2008 was a strange year – for me personally, and for a lot of others, I think.  In many ways, I’m glad the year is over.  But regardless of how good of a year it was, there were many people in the seduction community who continued to rise above petty squabbles and drama and actually help other men improve their lives and their success with women, and this list is a CELEBRATION of those men, who have helped others throughout the past year.

For those of you new to the list, let me explain how the rankings work.  It becomes very easy to get “caught up” in the hype of certain personalities, so I try and rank the Top 10 based on a number of criteria, which I believe must be present to be considered a good “PUA.”  So all of this years winners were ranked based on:

1.  In-Field Performance.  This is basically the skills the PUA displays in the field with women.  Most Top 10s deal with this factor exclusively, but I’ve found that just looking at a guy’s in-field performance can be misleading, since people have off-nights or can get lucky.  That said, their ability to use the techniques in field repeatedly and consistently to get results is a big, big factor in the ranking process.

2.  Innovations.  This is what new outlook or techniques the PUA brings to the table.  It’s easy for any new guy to get good using Mystery Method or any other school of seduction, but then again, that stuff is designed to work!  So being innovative and bringing a new twist, spin, philosophy, technique, or whatever to the mix is also a big deal, because that means the PUA actually has something to contribute to his students and the community as a whole that no one else does.

3.  Teaching Ability.  This is how effectively the PUA can teach what he does to other people, and have them get similar results.  This is another important factor, because it weeds out the people who are just the lucky naturals, and finds the PUAs who have something to offer humanity as a whole.  After all, I don’t care if a guy gets laid a lot.  I care if that guy can get ME laid a lot – and I think the same is true for you.  That is why I factor in the PUA’s ability to teach others into the ranking.

4.  Contributions To The Community.  This is a measure of how much the PUA “gives back” to others in the seduction community.  This factor is all about the PUA’s willingness to help others, the knowledge and experience he’s willing to share, and the compassion he shows to those who need help.  Too many PUAs look down on people not as successful with women as they are, and that’s not what the seduction community is about, so giving back to it should play a factor, in my opinion.

5.  Philosophy.  This comes down to the PUA’s outlook on life, women, and other men in general.  It’s about how they live their lives, and whether they’re consistent with it.  Some PUAs spout great philosophy, but don’t really believe in it or practice it.  But it’s that core foundations which will influence their students, so I believe this is important in factoring the rankings.

6.  Likability.  One of the things I base my ranking on is whether I actually like the PUA or not.  This is a subjective thing, but I feel its important, because there’s usually a reason I don’t like someone, and that reason has to do with them being a fake, fraud, evil bastard, or what have you.  I like to think I have a fairly decent “B.S. Radar,” so when I meet a PUA in person, I can usually tell if they are legit or not after getting to know them, which is why I tend to rank PUAs I have actually met in real life.  If I haven’t met them, I need to get good feedback from at least 3 sources I trust to make the decision to rank them in this category.

Okay, so now that you know how I rank the list, let’s get to it!

The Top 10 PUAs Of 2008!

1.  Brad P.

Choosing the #1 Pick Up Artist of 2008 was a difficult decision, since there were so many great choices, but in the end, I had to give the edge to Brad P.  Last year, I ranked Brad P. as #5, but in 2008 I really got to know Brad better and got to see what he was up to.

First off, I have to say that Brad is, in my opinion, the most prolific PUA working right now.  Not only does the guy have a workshop schedule that would make an Olympic Athlete break down and cry (yes, Brad actually teaches all his workshops himself), he also is able to produce an insane number of products teaching guys everything from planning the perfect date to what kind of clothes to wear out to the club.

Brad also has an excellent course which he calls his 30/30 club.  This is a monthly course where Brad himself actually makes the content – no minions do the work for him – and it is quite excellent.

Brad also is an incredible innovator.  When I first ranked him, I thought he was a borderline Mystery Method clone, but the more I got to learn about his methods, the more I saw that they were very original.  This is a guy who I believe will actually take the community in new and exciting directions in the future.

Brad is also a great teacher.  He has an uncanny knack for explaining what he does to others, and help them to get similar results.  The guy is also not afraid to demonstrate – on demand – his techniques.  Obviously, sometimes Brad crashes and burns (a fact he readily admits), but part of Brad’s charm is that he’s not the “uber guru” who can do the infamous five-out-of-five.  Rather, he’s a normal guy, but he tends to succeed more than he fails, and he does so with incredible creativity and good humor.

Brad is the type of guy who is willing to bend over backwards for his students.  He may be sick, exhausted, and not feel like approaching a girl, but if a student is in trouble, he’ll still push himself to demonstrate and show the guy how its done.

Brad also has a great attitude.  He readily talks about coming from a troubled upbringing which helped him form a very positive outlook on life and a great deal of self discipline.  There is no ego to Brad, which makes him very easy to relate to.  He really is the type of guy men want to be friends with and women want to be with, and he handles it extremely well.

Plus, Brad gets some wicked attractive girls.  It seems like every time I talk to the guy he’s got a different girl coming over, lol.

If you’d like to learn more about Brad P, you can visit his website at www.BradPPresents.com

2.  AFC Adam Lyons

Last year I debuted Adam at #3 in my Top 10 list, but this year he’s moved up to #2.  I must say, it was a hard decision NOT to give the guy the #1 spot this year, since Adam is, without a doubt, one of the hottest up-and-coming stars in the community in my humble opinion.

As some of you are well aware, Adam and I have become good friends since we first met in 2007, and he’s even co-hosted my podcast.  So surely, some people are going to cry fowl that I’m ranking him so highly.  To those people, I say – “If you don’t believe me, believe what you see for yourself.”

Adam has tons and TONS of video out on the internet that proves this guy’s skill.  Everything from a one-minute kiss close to getting a threesome, all with girls most guys would cut their right arm off to get a shot at.

Adam is, for lack of a better word, absolutely crazy.  He is the “mad genius” of pick up, willing to do whatever just to see if it works, so as an innovator, he’s at the top.  Most of this stems from the fact that Adam, more than any other PUA I’ve met, likes to have FUN, and as we all know, fun is attractive to women!

