So yesterday I was graced with the presence of none other than the dynamic duo of fastseduction.com, Formhandle and TokyoPUA.  They’re in LA visiting and I took them around town and hung out with them.  I think the last time I had seen Formhandle was the 2004 PUA Summit at Project Hollywood, and this was the first time meeting TokyoPUA face to face.

Anyway, over lunch we had a lot of conversations about the "state of the community."  These guys basically get to see all the "up-and-comers" in the PUA world thanks to their involvement in the hub of the community, and I’m in somewhat of a similar position because of this blog.

Anyway, what we shared with each other wasn’t good.

Back in the "heyday" of the community (at least as the three of us saw it), we had a lot of original thinkers posting some great stuff.  You had people like Mystery, Style, Toecutter, Swinggcat, Juggler, Ross Jeffries, Tyler Durden, and a whole slew of others posting ideas, theories, field reports, and tons of other things – all of which were interesting to read.

The big problem now is that there seems to be a void because these people have stopped sharing ideas and posting to the community portals.  They’ve withdrawn.  I don’t think its because they’re all commercial and don’t want to post anymore, I think some of them are just busy living their lives and others have just lost interest in the community.

Which leaves the newbies…

And what I mean by newbies are the "Post-Game"-ers who’ve migrated to the seduction community thanks to Neil’s book.

Now, I’m all for Youngblood.  I think we need new people coming in with new ideas and techniques and all that jazz.  So I welcome everyone who’s coming in trying to be a "guru."

But I think most of them are going about it the wrong way.

I get emails all the time asking me to link to a new blog, a new site, to post an article or a video or whatever because someone read the game and wants to make money teaching a workshop.  But so much of what I see is just a rehashing of a watered-down version of Mystery Method.

I do think it’s important to encourage people to foster new ideas and succeed – even if they do have commercial interest in the outcome.  In the end, it’s really a benefit to everyone.

I think most of the post-Game "gurus" need to learn that these skills are first and foremost about helping men lead better lives, rather than just "getting laid" or "making money."

So many men quietly suffer from lonliness, self-doubt, insecurity, and fear.  They think getting laid will help them, make them feel better, but even if they do get laid, the feelings of happiness they’re searching for doesn’t last.

I look at Pick-Up as a form of self improvement, because before you can help othters, you always have to help yourself.  It isn’t selfish, it’s just a fact.  People who teach others will not only teach them their strengths, they will teach their weaknesses as well.  So a lot of these young guys still don’t have enough experience with life, love, and overcoming their inner demons to be worth listening to.  Having a new "DHV" or "Opening Line" is cool, but in the end, that stuff doesn’t really help anyone.  It’s the experience and understanding that comes with self-growth that helps people.

If someone wants to become the next "Mystery" or "Style," then they have to understand what these guys did that made them WORTH paying for.

Mystery overcame his fear of meeting women, and spent years helping others do it for free online before he began teaching his workshops.

Style spent years being an unpaid guest instructor for Mystery.  He’d post some of the best shit you’ve ever read here and on other forums for free, because we was working through stuff and wanted others to give him feedback and help him understand what he needed to fix about himself.

This is the real crux of the issue to me.  Because for these guys – improving themselves came first, helping others came second, and then the money followed.

I think that’s a lesson everyone can benefit from.

So here is my challenge to all the "up and comers" out there.  Can you grow as both a teacher and a student?  Can you innovate and use 100% original material?  Can you focus on helping others before you run off and try to start a business doing it?

I look forward to seeing if there’s any new blood out there that can actually accomplish this.

The thing that makes the Art Of The Pickup stand out from other similar DVD sets is that it’s designed more like an interactive course on how to meet women than a simple recorded lecture, like you might get with other DVD courses.

This format works very well in an instructional sense, because it breaks down the different phases of pickup in an easy to follow way, and allows for quick reference of the different tactics available.

Watching Art Of The Pickup, it was hard not to think of some of the sex
education videos I used to be forced to watch in High School. 

Because the videos are meant to be educational rather than
“documentary,” the scenarios in the video are staged with actors rather
than candidly caught.

While this does a good job of actually demonstrating the techniques
discussed, it makes the tactics seem forced and “fakey” while watching
– in part due to the substandard acting involved in the vignettes
(hence the “cheesy” sex-ed video feel).

Though this can make the examples in the video hard to watch at times,
I don’t feel that it takes away from the validity of the tactics being
discussed.  Some of these tactics include:

• Approaching
• Confidence Building
• Initiating Conversation
• Email and Phone Number Closing
• Creating Attraction
• Comfort Building
• Follow Up And Day 2s
• Making Your Move/Late Game

The worst part of the video series, at least in my opinion, is the
narrator – a slick looking pick up guy (or actor?) who narrates the
methods being talked about.  The guy’s voice is deep and I can see why
he was picked to do voice over, but at the same time it drips with a
kind-of sleaziness that is more than a little off-putting.

