Thoughts on RSD Bootcamp in Austin

[Morpheo]

Just got back from a crazy weekend in Austin. Drove down there on Friday to take the RSD bootcamp with my brother. It was raining all weekend but the crowds in Austin were still great. We totalled my car in the rain on the way there -- long story -- but eventually we did get to Austin in the nick of time.

The Austin bootcamp is run by Nathan. This dude has a unique understanding of "game". It's not about pick-up lines or trying to DHV yourself to the girls. He basically told me to throw all the pick-up lingo and techniques out the window! His style is natural, but let me break it down, cause there's subtly to it. Here are the major takeaways:

1. Have FUN when you're at the club/bar. Don't do anything to amuse anyone but yourself. Don't try to impress girls or get them to like you. Nightclubs/bars are high-energy environments so you must be in the appropriate mood/state. You must be having fun to get into flow. Go into every interaction offering emotion as value.

2. Cool, social guys get laid. Pick-up artists are weird and creepy. Be the cool, social guy. Cool social guys talk to everyone because they enjoy it. Don't "target" or hunt for girls.

3. Verbal communication is NOT the key. The keys are: confidence, strong eye contact, smile, desire for the girl, decisive action, and leading. What you say is not really important.

4. The biggest obstacle for guys is being logical. It's logic vs emotions. Most guys are too logical. Hit girls on an emotional level to attract them. Be loose, be spontaneous, be playful. Do NOT get inside your head. Do not analyze how to game her. Do not push her buttons. Be cool and fun because you're that type of guy, not because you want a reaction from her.

5. Default opener (works every time, works great): smile, tap girl on shoulder from behind, then say, "Hey, I just had to meet you. My name is so-and-so." Then shake her hand, move in close, stare her down, smile, square your body up to hers or turn her into you. This opener is incredibly effective when done with 100% confidence. It's mind-blowingly effective. You will NEVER get blown out. This is the BIGGEST thing I've learned, and it alone was worth the price of the bootcamp. Seeing this opener executed with confidence is shocking. I've done it and it works! Now I just need to perfect my body language and eye contact as I do it.

6. You MUST be in state when approaching. Use your body to get your mind into state:
- Loosen up the shoulders
- Jump around (or do jumping jacks)
- Run around (we ran laps around the parking lot at full speed to get into state -- works well)
- Move arms
- Do the chicken dance
- Clap hands

7. Ditch the pick-up lines and opinion openers. Talk to her spontaneously. Focus on talking about yourself and keeping the conversation interesting to YOU. Talk about stuff that excites YOU! She will get drawn in. Running out of things to say is not a verbal problem. It's a state problem. You are NOT amusing yourself at that point. It helps to have some short conversation topics in your back pocket like:
- "What's the scariest thing you've ever done?"
- "What's the highest place you've ever been?"
- "Where's the weirdest place you've ever had sex?"
- etc.

8. If engaging a 2-set, compliment the obstacle to get her in your good graces

9. Don't lean in! An especially big problem for taller guys like me in loud environments. If you can't hear what she's saying, tell her, "Speak louder." and move in close to her. This builds intimacy too.

10. There are 4 levels of verbal game. Type 1 is bad. Types 2-4 are great. Move towards type 3 & 4.
(1) Boring, logical questions (ex. "Where are you from?", "What do you do?", etc)
(2) Random, off the wall questions (more emotional = better, ex. "What's the scariest thing you've ever done?")
(3) You & Me talk (roleplaying questions like, "What would we do if we went to Vegas together?")
(4) Kinky, sexual talk (ex. "Where's the craziest place you've ever had sex")

11. Bad breath is a game-killer. Always have gum on hand and stay hydrated.

12. Take an improv class and an acting class. Both will drastically improve your game.


As a guy who's listened to 100's of hours of PUA theory, I had a hard time accepting some of these simple guidelines. Nathan's teaching style is abstract. In the end, there is a method and the method is very simple: build up state and go in having fun and being spontaneous. Do NOT go in thinking about how to game the chick. Be the cool, social guy!

This bootcamp included 2 days in field. First day I was able to get 2 number closes and interacted with 10+ sets. I had fun, my state was pumped so things felt effortless, and I had some amazing interactions that I'd never had before when using canned material and opinion openers. I didn't think that was possible. Second night my state was low and I didn't do as well as I hoped. No number closes but opened 10+ sets and had one solid, long interaction -- which I could have number closed, but decided not too for reasons unknown. The second night taught me the importance of being in state and having fun for yourself. I put too much pressure on myself to get results and that killed my game.

I've seen the light. Now I have to go out every week and perfect the technique. I still plan on incorporating some routines and stories about myself into my interactions, but I will NOT use opinion openers and I will try to keep the conversations more spontaneous. Working on non-verbal aspects of my game is first priority.

If you were using a natural approach already, most of the above will seem obvious, but for those folks struggling with things to say and relying heavily on canned material, you need to try just talking about stuff that interests you.

[Khaos]

I agree with #2, alot of people I've met who do PU go into venues with the wrong mentatility which makes them unsuccessful in their endeavors. I like this guy he reminds me of myself.

[Bull Run]

Good, basic, fundamental list of the do's and don'ts of pickup. Personally, approaching using the opener you described in number 5 is generally highly ineffective for me. But, we all have different styles so if it works for you, then run with it until it doesn't (not all lines, routines, openers work forever...you've got to constantly be evolving).

Most bootcamp reviews are filled with a lot of mindless dribble. This list looks pretty legit. If this is the stuff that group consistently teaches then I'd say it's a great place to start for any newbie trying to get his feet underneath him out there.

Thanks for sharing.

[ninjamatt]

Here's a couple more things to think about relative to your post;

Be careful on the strong eye-contact. If you are in a crowded meet market like a popular night club, women can get weirded out by it. Not necessarily that it's a bad thing to make eye contact, but when you start getting tunnel vision on a girl you just approached, and your peripheral vision doesn't see what's going on around you, it's not a good trend to get in. Unless you are going after women of lower social value than you.

Your idea about the best pick up line being "i just wanted to meet you" is a line most pretty girls hear variations of a lot, and are bored with it. It's usually not going to get you immediately blown out, but if you try it enough times you will likely find out it's not particularly effective at leading to seduction, unless you are going after women of lower social value than you.

In your case if you just took a boot camp, which sounds like this was to get you over fear of approach more than anything, do what you need to do to get a lot of approaches out of the way. Pretty soon you'll see what works and what doesn't without anyone's advice.