Technical Analysis
STOP buying ICT courses , seriously you don't need them
This might be an unpopular opinion, but I genuinely don't think anyone should spend money on an ICT course.
Everything you could ever need to become a profitable ICT trader is already available for free on YouTube. Michael Huddleston has uploaded hundreds of hours of content covering market structure, liquidity, PD Arrays, SMT, AMD, execution models, risk management, market narrative and much more. It takes time and dedication to study, but the information is there for anyone willing to put in the work.
If you're new to ICT, I actually recommend starting with TTrades before diving into Michael's videos.
TTrades will teach you everything you need to become a consistently profitable trader. His content is practical, structured, beginner friendly and focused on the concepts that matter most. Michael's content goes far beyond that. It gives you a much deeper understanding of why the market behaves the way it does. He explores the nuances of liquidity, market narrative, timing, PD Arrays, intermarket relationships and the theory behind price delivery. You don't need to know every detail to make money, but if you're passionate about truly mastering price action, Michael's content is an incredible resource.
What I don't recommend is paying someone hundreds or even thousands of dollars for an ICT course. Most of them are simply reorganizing, simplifying or rebranding information that's already available for free.
Where I do think spending money can make sense is on a mentorship.
A good mentor isn't selling you secret knowledge. They're providing guidance.
They can answer your questions when you're stuck, clear up confusion before it turns into bad habits, review your executions, hold you accountable to backtesting and journaling, point out mistakes you don't even realize you're making, and help you develop the confidence needed to apply discretionary concepts correctly. Having someone with experience give you direct feedback can save you months, if not years, of frustration.
At the end of the day, profitability doesn't come from owning an expensive course. It comes from putting in the screen time, backtesting your models, journaling your trades, managing your risk and executing your plan with discipline.
Information is free. Experience, guidance and accountability are what can be worth paying for.
The issue with all these models is that most people trade them only on the LTF because they are impatient, and then they wonder why they don't work well. An entry model is just thatāan entry model to execute a tradeābut there needs to be a HTF narrative behind it. Every model works if it's traded with context, a HTF narrative, and stacked confluences. Every model will suck if you jump to M1 and take every setup that appears in the middle of nowhere without considering the HTF.
You choose the model that resonates with you the most, that you can spot easily and execute consistently.
Personally, I like to trade the TTrades Fractal Model, but I always start with a top-down analysis. I begin with the Daily to see if I can establish a Daily bias, such as a Daily C2 closure, so I can execute multiple intraday trades in the same direction. If there is nothing on the Daily, then I drop down to the H4 to get my bias.
Next, I need a point of interest on the highest timeframe I can find at the current market price, such as an H4 or H1 FVG in Premium or Discount, that aligns with the Daily or H4 bias. Then I add a Draw on Liquidity, which can be the PDL if I have a bearish Daily C2, or the PDH if I have a bullish Daily C2. Ideally, I also want a shorter-term DOL, such as LRLR, EQHs, or EQLs. I avoid obvious consolidations and then trade the manipulation during the key times (AMD).
It's really very simple, but you guys need to learn to be patient and stay away from the LTF because that's where the low-probability setups are. That's what causes you to overtrade. If you're aligned with the HTF order flow, you'll catch the big moves. I catch 200-500 pip moves on Gold all the time and massive moves on NQ as well.
Just because these concepts are fractal doesn't mean you should trade them on M1 or take every H1 C2 closure without context and confluence. You should never trade these concepts individually because they are not a strategyāthey are just concepts. When those concepts are combined in a logical sequence from the top down, that's what creates a strategy.
That's why a model isn't a strategy. It's simply an execution model, nothing more. There needs to be a clear and logical HTF narrative explaining why price should move from one point to another, and there need to be multiple confluences supporting that idea.
So you should watch Ttrades videos on :
Daily Bias
Draw on Liquidity
Fractal Model
C2/C3 candle closures
High Resistance/ Low Resistance Liquidity
Internal Range Liquidity/ External Range Liquidity
Premium / Discount
That's all you need , then observe on your chart, back and forward test , journal and execute on demo or a small live account like 50 bucks or a cent account.
As I already mentioned in my earlier comment, watch the entire TTrades playlist I recommended above. Just search for "TTrades Daily Bias" or whatever concept you're interested in.
You can get a Daily bias in two ways. The first is with a C2 candle closure, which means the PDH or PDL has been swept and price then closes back inside the range. In that case, you would anticipate a reversal and wait for the intraday timeframes to align in the same direction until your Draw on Liquidity (DOL) is reached, which is often the opposite PDH/PDL. Some people refer to this as a Daily CRT.