In fact, it’s almost obvious that the narrator is almost portraying a
type of “pick up” guy, rather that coming across as genuine.

Though this can be distracting, the production of the DVD set more than
makes up for it.  This isn’t some fly-by-night operation where guys are
videotaping tactics on a 1985 camcorder in someone’s basement.  The
series was shot on digital video, with professional lighting, graphics,
and editing.  It really is a quality production.

While the acting is cheesy, the example videos are well made and quite
explanatory, with freeze frames and narration intercut to discuss what
is occurring in the vignettes.

The course breaks down as follows:

DVD 1 is the primary disk in the series.  It contains the foundations
of the course, which is are the underlying principles, understandings,
and psychology behind the tactics.

After that, there are 2 more sections to the disk, broken up by
encounter (in this case, the first time you meet the girl, and the
follow up).  In the 1st encounter segments, you’re shown how to
approach a woman and get her contact information.  In the 2nd encounter
segments, you’re shown how to follow up the initial encounter, get a
date, generate attraction, and finally seduce her. 

The second DVD in the set is an “Extra” DVD, divided into two
sections.  The first section has to do with Interviews of other pick up
artists.  The experts interviewed are the two guys who run
fastseduction.com – Jay and Ray, and Will the Dating Coach (of Double
Your Dating fame).

This is my favorite part of the course because it’s not scripted, and
you get to hear the guys talk candidly about their views and
experiences.  Though these experts aren’t on the level as someone like,
Neil Strauss, for instance, they still have some good things to share.

The second feature on the second disk is a series of affirmations
designed to help re-enforce the teachings of the course.  The
affirmations are audio only, though, and have no video features that go
along with them.

Now, I’m not a big fan of affirmations, because I feel most
affirmations are a series of mental masturbation meant to make you
“think” you’re actually accomplishing something as opposed to getting
you to take action.  But I do recognize that affirmations can help
people stay on the right path in terms of keeping focused on goals, and
in that respect, I think the affirmations included on disk 2 are pretty
good.

A little bonus feature on the disk is some audio of Jay giving a
presentation recorded from a seminar.  I think the audio was recorded
at the 2004 Pick Up Summit, but I’m not sure.  Anyway, like the
affirmations, this feature is audio only, and lasts for about 90
minutes.

All told, you get about 6 hours worth of media in the course.

Here’s the breakdown:

THE GOOD

• The tactics and techniques presented are sound
• The production quality of the course
• The organization and presentation of the media
• The interviews with experts
• The interactivity of the course
• The girls in the videos are hot

THE BAD

• I don’t agree with a lot of the evolutionary philosophy presented in the course
• The video segments come of as a little too staged and fake
• The acting is sub-par
• The narrator is too sleazy and disingenuous for my tastes

THE RESULT

Over-all, despite it’s flaws and shortcomings, I think the Art Of The
Pickup is a very good course for beginners who are new to the
dating/seduction scene and looking for a place to start.  I wouldn’t
recommend it to advanced students of The Game, because the concepts
presented are rather basic, but for your average Joe just getting into
this, it would be a good place to start.

The interactivity of the course makes it easy to follow, and the many
examples are good at illustrating how the concepts are supposed to
work.  The price of the course is $147, which may seem a bit steep for
some, but considering it packs a bunch of the starting material into
one format, you can save money by not buying some other courses that
present the material in a less organized manner.

So bottom line:  The Art Of The Pickup is a solid course that I
would definitely recommend to anyone getting into the pick-up game who
want to build a solid skill set rather quickly.

Click Here To Check Out The Art Of The Pick Up For Yourself!

The thing that makes the Art Of The Pickup stand out from other similar DVD sets is that it’s designed more like an interactive course on how to meet women than a simple recorded lecture, like you might get with other DVD courses.

This format works very well in an instructional sense, because it breaks down the different phases of pickup in an easy to follow way, and allows for quick reference of the different tactics available.

Watching Art Of The Pickup, it was hard not to think of some of the sex
education videos I used to be forced to watch in High School. 

Because the videos are meant to be educational rather than
“documentary,” the scenarios in the video are staged with actors rather
than candidly caught.

While this does a good job of actually demonstrating the techniques
discussed, it makes the tactics seem forced and “fakey” while watching
– in part due to the substandard acting involved in the vignettes
(hence the “cheesy” sex-ed video feel).

