Real Men know how to seduce a woman in three easy steps

Amsterdam - Seducing a woman is an art that can be taught, and today's world and new gender roles require vigorous training. That is, at least, what David Kipping, press spokesman for the Real Man Conference, feels.

On September 20 and 21, some 500 men are due to convene in Amsterdam's RAI convention centre for a two-day-training in the art of seduction.

The so-called "Real Men Conference" is the largest and first international convention dedicated exclusively to the art of picking up women.

Among those to help the participants improve their dating skills are a total of 14 dating coaches, such as Dutch coach Tijn van Ewijk but also the internationally renowned Zan Perrion and Johnny Soporno.

Perrion and Soporno have been giving dating workshops for several years in the US and abroad. Among their clients are not only ordinary people, but also businessmen, academics and even celebrities, they say.

"Many men today have a problem," David Kipping, press spokesman for the Real Men Conference, tells Deutsche-Presse Agentur dpa. "They do not know how to pick up a woman."

"In the old times, men used to learn these things from their fathers. It was a male initiation process. But as parents divorced more frequently in the past decades, boys no longer have their male role models in front of them every day," he says.

"I can testify about that myself: my parents got divorced when I was ten years old."

But, Kipping says, there are more factors why men often fail to get a girlfriend.

"Women have become financially independent - which is good. But it also means they have become more critical when it comes to men. They don't need men any more for their survival," he explains.

"Today, they only want to be with a man if he is funny and worthwhile to spend time with," he adds.

This means today's men were often afraid to be rejected, Kipping says. In training how to date women, they would learn social and communicative skills which in turn would boost their confidence.

"In a sense, our training will benefit them in all their social encounters, not just the romantic ones," he explains.

The training in the art of seduction is important, however, as many men simply have no clue on how to romance a woman, says Kipping: The truth is that there is a growing number of men in their 30s, 40s and 50s who have never had a real girlfriend.

"Most people do not want to hear they have no idea how approach a woman," he says.

Kipping became involved in the industry of dating coaches out of his own experience of being a bachelor against his will.

"I am university educated and an attractive man. But I did not have a real girlfriend until I was 30 years of age. It was a problem for me."

"I was very insecure. I thought I was not attractive for women. And once you start thinking this yourself, it becomes a self- fulfilling prophecy."

One day Kipping decided it had been enough. He logged onto the internet and began to look for solutions.

"I began to participate in on-line dating trainings and internet communities about how to pick up women."

Soon, he encountered the method preached by Neil Strauss in his best-selling book "The Game. Penetrating the secret society of pick- up artists."

In his book, US journalist and author Strauss, who struggled with his own social life for many years, tells about his immersion in the scene of dating coaches.

The reader follows Strauss in his transformation from a dating nerd to a pickup artist.

Strauss followed the method taught to him by a dating coach called Mystery, involving a handy three-step process called "Attraction, Comfort and Seduction" aimed at moving the game of man-meets-woman toward the end goal: the creation of an intimate sexual relationship.

"These methods really work," says Kipping. It turned around my life. Once I familiarized myself with the skills, I became more confident."

Soon, Kipping met his girlfriend: "That is two-and-a-half years ago. We have been living together now for more than a year and a half," he smiles.

The two-day conference in Amsterdam provides a comprehensive package about the art of seduction. Among others, participants are promised to be taught the best places to meet a potential girlfriend.

"Contrary to what many people think," says Kipping, "bars and night clubs are definitely the worst places to meet someone.

Instead, try to meet someone in ordinary settings in daily life, in broad daylight. The chances that you will find your love in a supermarket or post office, are very realistic." For more information: www. realmanconference. nl (dpa)

General: