I agree with Marmel that a guy shouldn’t fear the friendzone. It’s far better than the creepzone ie the “Get away from me - zone.”
If you take a hardnose approach and tell off (or ignore) every female that friendzones (or appears to friendzone) you, you are cutting yourself off at the knees socially and sexually.
You have to risk friendzone to build social connections and find possible lays.
The AMS advice to avoid/minimize giving non-sexual attention to females is IMO intended for very advanced players with a rotation of plates. I don’t think it’s necessarily the most suitable advice for beginner or even a lot of intermediate guys.
Here’s the thing most guys don’t understand about the friend zone. Once a woman delegates you to that status, YOU NO LONGER OWE HER ANYTHING. That means you are not obligated to be there when she calls or texts, you aren’t obligated to be there if/when she needs something, you hangout with her when YOU have time and want to not when she wants you to.
You also aren’t obligated to explain to her when some new women come snooping around you, you don’t have to explain yourself at all. Of course she’s going to act jealous and manipulate you to feeling guilty but just remember she put you in this position.
Think of it like this, you’re selling a car. Guy calls up and says can you hold it for me? You say “first come, first serve.”. Another guy comes up and gives you cash on the spot and drives off. First guy gets all mad cause you didn’t hold it for him. Women are like that. “Well I’m not interested in him so I doubt anyone else will be, let me friend zone him and he will never leave.” New girl comes sniffing around. Friend zone girl thinks “oh ****, what’s she seeing I didn’t see, she’s threatening my attention and I’m going to look stupid if he ends up with a prettier girl than me, the girl that friend zoned him. I gotta convince him I like him now so he will stay, then friend zone him all over.”
I swear it works just like that.