Speaking of which, Adam has been criticized by some because he’s one of the prominent PUAs out there with a real, live girlfriend.  The typical argument is “How can a guy with a girlfriend possibly teach me how to get girls?”  Well, speaking from experience, relationship game is like the uber-high-level mark of a master PUA, so a guy who’s in a healthy relationship with a girl is probably more qualified to teach others about women than most love-em-and-leave-em PUAs.

Adam has also been hard at work teaching workshops all over the world, and is a staple in the lairs and various events within the community.  This probably makes him the most accessible PUA out there for many.  He’s a prolific poster, and he’s willing to meet pretty much anyone.

Adman’s new website, AttractionExplained.com, is just getting going, but it’s sure to be a great resource with Adam teaching everyone through video instruction.  In fact, Adam has also appeared on a number of other products released in 2008 – none of which were his own!  So its obvious that not only does he have a lot to offer, but we’ve only scratched the surface of what Adam is going to be contributing to the community.

And when it comes to his students, very few others inspire such loyalty and devotion.  The fact is, much like Brad P., Adam’s students actually get RESULTS, which is the best indicator of whether a PUA is legit.  Adam’s “no game” game is easy to learn, effective, and super-fun to do.

Adam is also a great guy, who’s always got something fun and positive to say.  That great attitude, combined with his skills as a teacher and a pick up artist, make him one of the best out there in my opinion.  It will be interesting to see how he fares in 2009, especially against the likes of Brad P.

Learn more about Adam at www.AttractionExplained.com

3.  Style

Yes, what Top 10 list would be complete without the Godfather himself – Style!  I’m sure you’re all aware of my undying fondness of Neil and his skills, having ranked the man as #1 almost consistently since I started the Top 10 back in 2004.  Last year he lost out to Mystery, slipping to #2, and this year he drops one more point to #3.

But make no mistake – I was seriously considering ranking Style at #1 this year again.  After all, if you had a No-Holds-Barred Steel Cage match between Style, Brad P, and AFC Adam, I am convinced the only man left standing at the end would be Neil.  The sheer skill level this man has in social situations dwarfs anything seen by either Brad P. or Adam.

But alas, this ranking is not just about skill.  One of the unfortunate side-effects of being one of “the best” in the game is that you’ll naturally withdraw from the mere mortals who got you there in the first place.  Style was marginally quiet in 2008, mostly because he was writing some new books that had nothing to do with the Game.

However, through his Stylelife company, he still contributed a number of great works, and his seminars were amazing – crossing the “community” barrier to bring in speakers for various different aspects of a guy’s life, like health, fitness, work, time management, etc.

Neil also continues to pull some of the hottest girls I’ve ever seen, and considering that he’s getting older, not growing any more hair on his head, and still isn’t winning any modeling contracts, says a great deal about the guy.

I know Style has gotten a lot of flack recently – mostly from Barry Kirkey, but a good bit from Stephane and other haters as well – but darn it!  I still like the guy!  And I think he’s got a lot to offer others, when he wants to.  Probably the reason I ranked him at #3 is because Style is not as forthcoming as he used to be when it comes to interacting with the community, and we’ve seen very little innovation from the guy in 2008 (though he usually keeps his new stuff to himself, to be fair).

Regardless, there is still no one better in the community to study and learn from than Style, in my humble opinion.  I am still amazed at this guy’s skill, and he was just narrowly beat out this year by two rising stars.

Learn more about Style at:  www.StyleLife.com

4.  Mystery

Like Style, no Top 10 list would be complete without Mystery!  The original Grandmaster Poo-Ah of the community is still alive and kicking, though he did drop out of the #1 spot from last year down to number four.  Why such a drop?

Well, I don’t think anyone can argue that 2007 was Mystery’s year.  But 2008 saw very little of the man.  The second season of his TV show came and went without much fan fare, the only major product his company released wasn’t even made by him, and he lost the lawsuit against his former business partner, and his company was forced to admit they misrepresented their claims against them.

On the brighter side of things, Mystery actually was back out in the field teaching workshops again, however, because of his celebrity the argument can be made that he doesn’t have to work too hard at it anymore.

Plus, we have seen almost NOTHING new from Mr. Marchovich in 2008.  He’s still dressing in the same clothes he was three years ago, he’s still teaching the same method he was back in the day, and very little has changed.

However, when it comes to pure raw talent with the ladies, personality, and teaching, it is hard to say there is anyone better than Mystery.  The guy pioneered many of the techniques that have been used and co-opted in other people’s systems.  In fact, I’d say that about 85% of all the material taught out there can be traced back to Mystery.  So even if he falls short on innovation, he’ll always have a solid standing because of the fact that almost everything taught in the community stems from his teachings.

I would really like to see Mystery contribute more to the community in 2009, and have him show us something new.  I think if he could do that, he could re-claim the top spot next year.

To learn more about Mystery, please visit:  www.VenusianArts.com

5.  Sinn

Yes, we have a new edition to the list this year!  The one-and-only (well, the one and only with two “n”s in his name) Sinn!

2008 saw Sinn break away from his position as Top Instructor at the Love Systems company, and break out on his own.  Since then, the guy has been firing up a storm of controversy, not only with hilarious (and sometimes instructional) videos, but also with his willingness to talk smack about pretty much everybody he hates in the community.

Despite the firestorm around him, I have heard amazing things about Sinn.  I’ve met him once and talked to him on the phone a few times, but its what I hear from a number of trusted sources that really makes me sit up and take notice of this guy.

Just glancing at his amazing blog, you can see the knowledge and skill this guy has, and his contributions to the community seemingly never end.  His core foundations are still in Mystery Method, but he is taking it to new and exciting places.  (Like, the bathroom, for instance.  LOL)

I also hear very good things about his skill as an instructor.  The students who train with him seem to almost always have glowing reviews about their experiences.

I was really looking forward to hanging out with the guy in a more social atmosphere in 2009.  Unfortunately, when he was in town, I was called away because of a death in my family, and that never happened.  But Sinn, if you want to come and party for a weekend in LA, you got my number bro.

Frankly, I think Sinn has the potential to be a real player in the next Top 10 list for 2009.  If you’d like to learn more about Sinn, you can go to:  SinnsOfAttraction.com

6.  Swinggcat

Down from #4 last year is Swinggcat.  Why the two-point drop?  Well, the biggest reason is because of Swinngcat’s lack of participation in the community.  2008 saw one new product release, no new articles, no forum posts, no blog entries, and no appearances at any community events.

