that you know this, but everyone needs to be reminded of it once in a while.

Practicing makes you more comfortable and gives you more confidence for when it‘s actually showtime. It lets you know what works and what doesn’t work, and it gives you the experience of knowing how to deal with all the different types of situations that may arise.

Now for some reason, guys are hesitant to “just practice” their game. They usually want the real thing or nothing at all. Why is this?  I think there are 4 main reasons why guys tend to not practice their game.

1. They fear that they're not good enough and it will just be disaster after disaster.

2. They fear that they'll be ostracized if they see this certain girl again or if she tells others of incident

3. They are nervous about starting conversations, talking to women, etc.

4. They feel they’re already good enough.

Right off the bat, if you suffer from the 4th reason, then listen very closely. You’re NOT good enough to not need practice, and you never will be. LeBron James practices everyday. . . and I’m willing to bet that you’re probably not the LeBron of picking up women.

Now what about the other 3 reasons for not practicing?

Reason number 3 disappears with and only with practice. Some people naturally don’t have this fear, but if you do have it, practice is the only solution, so suck it up.

And so we’re left with the first 2 reasons. So let me ask you something.

What if you were sure that the women you’ll be talking to are expecting the absolute worst from you? And what if you will never see her again? Perfect right? Both fears gone. So where is this perfect place to practice your game?

Airports.

I happen to travel a lot, and so I'm always finding myself alone in airports for extended periods of time. I’ll usually go into one of the airport bars or food courts for some food or a drink, and there are always tons of people, many of whom are alone.

But what makes this such a good place to practice?

In airports people are alone, bored, and expecting the worst out of the experience. They are really sick and tired of people who are getting in their way, bothering them, being rude etc. And as I said . . . most of these people, you will never see again.

Now I know what you're going to say "A girl at the airport will probably think that I am bothering her, or being rude, etc." On the contrary. And I'm going to give you some of the lines I've used, that have rarely failed.  So first let me set the scene.

You are flying across the country, and you have a two hour layover in a city that you've never been to. Being bored you stroll over to one of the airport bars with a newspaper.

Let’s assume that the bartender is a woman, and at least moderately good looking.

What usually happens to me (if the bar is not crowded) is that the bartender will usually keep looking at me while I get settled, sort my bags, take my jacket off, etc. One of my favorite harmless lines to say once I notice that the bartender is looking at me is:

"What? Were you hoping someone better looking would sit here?"

This line is magical if said in a very harmless manner, with a little smile. Why? Because every answer that she gives will work to your benefit.

If she responds with "Yes" then you know she has a sense of humor and a good personality (assuming that she didn’t say it maliciously, but I've never ever had that happen). So to her “yes” I might say,

"Oh well maybe I better go to a bar where the bartenders are nicer." And from there you have established a joking environment with her. I mean you said it jokingly as you opened the menu and are obviously already settled and not moving.

If she says "No" or "No, I was just waiting to see what you wanted to drink etc"

I might say, "No? Well good, I mean I might be the best looking guy you get sitting here all night. This might be it." (point to myself and smile). At this point I'll tell her my drink order, start reading my newspaper, and leave her alone.

The advantage of practicing like this is that this bartender has been dealing with pissed off, annoying, drunk, rude people all day. A lot of people just HATE traveling, airports, layovers etc. And they usually take out their frustration on anyone and everyone they see that day. Now here you come with a harmless joking statement that lightens the mood.

Another advantage is that she’s obviously going to hang around you at first, until you order, so your guaranteed to have a short conversation. But you can’t look desperate for attention so that’s why I'll order my drink after 2-3 exchanges therefore ending the conversation and leaving her alone. So now that you’ve ordered your drink, you sit back and read your paper.

Now you've set the tone. If the bar is busy, I wont talk to the bartender anymore unless she is hanging around where I’m sitting or starts talking to me again. But if the bar is empty, then she'll probably like that you're curing her boredom. When she passes by, you can say,

"I guess your Prince Charming isn't here yet, I'll just keep this seat warm for him. But I'm going warn him how insensitive you were to me when I first sat down." (joking smile, then return to reading)

Now you take it from there. Pulling off conversation starting lines like these might make some guys nervous, especially if the woman is VERY attractive. So this practice that you can gain with people you'll probably never see again will be very helpful.

Now what about the girl sitting next to you?

If she wasn’t around to see you talk to the bartender good, and if she was, then that’s also good. Because then she knows that you have a harmless yet charming, non-abrasive sense of humor.

One of the best ways to spark a girl’s interest at a bar is to look at her and either ask her permission for something, or apologize for something. Seriously. I mean just think about how many people do little things that piss you off all the time without even realizing it?

Now I'm the last guy in the world to be a pansy to a complete stranger, but it’s all in the way you say it.

If my phone has rang loudly, or I had to talk on the phone for a minute, possibly loudly, or if my newspaper is taking up a lot of room at the bar, I'll turn and say,

"Does (Did) that bother you? I'm sorry." While saying this, I'll make solid eye contact with a little smile, and while she's responding, I'll start turning back my way and nod and say "ok" back to her.

This is powerful. She thought you were going to be an arrogant prick who does whatever he wants, and here you are asking for forgiveness from a stranger, all the while exhibiting confidence and ease. And the fact that you didn’t rush into a forced conversation with her allows her to let down some of her automatic defenses that are usually up when she’s talking to strangers (especially men).

Now at this point, I'll wait a few minutes and just see if she looks open to conversation. Most girls HATE sitting alone at bars especially if a guy is alone and sitting close to them. So I'll usually turn after a few minutes and say "Yea I hate it when people let their phone ring in public, its usually some chump who's mother is calling him anyways."

Here you've exhibited your sense of humor and have started to establish that you asking for her approval was a mere fluke. And you take the conversation from there, all the while practicing your conversational skills which will come in handy when its actually showtime.

So let’s summarize.

The beauty of airports is that you probably will never see any of these people ever again. So practice, fail, practice, fail, then practice and succeed all the while being away from anyone you give a shit about.

Don’t look dependent, don’t look desperate for conversation, and it’ll come easier.

Hone your skills, see what women respond to so that once you're dealing with an attractive girl who you will see again, you've had the practice.

And one more thing, One Of These might help too.

Stud On,
Anthony D