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*** I really liked Rockefeller’s bootcamp review format, so I’m going to somewhat model my review after his.
August 20, 2010 NYC Bootcamp Review:
Personal Background:
I read about the game and got into sarging towards the latter half of 2007. Fortunately (but perhaps also unfortunately?), I had almost immediate success with the tactics and the game mentality and found a FANTASTIC BEAUTIFUL girl that I had an amazing 3 year relationship with. I actually signed up for a Feb. 2008 ABC bootcamp but withdrew due to this reason. After becoming single again, I decided it’s time to get back into the game.
Personally, I have good inner game and passive value but desperately need a coherent sense of structure so that I wouldn’t stumble around and depend on luck. Additionally, three years of not sarging and cramming my mind with school work made me extremely rusty. I hope to get back into shape and learn about the ABC structure with the help of the bootcamp.
The Instructors: William, Kevin, Graphyte (intern coach)
Kevin:
Pros: I spent most of my bootcamp under the instruction of Kevin. He is definitely a cool guy and has a laidback style that’s congruent with my easygoing personality. In his own words, Kevin takes a friendlike approach to teaching his students. He is extremely encouraging and builds up a student’s self-esteem like no others. That’s fantastic man. Also, when I encountered trouble in field, I would just go him for advice and he would help me on spot. Thanks a lot man!
Cons: Personally speaking, I actually went into the bootcamp expecting, NAY! EVEN HOPING FOR, some harsh but constructive criticism that’ll make me sharpen up and really introspect myself. I also feel that Kevin’s approach to teaching is more fitted towards more determined students without much AA than the more reserved students who fear approaching women in the first place. That being said, Kevin is overall a pretty awesome instructor and I can definitely see him as a fantastic sarging partner.
William:
Pros: William is the type of person that will dedicate all of his time into a much-strived for goal. He gives me the impression as someone who would study 24/7 if he wants good grades, and sarge 24/7 if he wants to have an abundant dating life. HE IS INTENSE, you can see it from his eyes! Unfortunately, I did not spend much time under his instruction since the students are divided into two teams and Will took on the other team. However, from feedback from other students, Will sounds like he will do whatever he needs to do to make the bootcamp a fulfilling experience, even to the point of sounding brutal and inhumane in his criticisms. But the bottom line is, he has the students’ interest at heart, as all ABC instructors do.
Cons: Will is the opposite of Kevin, maybe he should chill back a little bit and form a closer understanding with those students who may not enjoy his personal style. But I’m not the best person to make this statement since I didn’t spend much time under Will.
Graphyte:
Like Will, I did not spend much time with Graphyte during the actual bootcamp. However, he’s a really really cool and funny dude to sarge with! I definitely look forward to learn much from Graphyte in the future since we both live in NYC!
The ABCs material:
I love the ABCDEF concept! It makes intuitive sense and is nothing out of common understanding. It is an amazing foundational concept, and with a little tweaking in the steps, it would work under almost all situations! The workbook provided in the actual bootcamp had some really really useful materials and gives you much insight into the overall structure of pickup. I’m going to read over the relevant sections after each sarge to solidify my understanding of conceptual application to real life situations.
Instructor to Student Ratio: We had a total of 4 students (incl. me), and 2 formal instructors and 1 intern coach. The ratio is almost 1:1. This is more than sufficient as most of students are busily sarging in field at nights and the coaches are almost always available for help and advice on site.
Areas for Improvement (for ABC program)
The Workbook/Lecture Incongruence: By far, my biggest complaint would be the incongruence between the workbook and the actual lecture. Before the bootcamp, I had actually reviewed the syllabus and expected the lecture to abide by the topics in the syllabus. However, the actually lecture was quite free-flowing and gave me an impression of a lack of organization. Furthermore, while the information in the workbook was immensely helpful, we did not refer to the workbook a single time! And contrary to my expectations, I felt like we did not have homework after the in-field sessions each night, contrary to the homework instructions in the work book.
Typos in the written materials: Another big concern is the number of typos and grammatical mistakes in the written materials. One or two is acceptable. But I felt like that the number of mistakes in the workbook made it very distracting to read. Furthermore, the workbook consisted of many pages of duplicates. The ABC program would immensely improve if the instructors corrected this area and make it seem more professional.
Post-Bootcamp service:
The bootcamp consists more than the three days and two (or three) nights of lecture and in-field experience. I felt like the most important perk that I gained from the bookcamp is the brotherhood that I’ve established thru the alumni network. Living in NYC, I can improve my game with going out with other NYC ABC alums and Will. Sarging with fellow alums is much more motivational than sarging by yourself (especially for beginners and even some intermediates) or with AFC friends.
What I gained from the BC:
I went into the bootcamp looking for a little push so I can get back into the Game, after all, two years of law school and HUGE stress had dented my previously happy mood and social skills. After the bootcamp, I feel like I’ve reverted back to my old happy self again
Moreover, as stated previously, I wanted to learn about the structure of ABC and how it applies in the real life so that I could have a steady plan to improve my skills. With the help of the instructors and the ABC workbook, I just got that! Overall, I felt like I’ve achieved my goals of taking the bootcamp and am very satisfied!
BHM
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