I'm just wondering this because for me, I feel like a massive fraud if I use routines which makes me feel like she could pick up on that.

Also subconsiously I feel week when using them (because why don't I just be myself?), which actually lowers my confidence a bit.

And if it does work on the girl...well it wasn't ME, it was the routine.

And how can you feel like you're having fun and being spontaneous when your using the "bla bla bla" routine for the Nth time this week?

Does anyone else feel like this?

I feel like over time if I kept using them then I would ONLY be confident with some kind of routine in my head, but it wouldn't be confidence in myself, it would be confidence in the routine.

NO.

Your inner game is your inner game. It is by far more important that your outer game and routines you're using or not using.

If routines make you feel like a fraud, it's a sign you need to work on your inner game.

I often make up stories in the field (last week I was pretending to be salsa instructor) and try to sell them not to DHV myself, but to enjoy myself and see if I can get away with it. Later I tell them I was just screwing with them. It's a fun thing to do.

Often times you need routines just to get through your first couple of sets and get into the state. It's really hard to sarge when you're not feeling like it, and routines are there to push you through and give you some momentum. Once you get some momentum, you can do anything you want with your sets and later on you don't even remember what you were talking about. You just knew you and them had a great time.

Also, some routines are just too good not to use. In my case it's Finger Length, Esp test, the cube, and some kcloses and I wouldn't give up on them even if they knew I learned it in The Game.

Final though. IT'S NOT THE ROUTINES THAT GET YOU THE GIRLS. They are not buying what you think you're selling. So work on your inner game, do affirmations, hypnosis, live a great life, but also have an opener, and some cool stories somewhere in the back of your mind. Cause not every night is going to be awesome, and what makes you good at this is consistency, not one perfect sarge. Eventually you are going to get rid of routines, this will become something you are, not something you do. Till then, tell yourself "I'm a fucking superstar and I'm gonna be using routines just for shit and giggles".

best of luck!

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I have to return some videotapes...

"If routines make you feel like a fraud, it's a sign you need to work on your inner game."

Routines make me feel like a fraud because social interaction is primarily made up of people saying what they think in the moment. They will think of something funny relating to the conversation or whatever. In normal social interaction people don't remember a particular string of sentences like comedian would or a school kid revising for an exam and then spew them out when the times comes.

I think, if anything, someone with perfect inner game would be more likely to find the idea of using routines weird than someone who has no inner game. Because it is weird (in the sense that it isn't normal for people to do in typical social interaction, not that it will seem weird to others).

BUT...I am not saying my inner game is too good for me to want to use it. I mean I get approach anxiety and I often don't pull because of it. It just feels unnatural for me to use a previously memorized paragraph of words.

Maybe I should just bite the bullet tho and learn some for those emergencies when the conversation goes a bit quiet. I feel like a fraud using routines because it's not natural, but then again if conversation goes stilted because I don't have the natural game to keep it going then I guess I should routines as a quick fix for now.