In fact, the only reason for ranking Swinggcat at all for 2008 is based on his skill as a PUA.  Other than Brad P, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone who goes out to pick up women as much.  The sheer number of women passing through Swinggcat’s bed night after night is mind boggling.  If the guy ever decideds to write a book detailing every sexual encounter he has, I’ll be the first in line to buy it, because when he tells me about them in person, they are the most funny, fascinating, and interesting examples of master attraction game you can ever hear.

The fact remains that there are very few people in the community as talented as Swinggcat when it comes to generating attraction with a girl at will.  The man is an evil genius.  I believe he updated his ebook in 2008 to reflect the changes he’s made to his game, so he trying to make an attempt to keep teaching the best he has to offer, I just wish he’d be a little more outgoing with his students.

If you’d like to learn more about Swinggcat, you can go to:  www.RealWorldSeduction.com

7.  Cajun

Another new face on the Top 10 this year is Love Systems instructor Cajun.  I must admit, I have never met Cajun in person, but the buzz surrounding him is louder than a passing freight train.

I was scheduled to speak at the Love System’s superconference in 2008, and Cajun was one of the guys I was secretly very interested in meeting.  Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away, and his funeral was the weeked I was scheduled to attend the event, so I missed out on my opportunity.

That said, I’ve found it hard to find someone who’s had anything BAD to say about Cajun and his skills.  The first example Nick Savoy gave me of the quality of Love System’s instructors was Cajun, and he’s appeared on numerous television shows flaunting his skills.

Not only that, but his students seem very impressed with him.  I’ve been reading workshop reviews of the guy, and I’m hard pressed to find one that didn’t have good things to say.

Could Cajun be a player in 2009?  Quite possibly.  I really want to keep a good eye on him and see what he has to offer.

You can learn more about Cajun at: www.LoveSystems.com

8.  David Wygant

I struggled with whether or not to put David Wygant on the list this year.  The man will be the first to admit that he isn’t a “pick up artist,” so to speak.  And there are some traits about him that worry me a little.  However, I cannot argue that the man has game.

First of all, David is probably the OLDEST person on this list, being in his mid-to-late 40s.  Yet, he still is able to get some very attractive women.  The guy is also Mr. Charisma.  Give him a minute to talk your ear off, and you can’t help but be enraptured by the guy.

Out of all the people on the list, David Wygant is most like “Hitch” from the movie.  He doesn’t do bootcamps, focusing on the one-on-one dating doctor style.  David puts more of a focus on Day Game, and meeting women naturally as you go about your life.  He tends to stay out of the bar/club scene (a factor which is older clients really love).  In fact, he says the best place to meet women is while waiting in line!

Probably the biggest reason I decided to rank David in this year’s list is because 2008 saw him actively reaching out to the Seduction Community.  He’s begun to be more involved, not only as a guest speaker at seminars, but also in other people products, making a notable appearance in videos created by both Mehow and Johnny Wolf.

The one criticism I have of David’s game is that I’ve found he tends to rely too much on his dog as prop.  Seriously, he takes his dog EVERYWHERE.  His typical MO is to sit outside with his dog at a coffee shop and wait for girls to come up and start playing with his pooch.  That’s not to say he can’t get a girl without the dog, he certainly can, but this just seems like a lazy technique to me.

That being said, there is no denying David’s skill as both a PUA and a teacher.  His website is full of great information, ranging from his blog to his product.  David is also notable because he gives free lifetime email support to his clients.  The man spends most of his time on his Blackberry answering questions from frazzled clients, fer crying out loud.

I can also see David really striking a chord with the older crowd in the community, since he’s probably the oldest guy out there (legitimately) teaching this stuff.

You can find out more about David at:  www.DavidWygant.com

9.  Zan

Another mainstay on the Top 10 is Zan, who drops this year to #9 from #7.  Why the drop?  Well, its not because Zan has gotten worse or diminished in skill in any way.  Its just that there were 8 others who I felt had more to contribute than Zan did in 2008.

The fact remains that Zan is still one of my all-time favorite teachers of the art of seduction.  You’ll be hard pressed to find a man more awesome than Zan.  The dude is always positive, always glowing with great energy, and always supportive.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who did NOT like Zan, which is quite a feat considering the politics in the seduction community.

When it comes to philosophy and life outlook, Zan is hands-down #1.  His attitude puts all the others to shame.  The only reason to rank Zan so low is because his strengths as a PUA are SO philosophical, they are hard to teach.  That’s not to say Zan can’t teach them – he does, and quite well I might add.  But someone who does not have good confidence in themselves will be hard-pressed to put them into action.

Zan is also the second oldest person on the list, yet I always see him with very attractive young women.  I’m sure most of you know Zan is famous for having 6 girlfriends, all at one time, who knew about each other AND had sex with each other (and him of course).  Very few PUAs can inspire that kind of behavior in women, and Zan is one of them.

Zan was also very busy traveling in 2008, making appearances at a number of community events.  Zan has always been great at “giving back” to other guys, even when there’s nothing in it for him, which makes him a superstar in my book.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to rank him higher next year.

To learn more about Zan, you can visit:  www.EnlightenedSeduction.com

10.  Nick Savoy

Again, probably another PUA I’d rank higher on the list if I had gotten more of a chance to check him out inn action this past year.  I’ve known Nick for some time, but never really thought of him as a PUA until recently.  Now that he is no longer in Mystery’s shadow, he’s stepped up to shine as a pick up artist in his own right.

Savoy is another PUA who has a girlfriend, who is also a porn star (though I don’t know if she’s just a girl who does porn, or who is actually a well-known adult actress).  So the fact that he can actually have a relationship with a girl who works in a crazy industry like that says a lot about his ability to regulate his relationship when he needs to.

Savoy also put on two super-conferences for Love Systems in 2008, which is a great way to give back to the community.  His operation of the Love Systems company has really given a lot of positive light to the seduction community, such as his famous appearance on the Dr. Phil show, which made him look like an angel when compared to the vile Mine’99.

