Alright, it took me quite a while to put this FR together. My best friend's brother happens to be a PUA. He plays Juggler, and I must say that while I enjoy the comfort routines give me (to either cut off boring threads or just have something to say when I blank), I've regained faith in natural pickup. Falcon's game was super-tight, he's naturally a very interesting guy and definitely not AFC – after all, he was trained by Juggler's wings...
Anyhow, we decided to kick off the weekend with a quick meal and a bit of briefing from Falcon – my best buddy Jack is still far from enlightened, but I see enormous potential in that kid – he's attractive, determined and virtually impervious to rejection. I felt like Obi-Wan meeting young Anakin. So the three of us – differing only in skill, but not enthusiasm – set out to hunt.
Thing is, pickup started before we even got to the meal. Cracow is an incredible city for sarging – all the clubs are arranged neatly around a central square, which is filled with attractive women handing out flyers and inviting passers-by to the clubs they're promoting. Remembering the 3-second rule, I selected an HB8 blonde chatting to a male friend – I guess the dude was just keeping her company while she was handing out the flyers in the blistering cold. The conversation went something like
[Ace] So which club are you gonna convince us is better than all the others? (wink)
[HB8] I'm here promoting Cien.. (going into salesman mode)
[Ace] (cutting her off) aren't you freezing around here? I mean, your hat seems very... practical (slight neg, her hat was very thick and slightly ridiculous) but you look like you're cold. (To the dude) We gotta get somewhere warm quick (TC), but what other places can you recommend?
At this point I pulled the guy away and talked to him for a while, and over his shoulder I could see HB8 laugh at something Falcon was saying. She was hugging him within the first couple minutes. From now on, I'd take every word he said as gospel.
//Just a thought on the group dynamic over here. It wasn't planned out, but I opened and pulled the obstacle away, leaving her 1 on 1 with Falcon. Slightly different from the model where you bring your wing to occupy the obstacles... I might develop that in another post//
We left the set a couple minutes later – with HB8Blonde's number in Falcon's pocket.
The couple simple points I took from him in the restaurant (he did a whole basics lecture for Jack) were:
1. Always touch people on the approach – on the shoulder, arm, or the back. I did it to a psychology student at some point and she said something along the lines of
'Hey, you're touching me on the elbow... did you know that's a sign of dominance?' That did throw me off balance a bit, but to my delight, she followed with 'hang on, I never said I didn't enjoy it!'. Schweeet
If you're tactile from the start, not only does it build comfort, it also sets the ground for kino escalation.
2. 'Be the leader' – that was always a mystical statement to me. A simple way of communicating that you're the leader is physically taking the girl by the hand and leading her to different parts of the club. 'Let's go check out the dance floor', 'Let's go over there, I wanna tell you something', 'Let's go to the bar so you can buy me that drink' (if you've been through the 5 questions routine) and so on. And guys – this is GOLD.
3. The 'cool places around here' opener – plain and simple (how come I didn't think of it before!?). Come up to a set and ask them what good clubs in the area they'd recommend. It comes with a built-in time constraint 'we're planning to go somewhere else in a second'. Rememer, the point of the opener is to open – after about five minutes, people won't even know what the first thing you said was (that is if you cut them off and go into a routine). It also feels natural – for anyone out there with AA, it should make opening easier.
4. A fun routine for A3 (can also be used in C)
'OK... well, I could interrogate you and ask you questions about your life, but let's do something more fun. Tell me three interesting things about yourself and make one of them a lie, and I'll try to guess which two are true. Then I'll do the same for you.' Needs a bit of a polish, but it's a nice touch. It works nicely with the 'who lies more' opener and is a very nice transition to the 5 questions routine (search 'style 5 questions on youtube').
5. Make open-ended statements. I saw Falcon do it a LOT, and people would just barrage him with questions.
[Falcon] Hey, you're having the only Polish drink I could find when I was visiting Tokyo.
[HB] What, you've been to Tokyo?
You get the picture. Have something interesting to reel them in with. The cool thing about the routine I described above is that you can bring out your strongest points (the two true statements) and make the lie really boring (In my case, the lie was 'Im a software engineer').
6. Calibrate your energy level slightly higher than the set's. If two people who look bored are sitting at a bar and you open with too much enthusiasm, you'll come across as a freak. You need to give the impression you're having slightly more fun than they are (this raises your value, too).
So back to the report. We went to the club, opened a couple sets and for the first time I understood what social proof was really about. Within two hours Falcon was friends with not just the babes, but pretty much everyone, including the bouncers and the barmen. Fucking incredible.
Around midnight, HB8 arrives, just like she promised. So I take her by the hand (I cannot stress how great this simple move really is) and sit her next to me. I say hello to a few people from previous sets (DHV), one of them asks her if she's seen me do any of my magic tricks (she hasn't). I tell her I was spoiled as a kid and I need something in return. I then stop the time on her watch (awesome trick) and point to my cheek – 'gimme some sugar'.
'Tell me 3 interesting things' routine. She takes the bait. I'm solidly in A3. Anyway, I guess wrong.
[Ace] Well done, you're a pretty good liar! Hey, speaking of lies, have you ever played the 5 questions game?
I win a drink. We have some more conversation, turns out she loves art (incidentally, I do as well – not that it would matter if I didn't, I'd just pretend to reward her and justify my interest).
[Ace] This is so weird... I mean, when I met you your first impression kinda sucked, but now that I've gotten to know you a bit you're actually incredible... I feel foolish for thinking otherwise (credit: Mystery)
I then take her by the hand to the bar so she can buy me my drink. Then I take her by the hand (again) and we go to sit back down. I come up to a guy I knew from a previous set and I tell him I'll trade my drink (one she bought me) for his seat. He agrees. NOT SURE WHAT YOU GUYS THINK HERE – SPAM DRINKS SHE BUYS FOR YOU? IN MY OPINION, SENDS OUT THE RIGHT MESSAGE...
I point to my lap and say sit down. She does. We have some more general conversation, until
[Ace] You have no idea how hard not kissing you is... (wait a moment – no response) but it's not the right time yet.
HB: .......
At this point I thought I lost her, so I excused myself and went to the bar. I started talking to some Australian girl at the bar. HB8 comes up from behind, but I don't notice her (not a move, by the way – I genuinely had no idea she was there!). Falcon comes up, and from what I've gathered, their conversation went something like
[HB] Just look at him, such a PUA... Sitting there with his back agains the bar, relaxed, with that sleazy smile of his that says 'you're mine already'
[Falcon] Well... you seemed to enjoy it when you were at the other side.
Saved by the wing. Couple minutes later, when HB8 was getting ready to leave
[Falcon] Come on, HB8, take a picture with Ace! [we take a picture together] OK, now give him a kiss!
[HB] What, a proper kiss?
[Ace] Yup, now's the time...
K-close on a nice picture.
My first proper k-close on a random girl picked up off the street. And just a friendly pic as dessert:
Unfortunately we live in different countries, but I sent her an invite to London (sort of like the one found in Mystery's 2004 journal) and she said she'd buy her ticket as soon as she sorts out her college exams. If it happens, I'll erect a monument in Falcon's memory.
[Borat accent] Great success! High five! Dziekuje!
Comments plz?
//For Falcon's perspective, visit the London Lair at
poland-report--vt13898.html
CHAT
. I grew up in Lodz.