Though this can make the examples in the video hard to watch at times,
I don’t feel that it takes away from the validity of the tactics being
discussed.  Some of these tactics include:

• Approaching
• Confidence Building
• Initiating Conversation
• Email and Phone Number Closing
• Creating Attraction
• Comfort Building
• Follow Up And Day 2s
• Making Your Move/Late Game

The worst part of the video series, at least in my opinion, is the
narrator – a slick looking pick up guy (or actor?) who narrates the
methods being talked about.  The guy’s voice is deep and I can see why
he was picked to do voice over, but at the same time it drips with a
kind-of sleaziness that is more than a little off-putting.

In fact, it’s almost obvious that the narrator is almost portraying a
type of “pick up” guy, rather that coming across as genuine.

Though this can be distracting, the production of the DVD set more than
makes up for it.  This isn’t some fly-by-night operation where guys are
videotaping tactics on a 1985 camcorder in someone’s basement.  The
series was shot on digital video, with professional lighting, graphics,
and editing.  It really is a quality production.

While the acting is cheesy, the example videos are well made and quite
explanatory, with freeze frames and narration intercut to discuss what
is occurring in the vignettes.

The course breaks down as follows:

DVD 1 is the primary disk in the series.  It contains the foundations
of the course, which is are the underlying principles, understandings,
and psychology behind the tactics.

After that, there are 2 more sections to the disk, broken up by
encounter (in this case, the first time you meet the girl, and the
follow up).  In the 1st encounter segments, you’re shown how to
approach a woman and get her contact information.  In the 2nd encounter
segments, you’re shown how to follow up the initial encounter, get a
date, generate attraction, and finally seduce her. 

The second DVD in the set is an “Extra” DVD, divided into two
sections.  The first section has to do with Interviews of other pick up
artists.  The experts interviewed are the two guys who run
fastseduction.com – Jay and Ray, and Will the Dating Coach (of Double
Your Dating fame).

This is my favorite part of the course because it’s not scripted, and
you get to hear the guys talk candidly about their views and
experiences.  Though these experts aren’t on the level as someone like,
Neil Strauss, for instance, they still have some good things to share.

The second feature on the second disk is a series of affirmations
designed to help re-enforce the teachings of the course.  The
affirmations are audio only, though, and have no video features that go
along with them.

Now, I’m not a big fan of affirmations, because I feel most
affirmations are a series of mental masturbation meant to make you
“think” you’re actually accomplishing something as opposed to getting
you to take action.  But I do recognize that affirmations can help
people stay on the right path in terms of keeping focused on goals, and
in that respect, I think the affirmations included on disk 2 are pretty
good.

A little bonus feature on the disk is some audio of Jay giving a
presentation recorded from a seminar.  I think the audio was recorded
at the 2004 Pick Up Summit, but I’m not sure.  Anyway, like the
affirmations, this feature is audio only, and lasts for about 90
minutes.

All told, you get about 6 hours worth of media in the course.

Here’s the breakdown:

THE GOOD

• The tactics and techniques presented are sound
• The production quality of the course
• The organization and presentation of the media
• The interviews with experts
• The interactivity of the course
• The girls in the videos are hot

THE BAD

• I don’t agree with a lot of the evolutionary philosophy presented in the course
• The video segments come of as a little too staged and fake
• The acting is sub-par
• The narrator is too sleazy and disingenuous for my tastes

THE RESULT

Over-all, despite it’s flaws and shortcomings, I think the Art Of The
Pickup is a very good course for beginners who are new to the
dating/seduction scene and looking for a place to start.  I wouldn’t
recommend it to advanced students of The Game, because the concepts
presented are rather basic, but for your average Joe just getting into
this, it would be a good place to start.

The interactivity of the course makes it easy to follow, and the many
examples are good at illustrating how the concepts are supposed to
work.  The price of the course is $147, which may seem a bit steep for
some, but considering it packs a bunch of the starting material into
one format, you can save money by not buying some other courses that
present the material in a less organized manner.

So bottom line:  The Art Of The Pickup is a solid course that I
would definitely recommend to anyone getting into the pick-up game who
want to build a solid skill set rather quickly.

Click Here To Check Out The Art Of The Pick Up For Yourself!

The thing that makes the Art Of The Pickup stand out from other similar DVD sets is that it’s designed more like an interactive course on how to meet women than a simple recorded lecture, like you might get with other DVD courses.

This format works very well in an instructional sense, because it breaks down the different phases of pickup in an easy to follow way, and allows for quick reference of the different tactics available.

