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.

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

Okay, its no big secret me and Swinggcat know each other. In fact, we’re pretty good friends. So good, that he has granted me permission to repost his newsletter on my blog. Of course, I never thought I’d see the day when he got off his lazy ass to actually WRITE the newsletter, but just as another sign of the coming apocalypse, it has finally arrived.

From time to time, I’ll post some of his newsletters on here that I think are worthy of further discussion and pick them apart for you with my experiences and ideas interspersed for your reading pleasure. I think Swingg is one of the best in the game and there is a lot to learn from him, and if he’s going to be doing newsletters regularly, they are worth signing up for — so be sure to log in on his webpage to subscribe! Also, if you buy his book because of me for some reason, let him know so he can pay me a commission. It’s not free to run a site like this, you know.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the first Swinggcat newsletter ever — “Building Attraction Through Tension Loops.”

Building Attraction Through Tension Loops
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to the link at the end of this email.
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One of my maxims for ATRACTING women is to make them
ABC…to make them ALWAYS BE CHASING me.

In my book I call this PRIZING.

PRIZING women is important because when you do
things to make women chase you they will begin to
see you as a PRIZE they want to win over.

Prizing is a very important concept to understand in PU. I like to refer to it as “taking the power position” because you are putting yourself above others. One good way I like to do this is to ABJ — Always Be Judging — others. I got this nifty little trick from RoadKing, who uses it to great effect on strippers. Though Swinggcat has more systems for prizing laid out in his book.

One technique for PRIZING I talk about in my book
is Open Loop.

An Open Loop is an unfinished thought or story. So,
within the context of ATTRACTING women, some
examples of open loops are:

When a man tells a woman a really juicy story and
just at the point that she really starts to get into
the story, he intentionally withholds the conclusion
from her.

Or…

When a man acts as if he knows something about a
woman but when she asks him what it is he refuses to
tell her.

Are you guys starting to get why open loops are so
powerful?

Open loops are the shit. Lots of guys HATE open loops because they tend to frustrate them. But what they don’t realize is that open loops are MEANT to frustrate. That’s why they are effective. Though Swingg likes to describe open loops in terms of what the guy can do to the girl, I like to describe them in terms of what the girl can do to the guy, because girls do this shit better than any guy ever could. For instance, when a girl tells you “Maybe we can get together sometime,” that’s an example of an open loop. You’re gonna be calling her to get together, but she could do any number of things to keep you dangling, and in the meantime, you just try harder and harder to get together with her, until you’ve fully committed yourself to getting this chick, to the point where you think you’ve fallen for her.

Though what Swingg is describing here gets even more evil than that, as you’ll see below…

They are powerful because they leave women wanting and
reaching for more.

And when women are wanting and reaching for more, they
are CHASING us.

Its true. It works both ways.

I have noticed a few of the guys who have recently
purchased my book have spawned quite a few online
discussions on open loops.

Yes, that would be the SS list. I think its funny how some guys on that list bought Swingg’s book, and started posting field reports using his material and terminology like they just discovered it miracuously on their own in their vain attempts to reach guru-hood. Lame. I will say, however, that some of the best threads on the SS list in the past 4 YEARS sprung from discussingf Swinggcat material, so I can’t be too angry about it, I suppose.

This is great because it tells me that guys are really
getting out there and using the ideas in my book.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the
psychological mechanism behind open loops: What is it
about ‘open loops’ that cause women to want and reach
for more?

This is where the evil part comes in. Are you ready for it?

And about a month ago it dawned on me while watching
TV. I was watching a television show that I did not
find terribly interesting, and out of nowhere the power
went out. The weird thing was that inside I felt this
emotional “want” to find out the conclusion to a TV show
I did not even find interesting. However, the more I thought
about this the more I realized that I did not really want
to find out what happened, but wanted closure and
resolution.

Even though the show was not very good, it had created
some unresolved emotional tension in me. The power going
out made me aware of my need to release, resolve, and
bring closure to this tension.

So, what I have discovered is that the psychological
mechanism behind open loops is in creating unresolved
emotional tension.

EEEEEEEEEEEEVIL!!!!!!

What I have realized is that besides using open loops,
there are literally hundreds of ways of creating, and
increasing unresolved emotional tension.

Doing this is what I call a “Tension Loop”. The structure
of a Tension Loop is to first do something that creates
unresolved emotional tension.

For example, you could do this by using an open loop: an
unfinished story or thought.

Or you could do this by creating a barrier between you and
a woman. If you have chemistry with a woman you might want
to hint that there is already a woman in your life,
planting the seed in her mind that even though you and her
like each other, it probably will not work out between the
both of you because you are already taken.