Savoy is also known for picking up a runway model at the Playboy mansion in 2008, and he’s also getting a reputation for threesomes as well.  Hopefully, if all goes well in 2009, I’ll get to see his game for myself and give him a more fair ranking next year.  But right now, I have to rely on what I hear.

To learn more about Savoy, you can go to:  www.LoveSystems.com

Other Notable 2008 Milestones

Best Community Portal:  Revolution 31

2008 gave us the rise of Barry Kirkey.  Some may think that’s actually a BAD thing, but gosh darn it, I still laugh my ass off at Barry, even when he’s giving me some undeserved shit.  But you can’t deny that no one has taken the scene by storm like Barry has.  His goof of a podcast quickly turned into the undeniable center of community drama.  His shows range from brilliant to barely listenable, but his genius as a commentator and humorist never fails to come through.  That, and the fact that he’s actually got the discipline to put on a full blown show every day is nothing short of astounding.

Best New Pick Up Artist:  Psych

I never heard of Psych until this past year, but since then I’ve heard nothing but good things.  His videos lampooning RSD’s Alex are things of legend, and his skills have been touted to me by more than a few people who’s opinions I trust.  I hope 2009 will bring us more of him.

Best Product Of 2008:  Brad P’s 30/30 Club

Okay, aside from my own products (hey, I’m biased, so sue me!) I thought the hands down, best product of 2008 was the release of Brad P’s 30/30 club.  Seriously, this course is one of the best, most intense training for in-field pickup that probably exists in the community.  And it just seems to be getting better month to month.  I can’t help but wonder – how will Brad P top this in 2009?  How will ANYBODY top this in 2009?  I guess we shall see.

Best Community Drama: Stephane’s Meltdown

2008 saw a number of amazing dramas unfold, but none better than the meltdown of Stephane and Ideagasms.  I don’t think anything comes close to hearing about the relationship meltdown of the so-called “Spiritual Guy,” him being revealed to be an abusive, drug addled fraud, his ex girlfriend running around causing him to post insanely psychotic jealous rants on his blog, and his lame attempts to justify his behavior.  Not since the Mine’99 Vs. The Return Of Bishop have I had as much fun watching someone self-destruct.  Let’s just hope Stephane stays in Canada and can’t get his hands on a gun anytime soon.

Contest Winners

Craziest Drama Winner:  Paul

Paul had a great write-up about the RSD drama with Alexander and his infamous “Oy, Minger” video.  Congratulations, Paul, you win $100!  Email me for info on how to collect.

Paul wrote:
The biggest drama has happened when Alexander of RSD released his infamous demonstration of what the skillset of RSD instructors really look like.

Here is the video they have repeatedly tried to hide from the public:

http://video.google.es/videoplay?docid=3582779967328566084&ei=LZVjSciFBqXy2wK5mv3LAQ&q=alexander+rsd

This created so much drama in Papa’s head, that he actually contacted youtube to notify copyright infringement (which is stupid, but whatever). This actually caused Donovan from over at Seductionchronicles to lose his youtube account.:)

In case someone wants to review all the drama all that video created over at RSDNation, here you can read the closed thread where Alexander defends the video.
He is so full of shit, that even some of the RSD sheeps had to call him out,lol.

http://www.rsdnation.com/showthread.php?t=26581

Summary: Biggest drama of 2008 is the Alexander video, which finally proved the level of competence of all the RSD crew: ZERO.

Cheers,

Paul

Best New PUA Winner:  J

J made a fantastic case for Glen P. as the best new PUA of 2008.  Congratulations, J!  You win $100!  Email me for info on how to collect.

J wrote:
Glenn P is the best new PUA. I don’t think he’s new in terms of the community, but for blowing up this year…it’s got to be him since Brad’s company just blew up too. He’s Brad P’s coach out here in NYC. He’s made a name for himself based on his reputation…he rarely post on the boards if ever…he’s been idle and only works with Brad’s 30/30 members now. Each of his workshops sell out and his reviews are great. I’ve worked with him and he pretty much runs the workshop for 6-8 guys with assistant coaches helping along the way.

Why do I think he’s so good? Well his postings are all value add. He replied to people’s post. I’ve actually used his eye contact post http://www.theattractionforums.com/discussion/62542-eye-contact-2.html

Every guy that gets into the community is scared of the hottest girls – he has a post on that too! http://www.theattractionforums.com/discussion/62249-pua-advice-needed-hb6s-7s-10s-how-move-up.html

He has a bunch of podcast on ApproachAnxiety and audio field reports of him in action from opening, to flirting, to closing. I could put them here but you need to dig and look this guy up cause he’s the real deal.

His workshops consistently help guys get laid or push them far beyond their limits. He’s a very spiritual guy and has a successful career…he’s definitely doing this for the self-help aspect of it for the guys out there. Glenn was once like us. But he’s worked hard and has even contributed to LoveSystems Routine’s Manual coming up with some new stuff.

Also, he does lair lectures. I hear lots of guys get something out of them. You can see his reviews: http://www.nycsargeteam.com/showthread.php?t=277&highlight=glennp

If he’s not the best new PUA, he’s definitely on his way to the rankings if he keeps his eyes on the prize…but I don’t think he really even cares…

So to summarize
Head coach for unknown company that just made it BIG
Sells out his workshops
Gets mad respect from the community
His post are value add. He doesn’t post to brag. Even his audio field reports give value…plus who else has posted audio field reports that are over 20 minutes long??
Self help guru – cares about students success
Taught by one of the best PUAs out there right now, Brad P
Rates are reasonable given his reputation

If you don’t know who he is yet…you will in 2009.

Best Product Winner: Twice

Twice made a great case for a product which I too thought was the best of 2008 (excluding my own products, of course! which was Brad P’s 30/30 club.  Congrats Twice!  You win $100!  Email me for details on how to collect.

Twice wrote:
I was an AFC, i’d been reading almost everything out there, i can say i was addicted
to any PUA product, Inner Game, Outer Game, Cold Approach, warm approach, club game, attraction, comfort, everything…results? NONE

Then i “met” online a Guy, actually i’ve just found his site, and it was written that in one month it was going to begin a new program…i fill the form and…WOW it was just amazing!! i’m still doing it, but i’d benn with some number closes, one kiss and one fuck close in 4 months…now after 9 months i’ve had 2 new girls in 6 days, and so many are waiting for

which product? Brad’s P. Club 30/30, it’s just open mind on everything, you take it, you’ll change your life! Every month you work on an aspect of your game, Identity, Fashion , Body language, voice tone, social freedon. one night stand, club game, one month one Big Goal!! with Brad, Glenn and the online coaches who helped you about everything.