Watching Art Of The Pickup, it was hard not to think of some of the sex
education videos I used to be forced to watch in High School. 

Because the videos are meant to be educational rather than
“documentary,” the scenarios in the video are staged with actors rather
than candidly caught.

While this does a good job of actually demonstrating the techniques
discussed, it makes the tactics seem forced and “fakey” while watching
– in part due to the substandard acting involved in the vignettes
(hence the “cheesy” sex-ed video feel).

Though this can make the examples in the video hard to watch at times,
I don’t feel that it takes away from the validity of the tactics being
discussed.  Some of these tactics include:

• Approaching
• Confidence Building
• Initiating Conversation
• Email and Phone Number Closing
• Creating Attraction
• Comfort Building
• Follow Up And Day 2s
• Making Your Move/Late Game

The worst part of the video series, at least in my opinion, is the
narrator – a slick looking pick up guy (or actor?) who narrates the
methods being talked about.  The guy’s voice is deep and I can see why
he was picked to do voice over, but at the same time it drips with a
kind-of sleaziness that is more than a little off-putting.

In fact, it’s almost obvious that the narrator is almost portraying a
type of “pick up” guy, rather that coming across as genuine.

Though this can be distracting, the production of the DVD set more than
makes up for it.  This isn’t some fly-by-night operation where guys are
videotaping tactics on a 1985 camcorder in someone’s basement.  The
series was shot on digital video, with professional lighting, graphics,
and editing.  It really is a quality production.

While the acting is cheesy, the example videos are well made and quite
explanatory, with freeze frames and narration intercut to discuss what
is occurring in the vignettes.

The course breaks down as follows:

DVD 1 is the primary disk in the series.  It contains the foundations
of the course, which is are the underlying principles, understandings,
and psychology behind the tactics.

After that, there are 2 more sections to the disk, broken up by
encounter (in this case, the first time you meet the girl, and the
follow up).  In the 1st encounter segments, you’re shown how to
approach a woman and get her contact information.  In the 2nd encounter
segments, you’re shown how to follow up the initial encounter, get a
date, generate attraction, and finally seduce her. 

The second DVD in the set is an “Extra” DVD, divided into two
sections.  The first section has to do with Interviews of other pick up
artists.  The experts interviewed are the two guys who run
fastseduction.com – Jay and Ray, and Will the Dating Coach (of Double
Your Dating fame).

This is my favorite part of the course because it’s not scripted, and
you get to hear the guys talk candidly about their views and
experiences.  Though these experts aren’t on the level as someone like,
Neil Strauss, for instance, they still have some good things to share.

The second feature on the second disk is a series of affirmations
designed to help re-enforce the teachings of the course.  The
affirmations are audio only, though, and have no video features that go
along with them.

Now, I’m not a big fan of affirmations, because I feel most
affirmations are a series of mental masturbation meant to make you
“think” you’re actually accomplishing something as opposed to getting
you to take action.  But I do recognize that affirmations can help
people stay on the right path in terms of keeping focused on goals, and
in that respect, I think the affirmations included on disk 2 are pretty
good.

A little bonus feature on the disk is some audio of Jay giving a
presentation recorded from a seminar.  I think the audio was recorded
at the 2004 Pick Up Summit, but I’m not sure.  Anyway, like the
affirmations, this feature is audio only, and lasts for about 90
minutes.

All told, you get about 6 hours worth of media in the course.

Here’s the breakdown:

THE GOOD

• The tactics and techniques presented are sound
• The production quality of the course
• The organization and presentation of the media
• The interviews with experts
• The interactivity of the course
• The girls in the videos are hot

THE BAD

• I don’t agree with a lot of the evolutionary philosophy presented in the course
• The video segments come of as a little too staged and fake
• The acting is sub-par
• The narrator is too sleazy and disingenuous for my tastes

THE RESULT

Over-all, despite it’s flaws and shortcomings, I think the Art Of The
Pickup is a very good course for beginners who are new to the
dating/seduction scene and looking for a place to start.  I wouldn’t
recommend it to advanced students of The Game, because the concepts
presented are rather basic, but for your average Joe just getting into
this, it would be a good place to start.

The interactivity of the course makes it easy to follow, and the many
examples are good at illustrating how the concepts are supposed to
work.  The price of the course is $147, which may seem a bit steep for
some, but considering it packs a bunch of the starting material into
one format, you can save money by not buying some other courses that
present the material in a less organized manner.

So bottom line:  The Art Of The Pickup is a solid course that I
would definitely recommend to anyone getting into the pick-up game who
want to build a solid skill set rather quickly.

Click Here To Check Out The Art Of The Pick Up For Yourself!