Or you could feign being really offended by something a
woman does or says. If she asks you, “What do you do for a
living?” you could hasten back with, “I am not the guy who
used to work with you at Mc. Donald’s, and if we ever hang
out, there is to be no talk about your career path at
McDonalds…I wouldn’t want you to embarrass me in front of
my friends.”

I’ve seen Swinggcat do this. Its fucking hilarious. The poor girl looks like a deer in headlights.

Or you could do something to invalidate a woman, such as,
acting unimpressed with her or even hinting at not liking her.

Now once you have created this tension loop inside a woman,
you can keep going with it: you can build it larger and more
intense.

This is where it gets REALLY evil. We’re talking Darth Vader evil here.

For example, if you create a tension loop by acting offended
by something a woman says or does, you can make that tension
loop larger and more intense by continuing to act offended.

But at a certain point, you need to close the tension
loop–bring some resolution, release, or closure to it.

I have found that people who are effective at using tension
loops–for example, auspicious writers and marketers–all
follow a similar structure:

1) They do or say something to create the tension loop

2) They keep going with what they said or did, making
the “tension loop” larger

3) They do something to close the tension loop; bring
some release or resolution to it

4) They open it back up, but just a little bit.

Also, have you ever noticed that this is the structure of many
great movies? Think about it: many great movies start off with
a tension loop by introducing some kind of conflict or drama.
Then, the tension loop increases up until the point of the
climax. Then the tension loop is closed by bringing some
resolution to the conflict or drama. And, finally, the movie
ends by either the tension loop being opened back up or a new
tension loop opening up.This makes the movie watcher want to
see the sequel.

Lets now look at an example of sparking a tension loop,
building it, closing it, and then opening up a new tension
loop–but just a little bit.

A few days ago, after exchanging some light banter with a
woman, I said to her, “You know…I don’t like you…”

She gave me a flabbergasted look and panted, “what!” (Being
the attractive woman that she is, she had probably never
had anyone say this to her before).

I had sparked a tension loop in her.

Next I made the tension loop bigger by saying, ” I’m sorry,
that probably came off wrong. Let me be more specific: I
really don’t like you.”

Here I was making the tension loop larger: intensifying all of
that unresolved emotional tension inside her. Now although
this is very powerful, you do not want to create so much
tension that she snaps–you do not want to PUSH her away
completely. So the idea is to take her to the edge–or close to
it. It is similar to kids blowing bubbles. They want to blow
as much air into the bubble to ensure that it is as big as
possible, but if they blow too much air into the bubble it
will pop. This takes practice, and you really have to learn to
observe how much emotional tension she is experiencing at any
given moment.

Then I said to her, “And the reason I don’t like you is that
you remind me of this girl Miranda whom I hated in the
second grade. I hated her because she used to always beat me
at hot hands (BTW, “hot hands” is a game that children play).

Then I challenged her to a game of hot hands, defeated her
quickly, and gloated, “Yes…I am the winner, and, actually, I
like you now…since you really stink at hot hands”.

So here I closed the tension loop by bringing resolution and
release to her emotional tension. And then I opened a new
loop–just a little bit–by telling her that she stinks at hot
hands.

lol. I remember when Swingg did this. He called me and woke me up to tell me what had happened when he was first testing this shit out. He was so jazzed at the responses he was getting. I gotta tell you, there’s nothing better than hearing a master seducer at the top of his game getting excited about testing new theories and tactics in the field. This is one of the reasons I think Swinggcat is so much better than a lot of the other guys out there. He’s actually improving, creating, and testing shit EXTENSIVELY before sharing it. I know for a fact that at the rate he’s going, Swinggcat method will not be the same thing in 6 months that it is right now.

There is a lot of psychology going on here. And in this
newsletter I am only scratching the surface of what I am doing.
I am going to do another newsletter soon, where I will go a lot
deeper into the psychological mechanisms of tension loops.

He’s run a few of his newsletters by me already, and I gotta tell you, they are NUCLEAR in the truest sense of the word. I’m almost finding them more helpful than his book, but I don’t think I’d be able to understand them without having read that first. But I know that everytime Swinggcat comes up with a new newsletter, he’s probably losing money on another book he could be writing.

But if you are really interested in mastering the techniques
for triggering these underlying psychological mechanisms in
women check out my eBook.

I am a guy who has been doing this stuff since I was a teenager.
And in the last four years I have gotten really serious about
mastering the psychological mechanisms that trigger attraction
in women. I am not some guy who used to be good with
women who now only talks and writes about how to attract women
from behind a computer screen. Instead, I am regularly out
interacting with women, which allows me to experiment, hone, and
further develop my attracting women skills. What I teach is not
just bunch of feel-good theory, but applicable stuff that can be
used in the real world. My material really is the Mu-Tai
kickboxing of dating guides. I really believe that this is the
most cutting edge stuff out there.