The single ebook i consider the best one is with no doubt…”The adventures of Brad P.” the best lay report ever!!

Every info about it is on http://www.bradppresents.com/home.html and

cheers

Well, there you go, dear reader.  I hope you enjoyed this year’s list!  Be sure to tune in again next year when I unveil the Top 10 of 2009.

In the past few months I’ve been so busy writing articles for other companies and people that I rarely get the time to write about any of my own thoughts and ideas. I’ve always been a massive fan of the game, as I’m sure many of you out there are. The thing I’ve personally always enjoyed the most about it however, is Innovating.

When I was first discovered by the community as a whole it was based on the fact that a lot of my concepts were actually different from a lot of the current stuff out there, and they where also backed up by as many psychological studies as I could possibly find to support my arguments. Since then a lot of my ideas have been built upon and developed by the community. Over the years I’m glad to see they’re actively being used by people all across the world. Something I would never have dared dream was actually possible.

Despite all the work I’ve been doing I still haven’t stopped developing new ideas and  theories and researching into the practical explanations and studies to support these ideas.

I’ve never been one to keep my work to myself and then sell them in some high priced product, I much prefer to get them down on paper and share them with the people who will actually use them, namely those reading this very article. I’m now actively taking the time to jot down some of my new theories and revisiting the old ones in a bunch of articles I plan on releasing on this site, after Thundercat kindly gave me permission to do so.

I’m hoping these will be topics little covered in the community to date. They will all be designed to be as explanatory as possible and to be practical things you can use straight away to get results asap. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy researching and writing them. So without further fluff here’s the first one and it’s all about logistics…

Logistics

In my opinion this is one topic that is rarely given much importance within the community and yet it is probably the number 1 factor concerning whether you achieve an F-close or not. What do we mean by Logistics? According to the Dictionary the word logistics is defined as “the planning and implementation of a complex task”. By definition alone you can observe just how fundamental this is to helping us achieve out goal after all what could be more complicated than trying to get laid with a hot chick? Damn even rocket science doesn’t compare.

In the game there are countless problems and issues that govern our ability to F-close and while we’re looking at our body language, ability to convey our personality and a bunch of other micro-calibrated features we are often guilty of overlooking the necessary details to seal the deal. Before I go on I’d like to share with you an FuR or Fuck up Report from a past student of mine who has now gone on to be an instructor. First I’d like to preface this by saying that not only does this guy have a hell of a lot of game but he is also one hell of a good looking guy, well built, highly educated and financially secure. However… forgetting logistics will you fuck you up every time.

Two wings and myself including the instructor are out at a night club, the instructor in question was gaming a pair of remarkably good looking girls. The escalation is going well so I decide to help him out a little bit by giving him some room to complete his first threesome. I grab the other wing and we head off for a bite to eat and then head back to his place to crash.

For the past few weeks all 3 of us had been sleeping in the same room in a small hotel type complex in central London. We enjoy our meal, I had duck if I remember rightly (not that it matters but I really love Duck and have missed it while being in the states) and soon after we head back to our shared room and fall asleep.

It must have been about 3am when our friend the instructor arrives with two giggling girls in tow. He hits his bed with the two girls and naturally we wake up. We all say hello before myself and the other wing proceed to try and go back to sleep. This is where the Logistics begin to come into play.

The instructor has the two girls on the bed, but it’s apparent that they aren’t comfortable with the rest of us in the room. He’s escalating and running some pretty tight game however, he isn’t getting anywhere. As he continues to push things a remarkable thing happens. The girls begin to go cold on him. Nothing too terrible you understand but their body language definitely begins to close off to him. He senses this and eventually relents from the situation allowing them to leave in the early hours of the morning.

I wait until the morning before giving him his feedback.

He wakes up wondering what went wrong. He tells me he was escalating in the same way as he normally does which always works. He decides that either his game was “off” or that he just didn’t know how to escalate a two set at once even though he’s already shared a three way kiss.

I tell him.

“logistics, they’ll fuck you up every time. You gotta take care of them logistics or else you got nothing.”

You see he was so busy escalating and concentrating on his own game that he completely failed to recognize the fact that the girls where uncomfortable having TWO OTHER BOYS IN THE ROOM!

This would have been their first threesome and understandably they didn’t want to have it with two other boys watching them. Now this isn’t too say that it isn’t possible or that some girls wouldn’t be open to it, rather that these two definitely didn’t want it.

So what could he have done to fix the situation? Well he had a number of options.

First he could have taken the initiative. He could have thought ahead using his brain a little bit and preempted the situation. Knowing full well that we where all living in the same room he could have used  a little of that financial stability he’s so proud of to actually rent a hotel room. A cheap room in the centre of town would not only have made the whole thing a lot easier to organize but may have even added to the experience. The girls would have been saved along journey home late at night, and he could have mentioned something about people crashing at his. With a simple justification it becomes easy to set up the situation that would have been perfect to complete the close.

Secondly he could have reacted to the situation. Upon realizing that there was no chance that he would be able to close the girls in front of us he could have suggested that he was keeping the rest of us awake and either moved them to an after party to re warm them up or attempted to dive into a hotel at this point, (which may have been a little trickier as the buying temperature had already begun to drop).

Either way by handling the logistics better he would not have lost the situation, and as you can see the sooner he prepares for them the better.

A side affect of what happened is that by him trying to sexually escalate in a situation where it was almost impossible for him to close he actually came across as needy and was lowering his value, hence the loss of attraction.

This is just one example of how sometimes we forget the logistics in favor of concentrating on our game, where if we handled the logistics first we would probably find our game improves.

Lets take for example same night lays. Imagine entering a club and seeing a stunning hot girl. You approach and everything goes amazingly well. Her friends like you and before you know it you’re making out all over the place. Things are going well the Lay is in sight!

