Give ‘Em Hell, Kid. Vol 1: A Beginner’s Guide To Daygame – Thomas Crown PUA (Book Review)
Intro
Thomas Crown asked if I'd like to review his e-book Give ‘Em Hell, Kid. Vol 1: A Beginner’s Guide To Daygame. I did my best to stay as objective as possible while reading.
On page 9, we find out: 'this guide is written with an absolute beginner in mind.' It would have been useful to define the term in more detail. An absolute beginner who has never attempted the London Daygame Model style of daygame (but may have had some success with girls via social circle etc)? A very socially anxious guy (possibly a virgin) who struggles a lot with generalised anxiety? There are different subcategories of 'beginner.'
Within a few paragraphs, it became clear that the e-book caters to 'hard-case newbies.' i.e. the kind of guy who may struggle to go up to a woman who's a stranger and say 'hi,' let alone follow up with anything. My interpretation was that very socially anxious guys are catered for, as well as other beginners with more social confidence.
I tried to read the e-book from the perspective of a hard-case newbie. I asked myself how I would perceive the advice (I graduated to the level of 'advanced intermediate' 12 years ago and have been 'advanced' for many years now – hence I coach guys).
My initial reaction upon realizing that the e-book would attempt to guide a hard-case newbie with non-existent flirtation skills (and lacking social skills) from 'opening' girls (saying hi) to 'closing' them (getting their number) was: 'I'm intrigued – let's see how far words on a page can take such a guy. Would such a guy be able to get a date based on T.C.'s advice, for example?
Summary
Read my detailed notes for a comprehensive summary/review of the e-book. I want to stress that there are a lot of good things about the e-book. I've made (detailed) notes of these things. As this is a critique of the e-book, I have necessarily noted anything and (almost) everything that I may question (at least to some extent). Much of the time I didn't make notes because the info's good (and in line with other cold approach advice out there). Naturally, stating 'I agree on everything' would be disingenuous and of little value.
You need to do some self-reflection to figure out how you want to learn game/flirting. Consider the book if you feel you'll eventually be able to muster up the courage to say hi to a stranger, then say something about them, to them. The book provides clear steps and exercises. There are lots of exercises. If you're a visual learner, and you like clear visual illustrations and diagrams, then that is (unfortunately) missing altogether, except for one illustration (how to do 'front-stops'). There are a few fashion photos.
If you – hand on heart – already find it easy enough to approach strangers and have a platonic conversation, then you'll have to sift through quite a lot of text to get to the bits that are directly applicable to you. That's one of the difficulties of writing a book for a potentially wide range of (beginner) guys.
The book constitutes a very commendable effort at leading a hard-case newbie by the hand via a 'fool proof,' intricately spoonfed system. Consuming the knowledge is only the first part. After that, you must apply the knowledge. Whether you can do that through a book only, will come down to your own self-awareness (and determination). The length of the book means that you'll have to stay organized and keep track of how the different chapters inter-relate. If you are not a well-organized person, then the fact that it's an electronic book could potentially be challenging in this regard. I found myself scrolling back to the table of contents every time I needed to get to a different section (it's necessary to jump between sections). A print version would allow for dog ears, highlights, and notes scribbled on pages.
You can go out with wing-men, as suggested in the book. However, remember that they will commonly be at a level similar to yours. The feedback they can provide will pale in comparison to a coach, who knows what to look out for. The book is in a sense a 'one size fits all' for all beginners. It sort of needs to be to cater to, and include, the most hard-case of hard-case newbies. T.C. hasn't met you. Coaches can tailor advice to a specific student once one-on-one.
I want to stress that the level of detailed info in the book is in many ways necessary for what I refer to as hard-case newbies. Hopefully my assessment will help you make your own decision as to whether the book would suit you. Only you know what your personal situation is. For example, if you're not a hard-case newbie, you'll already know what anxiety is and you'll maybe have some kind of handle on a lot of the things that are mentioned before T.C. gets into the 'trickier' stuff. Stuff like giving flirtatious signals and creating a truly flirtatious interaction (again, see detailed notes).
There are some explanations in the book that could be seen as over-clarifications by beginners with ok-decent social awareness and understanding (see detailed notes). E.g. some of the exhaustive bullet point lists may potentially be excessive for some guys.
An 'advanced beginner,' or even a beginner who has little 'AA,' can already say hi and give a compliment (and stay on topic), may lose focus at certain points while reading the book. A guy who's on the cusp of graduating to 'lower intermediate' may feel like there should be information on how to get dates and at least some indication as to what to do on dates.
This e-book stops at the 'close' (getting the girl's number). There is no information on texting – no how-to. There is some mention of instant dates with references to another textbook by another coach (so you may need to buy that for detailed info on i-dates).
T.C. makes a promise in the book: he plans to produce a follow-up book for beginners on dating: how to get and run dates, plus more supplementary info.
There is info in the book on how to get a girlfriend. Perhaps this is putting the cart before the horse, even though the info is encouraging for guys with such aspirations. As I mention in my detailed notes, IMO true beginners must first learn how to attract women, and how to manage dates, before they worry about getting a girlfriend (of a certain caliber and type for a sustainable relationship). There's a book in the recommended reading section about attachment styles, which is a bit jarring considering the scope of this beginner's guide (which stops at getting her number). Otherwise, the recommended reading section is solid and more than enough at this stage (see detailed notes).
At the time of writing this, I do not know when T.C. plans to release the follow up e-book, which I understand will be a kind of part 2/vol. 2 that includes info on dates, plus other supplementary info. Vol. 1 (this e-book) costs 30 GBP (38 USD). Check out T.C.'s website and reach out to him directly if you've got further questions. I'm sure he'll be happy to answer any questions about his materials (what to buy, in which order, etc.).
There is tried and tested knowledge and value in this e-book for an 'absolute' beginner. Whether you'll be able to mine the book for that value effectively will come down to you. Whether you'll be able to implement the information in the book, IRL, will come down to you. But that pretty much sums up the game: it's all on you, in the end. You must take action.
– Karl Magnuz
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