8 ways to approach and impress women: Exclusive boot camps teach men how to behave; ASS rule, ‘nice guy’ image and more
A CNN team followed Matt Artisan's three-day dating boot camp in Nashville. Reporters observed every session, from classroom presentations to live street approaches. Artisan’s company
A CNN team followed Matt Artisan's three-day dating boot camp in Nashville. Reporters observed every session, from classroom presentations to live street approaches. Artisan’s company, The Attractive Man, holds such boot camps in Europe, Asia, Central America and the United States. Here is what the coaches actually teach their participants about how to approach and impress women. Approach Women in Person The entire philosophy of these camps rests on face-to-face interaction. Artisan and his coaches believe dating apps have fundamentally damaged spontaneous human connection. The growth of digital courtship has left many men unable to hold a real conversation with a stranger. Getting out into the real world and speaking to women directly is presented as both a learnable skill and an urgent necessity. The camp exists precisely because this skill has eroded and needs to be rebuilt deliberately. Work on Physical Presentation Coach Artisan told one participant bluntly that his baggy clothing was actively pushing women away. He refused to allow the man to approach anyone until he addressed his appearance.
The message was direct: how you present yourself physically communicates confidence and self-respect before you speak a single word. Investing in how you look is not vanity. It is a baseline requirement for being taken seriously in any social interaction. Always Say Something Artisan's so-called "ASS rule", Always Say Something, is a core teaching of the camp. Overthinking and hesitation are consistently identified as the primary enemies of genuine connection. Men who wait for ideal conditions never act at all. Also Read | Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater split after nearly three years together The camp repeatedly pushed participants to trust their instincts and move forward rather than standing frozen in their own heads. An imperfect approach attempted is always more valuable than a perfect one imagined. Project Calm Confidence Coaches repeatedly flagged rising vocal pitch and nervous body language as habits to correct. The desired energy was described as composed and grounded rather than frantically friendly. Artisan cited James Bond as a benchmark for the relaxed, assured presence he wanted his participants to develop.
A certain degree of calm tension, according to him, is far more compelling than the breathless over-enthusiasm that many of these men defaulted to when nervous. Lose ‘Nice Guy’ Image Artisan identified over-eagerness to please as a self-defeating pattern that most of his clients shared. Men who constantly seek approval and prioritise a woman's comfort above their own sense of self inadvertently signal low self-worth. Having a degree of edge, he argues, is not rudeness or aggression. It is simply the visible expression of a man who values himself. Without it, he thinks, even the most genuine and well-intentioned man becomes invisible. Embrace Emotional Openness This lesson emerged organically rather than as a planned part of the curriculum. When participant Steve Crook broke down in tears during a prolonged silent eye-contact exercise with a hired model, the response was overwhelmingly positive. The model told him directly that his emotional sensitivity was rare and deeply admirable. According to her, most men struggle to be that present and open.
The BriefWire