However, just as you’re leaving the club she asks for your number. You make a move to isolate her when she drops the bomb. She’s the designated driver amongst her group of friends and is the only one who didn’t drink alcohol. What do you do? Follow her in your car? Hardly attractive, what if she lives with her parents? get her to ditch her friends and send them home in a cab?

The point is that if you plan on the lay that night you are going to have to think of some pretty good logistics, something which you could have begun to organize earlier if you had taken the time to find out whether she was or was not the designated driver in advance.

Logistics in game pretty much comes down to planning. Lets look at that definition again; “the planning and implementation of a complex task” You can’t implement the close unless you’ve taken the time to examine all of the logistical components and planned exactly how you’re going to achieve the close. This is an integral part of the game and something all of the top players keep in mind. Remember that in order for you to actually implement something successfully you need to plan it and to plan it you need as much information regarding the situation as possible.

In summary it’s all good learning the game and putting it into practice but you have to begin planning the lay if you really want to get the best results you can possibly achieve.

Growing up, I used to collect comic books.  I was pretty hard core about it too.  I started when I lived in Germany and it was the only American thing my family had available for kids, and its a trend I continued until high school.  I eventually stopped because I was spending upwards of $200 a week on comic books.  Seriously, I was addicted.  All the money I had went to owning that shit.  My parents had to orchestrate an intervention to break me of this habit.  I probably have a good $3,000 worth of comics packed away in our basement somewhere.

The funny thing is, the heroes in those comics always had a secret identity.  You could break it down to who they really were, and their super-hero persona.  In fact, many stories often dealt with how these heroes would cope with their secret identities and who, in fact, they really were.  I find it a very similar parallel to where I currently am in my life and my development as a Pick-Up Artist.

There are situations I’ve been in since I’ve been home where I’ve found myself wanting to sarge a girl, but in a way I feel like I either can’t or shouldn’t do it because I’m with my family.  The problem with family is that much of the time, they will not understand why you are doing what you are doing.  At least for me, who comes from a fairly conservative, catholic family, my parents would at the very least be puzzled and at the very worst, shocked, at what I was up to most of the time.  Not only that, but my younger brothers (who’ve never had the problems getting women that I’ve had to face) would be very judgmental about it.  In a way, if I revealed to them this aspect of my life, I’d be putting myself at a disadvantage because I’d be opening myself up to judgment by my family.

Obviously, what they think of me doesn’t really matter.  However, it would affect the interactions I’d have with them in the future, especially if they think I’m not very good at this whole “pick-up” thing.  The best time to reveal this aspect of my life would obviously be with a beautiful fiancee on my arm, but I don’t expect that to happen for a very loooooong time, if ever.

So up to that point, I’m stuck living a double life when it comes to my family and AFC friends.  This community is a saving grace in a way, because I now have a network of guys who I can not only talk about this stuff with, but also who understand where I am coming from.  Its a valuable asset, and one I’m quite grateful for.

I know a lot of guys like Papa and Swinggcat are very open with their families about what they do, but I just don’t feel comfortable telling my mom that I’ve devoted a great deal of my life to learning how to get laid by any girl I want, including 3-somes and strippers and any other variety of girl.  She’d have a fit.  This is the same woman who forbade me to date until I was 16.  Can you imagine letting it slip that I’ve frolicked through Vegas with a group of strippers trying to score some drugs so we could party down in my hotel room?  Yikes.

I’m interested in how people handle this.  I know that if you’re congruent with it, it doesn’t matter, but there’s still that nagging reservation about revealing my secret identity to others.  Its a rather sticky wicket, if you ask me.

Until that time, I guess I’ll just stay locked in the nearest phone booth.

Thundercat

I found a post on mASF entitled “The aftermath of mASF and her shredded soul.” The post was just the right amount of melodrama to capture my interest, so I decided to check it out. It was put up by a guy called Acolyte and goes as follows:

Topic:
The aftermath of mASF and her shredded soul. (1 of 17), Read 562 times
Conf: >> General
From: arby_acolyte ratty1@webmail.co.za
Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 03:19 AM

I hurt a girl today. Her heart is shattered into a million pieces.

Because of me. Entirely. And I have no excuse.

Does this feel good? No.

The stuff on this site is powerful. Very little is mentioned here on the emotional effect we’re having on our targets – sure, we’re creating and amping attraction etc…. ..but no thought is given to the resulting ATTACHMENT that our ‘targets’ begin to feel.

Guys, for the sake of your Karma (if you believe in that kinda thing), use this info wisely. Its not a toy.

I understand how/why she feels as she does and, if she doesn’t commit suicide, she’ll recover… ..and heed this: She’s NOT a psycho, just regular LSE.

Such is the power we have on mASF.

Acolyte.
PS. I’ve taken this girl under my wing and I intend to help her regain her feet. I intend to do what I can to raise her Self-Esteem. Please wish her luck.

______________________________
peripheral vision is often overrated

Now, this post is interesting because I am very much conflicted as to how I feel about it. On one side, I empathise with the guy. On the other hand, I can see where all the posters who are responding to him are coming from.

The thing that is easy to forget on the internet is that these girls are real people. When you read about them in cold words on your computer screen and imagine the generic woman in your head, its easy to be neutral in your assessment of where this guy went wrong and why he shouldn’t be feeling the way he does. The thing is, this girl is very real for this Acolyte guy. She’s probably someone he slept with, someone he shared something with, and someone he probably connected with on some level. And he ended up breaking her heart. Its funny, because the subculture we exist in with the studying of PUA is not very conducive to looking at women as real people, rather, they become objects of our desires and conquests. An example of this is Ellyn, who I mentioned in the post earlier. I shared a part of my life with that chick, and even though I do talk shit about her, when I was on the phone, the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings, because I could HEAR the genuine emotion in her voice that she was happy to hear from me.

I think that’s the crux of the issue there. Emotion is the stongest frame there is, and it overrides all logic. That’s one of the reasons chicks are so powerful. They run on emotion, they are able to manifest it faster and more powerfully than most men can think of, and when they do, us men are swept right along into their frame (well, unless you’re jlaix, but he’s in a league all his own =)

I personally do not think its AFC for him to feel bad that this girl got hurt. But the posters in the thread are right, even if they are a bit crass in their advice. This is a natural chick response to recapture the relationship frame, by guilting the guy into helping her overcome her emotion. If this Acolyte dude persists in trying to help her get over him, she’s gonna suck him back into her reality, and eventually hurt him the way she was hurt just to salvage some of her self-esteem. I don’t think she’d do it consciously or maliciously, but I do think its very likely to go down that way. So he’s damned if he does, and damned if he doesn’t, as far as this girl is concerned.