I have been getting tons of emails from guys telling me things
like, “Before getting your book I tried everything out there,
but had no success. But your stuff helped me finally get it. In
your easy-to-understand way of explaining things you have given
me a set of powerful tools along with a simple structure for
using them”.

There have even been a number of women, one of whom is a Los
Angeles stripper, who have been telling me things like, “Most
male dating experts are dead wrong when it comes to
understanding women. But, wow, even though I hate to admit
this, you have really hit the nail on the head when it comes
to knowing what works with women.”

This is a stripper RoadKing introduced me to that I’ve been gaming. I brought her along with me to Las Vegas and that’s where Swinggcat met her. Its funny, because he told her what he did and about his book, and since then she’s been calling him up and lurking on his website. This girl is funny, because she wants to write a book about how women can pick-up guys. Little does she know how fucking stupid that is. She was telling me how important it is for the girl to hang up the phone first because that gives them a psychological edge. I couldn’t help but laugh at her. Everything she’s “discovered” is shit that was discussed on ASF years ago and has moved on, which is probably why she’s so fascinated with Swinggcat’s book. I hope she doesn’t buy it, she might be able to deflect the game I’m running on her if she knows what I’m doing.

So, if you are ready to start the new year with a new take on
attracting women, come check out my EASY-TO-UNDERSTAND eBook
which is chock full of powerful insights, ideas, and tools,
here:

http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?J85sEt6LY9pzJy8mHxVTGw

Best,

Swinggcat

P.S., Here is one last little secret of mine for the New Year:
If you feel like you are in a rut with women go out and get
some new threads. Better yet, try a whole new look: Go out and
get some clothes you normally would never wear. This is what I
do when I am in a rut and it works wonders. In fact, if you
have put on a few extra pounds this holiday season and are not
in the mood to cut down on your caloric intake, but still want
to look great, you are in luck. I have a friend, Joseph, who
just released a book called “Fashion For Fat Guys”. Not only is
Joseph an expert when it comes to fashion, but he also knows a
thing or two about attracting women. You can visit him here:

http://clicks.aweber.com/z/ct/?xRkVuThCUgInu3FhduxKIg

In case you didn’t notice, Fashion For Fat Guys is linked on this page as well. I think its a great resource for overweight men to dress better. I know I use the tactics outlined in that book when I go out, and it helps up my confidence levels so I’m more effective than I would be otherwise. Some might say its common sense stuff, but I think for a lot of guys it will help point out shit that they should be doing or don’t know they should do. I’ll probably discuss this more when I write my next article for Cliff’s List. I’m also thinking about talking about inner game soon, and I know that something like FFFG has a role to play in that as well.

P.P.S., If you have a success story you would like to share,
or a question you would like to ask, or a comment you would
like to make, please email me at

swinggcat@realworldseduction.com

Don’t just hit reply to this email. Thanks!

Okay, well there you have it. Hopefully you read this newsletter 50 times, bought both ebooks reccommended in it, and learn this shit backwards and forwards. I’ll probably be experimenting with tension loops soon (I did a bit of that in my airport pick-up) so I’ll report here on how it goes.

Ho!

Thundercat

Okay, so one of the perks of living in Los Angeles is that I get to hang out with some of the best of the best of the best that the seduction community has to offer. Los Angeles seems to be the Mecca for Pick-Up Artists, probably because of the constant influx of fresh-off-the-bus poon, mixed with the hippest night scene in the U.S. (shut up New York), and a healthy dose of celebrity elitism, and you got yourself a virtual PUA playground.

One of the PUAs out here is TheOne, who used to be called Maverick, but I guess he decided a name that started with “The” was more memorable. Anyway, some of you may recognize TheOne as a fairly regular instructor at the Real Social Dynamic’s workshop. (Perhaps he changed his name because of all the gay TOP GUN jokes hurled at him by being Tyler’s wing? Who knows.) Regardless, TheOne was one of the first instructors I ever had. It was him and Tyler who took my out my first night in the LA Mystery Method Workshop about 5 months ago (Has it been that long? Dunno. Gotta lay off the drugs).

As far as Game goes, TheOne is far from the best there is, but he’s a pretty solid dude who does get laid (though looking like Sylvester Stallone from “Cobra” doesn’t hurt, I’m sure). So I like the guy enough to agree to have dinner with him when he calls me up a few days ago.

TheOne picks me up from work, and this is the first time I get to see him in his non-peacocking gear, which usually consists of black PVC pants and a form fitting black shirt, along with the occasional leather arm band. Instead, he’s just in sweatpants and a muscle shirt, having just come from the gym (whether he was trying to impress me or not, who knows? =)

So we go to this Hawaiian BBQ place I know of and sit down for a nice dinner. It’s cool hanging out with TheOne because unlike hanging out with someone like Mystery, I do not feel a pressure to sarge. There’s nothing worse than trying to relax and enjoy a meal with the feeling that you should be gaming the waitresses and any female patron in sight, which is often an unfortunate side-effect of hanging with a juggernaught of PUA such as Mystery.

