Tuesday 23 March 2010

SIM Trading is Boring and Trading Plans Suck

I have received hundreds of emails and comments from traders looking for CP in this business. Lots of them were very hard workers and put in a huge amount of effort and found success like the guy whose email I am pasting in below. Others are still on their way to CP, putting in the time, asking questions, SIM trading until they define their trades. Good on you all. I'll let this trader speak for himself:
Hi, I have sent you emails a few times pobably don't remember, asking very basic questions haha...

I have been studying everything I can about trading for 5months now, and lucky for me I happen to run into your blog about 4months ago, printed out every chart you have ever posted, read through every post and comments below, studied, analyzed and finally started practicing in simulation about 2 and a half months ago.

For about a half a month, I ended up loosing, I could not understand what you were trying to tell me, then looking farther into and studying more specifically how you enter your trades, what similarities I see and marking 2-3 requirements per trade, I went back to your charts to confirm that the same situation happened when the same type of trades were made.  I than went to my historical data for 5months, and started looking for the same entry criteria and started marking winner/looser, and why it won, and why it lost.

After loosing 15k, on 3 contracts for 3weeks, (mainly from trading too much at every turn), I decided to do as you say, and follow the exact setups I have marked in my plan.  I have written down a Continuation setup that I felt was the same as yours, as well as a reversal setup I felt you followed.  After 2months, I am now finally in profit at +3k, which is simply amazing and I have nothing but gratitude for all your help.

Looking through today's post you posted a single trade, with a chart.  Looking at that chart made me excited since the criteria, the way you read the order flow, all matched up exactly to how my reversal setup was marked in my plan, and could not help but send this long over due thank you email.

You have taken me from someone who knew absolutely nothing about day trading, to a CP in a matter of 4months, and have given me courage to finally choose to switch over to daytrading full time.  I will forever be greatful for all your hard work and generosity.  Thank you again.  SC
This is another great success story. I must have about 30 or so like this -  people, both male and female, all ages, who have become CP by following the way that I taught Kiki to trade. There are no free, easy shortcuts. The roadmap I have outlined in this blog has PROVEN to work for many different people of all walks of life and education. I truly believe it will work for most of you too. 

5 comments:

  1. Hello, Tom and Kiki

    I agree with that poster and also getting close to EL CP. My question for you is:

    Can you please discuss exiting and or reversing "loosing" trades. I know you do it quickly and not waiting for DD exit of two prior bars, but I still have not noticed the pattern for it.

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  2. Just finished going through the blog for a second time, what an amazing site. I will now be going back a third time, printing and analizing all charts and working on a business plan for success to SIM until CP. Your insights on the MP are most helpful to me, I have not seen this before, but think this is the key, with order flow to try to map the future day's support and resistance areas. Many thanks to you for putting this out for review.

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  3. driven, scaling out is the solution for exits if you can't "see" where to exit. Use, say, 2, 4 6 points to start off with. Otherwise, identify support and resistence points or when order flow and momentum changes. More screen time will give the answers. When the reason to enter no longer exists, EXIT. When the likelyhood of continuation is low, EXIT.

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  4. I'm also on the way - and the first time it feels sustainable. All thanks to Tom.

    The whole blog is just brilliant and I use it as a reference every day.

    For this it would be great if Yuval could update the summary. It's just great to load the file into the browser and use the search function to reread certain aspects.

    Thanks Yuval - and Tom of course...

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  5. For me, this is one the best posts!

    As a new trader, I'm looking to develop good, professional habits. Too often, people paint a get-rich-quick characture of traders. It's great to see examples of good old fashioned hard work coming through in trading

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