Which brings us to an interesting moral quandary: How do you act with girls, enjoy tehir company, and protect yourself all at the same time? Do you allow yourself to become attacted and run the risk of being manipulated? Or do you keep yourself detached and never really enjoy a substancial relationship?

I prefer to look at pick-up in very Machiavellian terms. If none of you have ever read Machiavelli, I suggest picking up his book “The Prince.” Its quite a brilliant book on politics, leadership, and persuasion. (I happen to believe Machiavelli has been reincarnated as Swinggcat, but that’s another post all together =) Anyhow, the thing about Machiavelli is that he is completely amoral. His advice is designed to get you results, not make judgements about right or wrong. Whether you use the information for good or evil, that is up to the individual.

In terms of PUA, I rate my success on my happiness at the time. If I’m doing shit with a girl and I’m happy, then I’m successful. If I’m involved with a girl and I’m miserable and paranoid and insecure, I am definitely not doing something right. So I think the trick is to create a reality that is so strong that your happiness exists regardless of who you’re with, and you allow the girls you date to take part in that happiness. I base this on Zan’s philosophy. Here’s a guy who’s 9 girlfriends and ex-wife just threw him a lingerie party for his 40th birthday, and they all know each other and do not get catty or jealous. How is this possible? Simple. He never destroys that sense of beauty that is around him. That sense of happiness, that frame that he creates that sucks people in. Its always there, and it diffuses any negativity that exists around him.

The bhuddist believe that to attain enlightenment, you must kill all desire. I think to get good at PUA, and I’m talking master level here, you really do have to kill all desire when it comes to women. But at the same time, you still have to CARE for the women, otherwise you end up hurting them. I guess I’m saying you have to be desire-less but care-full (pun intended).

Its a fine line for sure, and I’m not quite sure how to attain it yet. But its something for me to think about. I hope this rant made some sort of sense. If anyone has any thoughts on this or how to go about doing this, I’d love to hear them.

Thundercat

Ugh.  God damn, have I fucked up.  I’ve fucked up big time.  I can’t believe how big I’ve fucked up.  In the history of fuck-ups, this is the biggest fuck-up to ever fuck.  And I am being completely serious here.

What am I talking about you ask?

Well, it all comes down to a girl (doesn’t it always?).  A girl that I swore I’d never talk to again.  A girl who’s been a cause of much joy and dismay in my life.  A girl who I shall refer to as:  Ellyn.

Now, I met Ellyn while I was in college.  A buddy of mine who had graduated was living in a town about an hour outside of campus, so one weekend I went out to visit him.  When I got there, Ellyn was in his apartment wearing low-hugging jeans and a Playboy tanktop, vacuuming his apartment.  She was a cute girl, with Bugs-Bunny like buck teeth and just the right amount of trailer park in her to make her hot (at least by mid-west standards).

This was back when I was in AFC mode, mind you.  I don’t know what I did, but for some reason, Ellyn took a liking to me.  Looking back on it, I remember being quite ambivalent to her, and more than a little derisive — as in not taking any of her shit.  She just wasn’t hot enough in my book to warrant being too nice.

Top that off with the fact that she was a former stripper, single mom, and a cokehead, and you got yourself a winner!  But for some reason, no matter what I did, she just seemed to fall for me even more.  We ended up cuddling on my buddy’s couch while watching Perversions 5, a porno I had picked up for the trip.  Romantic, I know =)

Anyways, whenever I’d come back to visit my friend, she’d be sure to show up.  One time she brought her kid along and I ended up playing with the little fucker, so I guess she thought she’d found the perfect man.  But knowing a train wreck when I see one, I decided to stay away from this catch regardless of the boner she was able to give me.

As things go, Ellyn ended up getting in a car accident.  Well, not “accident” per say.  She jumped out of a moving van while coked out of her mind and ended up getting her head run over.

Yes.  Her head.

Anyway, this being the 3rd (count ‘em.  3rd.) near death experience for poor Ellyn, she was miraculously able to survive and was rushed to the hospital, where she lay in a coma for upwards of 4 months with a broken jaw and brain damage.  I heard the news and wished I had taken the opportunity to hit that before this unfortunate accident (no strings you know?) but also felt sorry for her and her kid.

So time passes, and suddenly, I get a call from my buddy.  He informs me that right before they were set to pull Ellyn off life support, she came out of the coma.  Not only that, but she suffered from amnesia.  She knew who she was and all that, but didn’t remember her family, friends, or even her kid.

She did, however, remember me.

Now, this is somewhat flattering news.  For some reason, I was the one guy in her life worth remembering.  My ego at the time was fragile enough to melt at this fact, as crazy as it sounds.  So my buddy asked if it was okay to give Ellyn my number.  After this kind of news, I could hardly refuse.

So Ellyn starts calling me and we have a long distance relationship over the phone.  She tells me she is healing up, the brain damage is not so bad, and that she wants to see me.  So I decide “What the fuck?  I’ll give her a treat.”  So I travel down to her mom’s house where she’s living and meet up with her.  I’m surprised to see that other than a scar on her neck, she looks EXACTLY the same as she did before.  I was expecting the fucking Mask when I appeared, but this wasn’t so bad.  She still had the cute Bugs Bunny smile and blonde hair which I’m a sucker for.  She did gain a bit of weight at the hospital, but nothing too bad.

So I do what any normal, healthy, college male would do with a chick who’s totally into him.  I took her out for a nice dinner and got her shit-faced drunk.  We end up going at it in the back seat of my car outside of Denny’s at 3 in the morning.  No intercourse for some reason (which I’ll discover later), but I had fun regardless.