Anyway, we talk about a lot of things. Community gossip, sticking points in our game, financial troubles, work woes, and JFK assassination theories. In a way, it was a real eye opening experience for me because it had been a while since I’d hung out with someone from the community in a strictly “non-sarge” capacity. It was just two dudes chilling in a restaurant enjoying some good food.

The thought struck me how funny it is that at the end of the day, we’re all just a bunch of regular guys. On the internet, it’s so easy to attain “celebrity” or “guru” status just as long as you post prolifically and are able to spell above a kindergarten level. In fact, there are a lot of guys out there who claim to be “seducers” or “pick-up artists”who never fucking leave their computer.

My dinner with TheOne made me realize just how many guys I’ve hung out with from the community. Not only that, but hung out with them enough to see the internet persona go by the wayside and get a sense of the real people underneath. And the truth is, once you get down to it, someone like Mystery, Style, Tyler Durden, Papa, TheOne, Swinggcat, and anyone else out there you read about (I’m including me in this) is pretty much just like every other guy out there.

This includes you, dear reader.

In fact, I get a lot of emails from guys saying how amazing I am and asking when/if I’ll ever do another workshop. I find it odd how that works, because by any stretch of the imagination, I am NOT as good as some of these other guys when it comes to PUA, though I am better than others. But to many of us in the community, PUA is a very small part of our lives. Indeed, I have many other aspects of my life that I pursue, but PUA is a small (albeit important) part of my overall existence.

My point here is this: Whether you are an AFC, RAFC, BAFC, or any other ridiculous acronym, chances are you are on par with most of the guys you read about.

What does this mean?

Simple. If you guys are no different than us, then that means that you can easily be doing what we’re doing, which is going out and learning to pick-up girls.

Obviously, this is easier said than done. Lots of guys are still suffering in this area, and in a way, that’s where people like TheOne and I stand out. We have been able to overcome our fears and insecurities to the point where we are able to engage this area of our life with vigor and persistence most men can only dream of.

So in the coming days, weeks, months, or however long it takes, I’m going to be posting some stuff on how to help your inner game and how to start off approaching women. I’ll give some examples, some theory, and maybe even a few homework assignments for you truly committed out there. Hopefully I’ll even receive a few success stories to post up on the Lair.

In short, if I can do it, and TheOne can do it, you certainly can too.

Then you can open your own workshop and give Tyler a run for his money. =)

Thundercat

Someone on the PLAY list just asked a question that really caught my attention, because it is such a typical girl thing to talk about. Basically, it was the idea of “girls” and their hatred of “games.” Like when a girl says she’s “not into games.” Now, when a girl says this, the question on every guy’s mind is: What is she saying?

Some guys will take it at face value and try to appease her by not playing any “games” with her, adjusting their approach to suit the information she gives them. Other guys may look at this like a shit test and barrel through with lots of games and frustrate the girl into “next”-ing them.

So what’s the right tactic to use in this case? Is she lying? Telling the truth? What’s going on here?

The answer is this: Women are not into the IDEA of games, but don’t believe a word they say. They are ALL into games.

Basically, no one likes the bullshit that goes on in the manipulation that occurs between men and women, and make no mistake about it, there is manipulation going on in every relationship — especially one that involves sex.

You basically have two different factors at battle constantly in these situations — the sexual and the relationship. Women control the sexual power and men control the relationship power. Women do not like it when men are able to get them to give up their sexual power and then not return the relationship power. Men, on the other hand, do not like it when they give
up their relationship power and the women do not reciprocate with the sexual power.

That is what they mean when they say “Not into games.” That means they want to get what they want from the man. The only thing is, as soon as the man gives them what they want, chances are good they will lose interest. So when the girls go for a guy who knows this, they get upset because he’s “playing games.” Never do they realize that that’s the thing that
probably attracted her in the first place.

So rule #1: Never listen to what a girl tells you she wants. Notice what she responds to. The things they say and the things they respond to are two COMPLETELY different things.

However, I do not look at this as a shit test. I look at it as a sexual barrier (something Swinggcat will be talking about in future newsletters of his). Sexual barriers are obstacles women put up to keep you from doing what they KNOW is effective on them. Its a safeguard of sorts that when broken down, will get you EXACTLY what you want.

The funny thing about these barriers are that when they are presented to you, there are two ways around them. One is to bang your head against the barrier until it breaks, and the other is to skirt behind the barrier and enter in through the back door.

So when a barrier is presented to me, I look at it like the girl is telling me EXACTLY what I need to do to get her. If she says she’s not into games, what she’s really telling me is that games are what has been effective on her in the past. Therefore, that is what you have to do if you want to get her.

Confused yet?

Thundercat