador went to work. Well, I don’t even know how to describe that. He basically took over the entire venue. Matador adds new meaning to the words alpha and kino. On one of his sets, he had the target so attracted she left the set and asked us what was happening (to her). I don’t think she had ever felt that level of attraction before. Thirty seconds later she was cleaning Matador’s tonsils! Incredible thing to see. I watched him make out with five different girls that night, so this guy is definitely the real deal. After Hawaii ran another demo, he started sending us into sets. Both Hawaii and Matador were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. You definitely have to be able to take criticism, but it was always delivered in a helpful manner and there was no judgment or egos involved.
Day 2 was just us and Hawaii. Instead of another night club, Hawaii decided to have us run sets in the casino lounges. The good thing about this was it was way quieter than a night club, so we didn’t have to yell to be heard or lean in to hear. Hawaii gave us instant feed back on every set. This was the most helpful thing for me and the reason I took a boot camp in the first place. Hawaii brought a video camera with him and covertly filmed us in set. That’s not part of the boot camp, just something he is experimenting with. We reviewed the video on Sunday and it was incredibly helpful to actually see yourself in set.
Day 3 was at a local buffet which was more relaxing than a classroom setting. We debriefed, ate and then actually ran some more sets.
Intructors:
Hawaii: First off, Hawaii is an all around great guy. He is incredibly helpful and really takes his job seriously. I sincerely believe his motivation for teaching this stuff is to help people and ensure they succeed. During the boot camp, Hawaii went above and beyond the call of duty to help us out and make sure we were successful. He is very easy going, but is relentless in pushing you past your comfort zone to get you doing things you don’t believe you can do. Hawaii has a great knowledge of the material and he presented it in a fun, interesting way. He followed up each presentation with insight and experiences that really helped me understand the material. I would highly recommend him for a boot camp or a one on one!
Matador: I am not going to write a lot about Matador, because I think his reputation says enough. His knowledge of the game is very, very extensive and deep. When he talks about game theory, it seems almost spiritual. Watching his style of game is incredible. I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it. He is at a level way above anyone else I have ever seen. If you ever get a chance to take a boot camp with him, do it!
Overall Impression:
The boot camp was definitely worth the expense. There is no better way to learn than taking a boot camp. The instructors were great and incredibly helpful. The most insightful thing for me was watching both Matador and Hawaii open sets. Both of them were using the same method and material but with entirely different styles. Matador was over the top, guns blazing alpha guy, while Hawaii was low key and under the radar. It showed me that any type of guy can make this work with a little dedication and practice.
Thanks to Venusian Arts for the experience!