So the next couple months we are sort-of “seeing” each other.  But it gets to the point where I can’t fucking stand this girl.  See, the thing about Ellyn is that she is the quintessential DRAMA QUEEN!  She needs drama in her life, and if it isn’t there, she will create it.  Not only that, but the girl was so emotionally fucked up, that she needed guys to get angry with her to get sexually aroused (conditioning, anyone?).  However, I was a nice guy who didn’t really give a shit about her, so I never fell for her tricks to bait me into anger, though I probably could have had a lot more sex if I had.

I learned a lot from Ellyn, mostly about women and drama.  It’s fascinating to me to look back and analyze the adventures and fights we had together.  But the fact of the matter is the girl is annoying as SHIT and I couldn’t put up with her, but I was too nice to just dump this poor girl.  After all, I was the only thing she remembered after GETTING HER HEAD RUN OVER!

So I break it off gently, remain friends, and move out to California.  She’d call me occasionally to tell me she got engaged (ended in divorce, of course).  Then she starts emailing me all the time.  Finally, I can’t take it anymore, and I send her this email in response to one she sent me:

Hey brat,

>how are you doing?  me?

How am I doing you???  OMG, that’s so forward.  I mean, who’s face you picture when you masterbate is your own business, but if you want to fantasize about it, I guess I could be doing you doggie style.  I’m flexible like that.

>how is work going for you?

I dunno.  It sure is a lot of work doing you doggie style.  I got lots of stamina, but you are totally wearing me out.  Where’s my viagra?

>guess what?  next week i am going to arizona.

Arizona is cool.  Beware the rattlesnakes.

>my aunt is in this week from arizona along with my grandparents from XXXX, and then next week i am going to my aunt’s house in XXXX.  i am so excited.  i can’t wait.

Yes, it does a body good to get away from the East Coast.

>my aunt, my mom, my brother and i went to karaoke last nigt and i had a ball.

So what sounded like a cat dying a slow painful death was really just you singing?  Man, you better just stick to doggie style, its what you’re good at.

>they wouldn’t let me drink because the doctors said that i am not suppose to but i still had a blast.

You drink like a fish, and much more fun drunk than sober.  What do doctors know anyway?

>it was probably the most fun i have ever had sober…

Except that time you banged those four midgets in the back of that truck.  I still have the video.  =P

>this week i am in XXXXXXX until saturday (that is when i go home to XXXXXXX) and then on tuesday i leave for arizona.

Yay!  Hope your plane doesn’t crash in a fireball of molten steel.

>my aunt said that she would take me to mexico and possibly california.

South of the boarder, eh?  She’s not going to turn you into a mule and make you smuggle drugs across the boarder is she?  I hear you have to shove those things up your ass to get them past customs.  How many of those can you fit up your butt?  Better start practicing.

>she also said that she is going to take me to this prison (knowing that i used to be a correctional officer)

Only if you get caught with the drugs up the butt.  Try not eating any ruffage so you don’t have to poo.  Then she’s got nothing on you and you can totally stay out of jail.

>because it is one of the oldest prisons in the country.  i can’t wait.

I hear prison changes a man.  But since you’re a woman, I guess that doesn’t matter.  Women in prison have it easy, they just have lots of sex and walk around naked.  At least that’s what Cinemax tells me, and TV wouldn’t lie… would it???

>with your work, do you get out much?

Every night.

>have you met a good many friends or acquaitances?

Tons.

>have you talked to XXX or XXXXXXX?  how are they?

Yes.  Both are doing very good.

>i really do hope that life is treating to grand.

Only when I’m doing it doggie style.

>i really hope to hear from you soon.

Was this soon enough?

>well i will talk to you soon.

I don’t wanna talk to you until you break your sex addiction.  You really have to stop fantasizing about me like that.  I’m more than just a sausage with feet, okay?  I’m a human being and I don’t appreciate being objectified as a sex object, so you better quit that right now, missy!  Don’t make me get a restraining order, now.  =)

luv & kisses

Thundercat

Okay, obviously I was being a dick.  In fact, I was doing so many things in that email to berate her and play on her insecurities, I was positive that it would be the last I would ever hear from this crazy, fucked up girl again!

And it was!

At least until tonight.  I was going to call a friend and I hit the wrong number in my address book on my phone and guess who I call?

Ellyn.

She picks up the phone and knows it’s me because of her caller ID.  She is so fucking excited to hear from me, it’s heartbreaking.  She’s even telling her mom I’ve finally called.  I, of course, am shocked that I actually hit her number our of all the ones in my fucking phone.  She picks up on this and asks if I meant to call her, to which I lie through my teeth.

“Oh, uh, yeah baby.  I want to call to tell you… uh, I’d be in DC for Christmas.”

It was the only thing I could think to say, and I knew instantly it was a mistake (mostly because it was the truth).  Ellyn is in Maryland, and its close enough to drive to.  So she starts getting all hopped up, telling me she’s been really good and not doing any drugs or alcohol.  Her divorce to her second husband is final, and the court had taken away her kid in favor of his father so she doesn’t have any of the matriarchal duties she had before.  Not only that, but she’s going back to school to learn, of all things, LABOTOMY.  I’m not joking.

So I tease her about being a brain surgeon with brain damage, and she says that it’s only one class a semester so it should be easy.  I remind her it’s a course on LABOTOMY, but it doesn’t compute.  Oh well.

So she brings up the e-mail and I tell her I was just fucking with her.  Then she says:

Her:  So you’ll be in DC?
Me:  Yeah.
Her:  Would you like to see me?  I’d really like to see you.
Me:  Maybe.
Her:  I’ll pay for the hotel room.

So what she just said sinks in, and the governor (I call him the “governor”) stands at attention.  An open invite for sex!  What boner can resist?  Even if it is from a crazy girl from my college days, it is inviting.  Though she has informed me that she’s around 180 lbs now but it doesn’t look like she weighs that much.  Oh, and she has genital warts (hence the constant LMR in our relationship).

Still, the invite is appealing.  I’ll have to do a bit or research on Genital Warts, but this fat, brain damaged, ex-stripper could totally, totally be mine.  And knowing what I know now, I could get her to do anything I want.

Anything.

But I am a bit conflicted.  I know that I do not love or even respect this girl very much, which is probably the reason she finds me so attractive.  But it would be nice to go home for Christmas with some guaranteed poon waiting, even if it is a bit diseased.

What do you guys think?

Thundercat