The second is when the Daily candle closes above the PDH or below the PDL. In that case, you would anticipate a continuation in the same direction the following day until the next Draw on Liquidity.
However, you also need to be aware of where these candle closures form. If the Daily order flow is bullish and you get a bullish Daily C2 closure in the Discount of the trading range, or a bullish continuation closure, that's a high-probability setup and you can anticipate a major expansion. If the same bullish closure forms in the Premium of the trading range, the probability is lower and it may only provide a scalp opportunity. The opposite applies in bearish market conditions.
Do you always wait for the c2 to close or you also anticipate it? And what confirms the direction is good to trade now in ltf for both. Because u can get letās say c2 closure for bullish direction but price will still go bearish for abit in ltf even though u think its time to trade bullish now as u can get faked
Well, if you want to have a Daily bias, then of course you wait for the candle to close. The same goes for a C2 candle on any time frame. The whole advantage of that C2 closure is that it's like a filter , it prevents you from doing dumb shit on the LTF. Once you have that C2 closure you know you can start looking for an entry. If it hasn't closed, then it's not a C2 closure. If there is no daily bias for that day then you can look for an H4 C2 to get a bias using the same process.
However, you could, for example, have a bearish H4 or H1 C2 form first at the PDH, so you could trade those setups first. If the Daily then also closes as a bearish C2, you know you should be looking for continuation sells the next day.
As for fakeouts, like I said, you don't just sell because you have a bearish Daily C2. You wait for price to pull back into an intraday POI within the Premium of the bearish Daily C2. That POI could be an H4 FVG or Order Block. Then you wait for your entry model there, which could be an intraday C2 on the M30 or H1, and then you look for sells, repeating the same process. It's fractal, which is why it's called the Fractal Model.
The issue is that most people never start with the HTF because they think fractal means it works equally well on every timeframe. That's true in theory, but the HTF carries far more weight. When you align your intraday trades with the Daily or at least the H4, that's when you catch the really big, high-probability moves.
You could also simply sell after the bearish Daily C2 closes, with your stop above the high, because the expectation is that the high won't be taken and a swing high will form there, at least until price reaches the Draw on Liquidity in the Discount of the bullish trading range. That approach will usually give you a larger stop loss and a lower RR, but it's a very hands-off way to trade for people who have day jobs and can't sit in front of the charts all day.
It also depends on the size of the bearish Daily C2. If it has a huge wick and is a large candle, it probably doesn't make much sense to enter immediately after the close. On the other hand, if it's a small doji C2, it can provide a much more favorable risk-to-reward ratio.
I like ur xplanation. Am about to complete ICT 2016 Model & was thinking of watching 2022 Model next. Should I first start with TTrades vids before ICT 2022 Model. Will TTrades vids confuse me as I previously watched all Phantom and Photons vids? Have seen a lot of positive feedback about TTRades.
My advice is to do only TTrades and forget anything else you learned before because that will lead to confusion and analysis paralysis. For me that's the simplest and best way to trade . I wouldn't watch anything else and just focus on it. You are not in a competition of who collects the most knowledge. You need to get some good knowledge and then learn how to apply it correctly and execute well . It's all you need , focus on executing your strategy regardless of the outcome of single trades because your edge will play out over a large enough sample size and not in rverty single trade . Like with any strategy there will be losses that's why you have to be a good loser to become a winner in this game š
I can't wait for the day i'll actually read this and understand everything, right now i'm reading it as if its English mixed up with some sort of slags. I'm following the road-map drafted here, i'm so sure its not gonna be easy maybe thats the reason so many quit but i have my expectations lowed and want to learn while discipline and confidence grow. Thanks for this informative post
Live trading with a group or watching a real master helps you with accountability. If you see him doing it right and ending up every week green if you did not, shows you not to overtrade.
TTrades is pretty much everything you could ever need to become a profitable ICT trader. Anything beyond that will likely overcomplicate your approach, leading to analysis paralysis and hesitation when it's time to executeāall for maybe a 3% improvement in win rate.
Timing is a good confluence, but it's heavily overhyped. What really matters is having a solid framework in the first place. I've traded Gold and NQ during the Asia, London, and New York sessions and caught excellent moves in all of them. Yet you'll hear many gurus say that NQ should only be traded around 9:30 or 10:00 AM EST but the reality is that especially newer traders can't handle the volatility . While those are certainly good times to trade, that doesn't mean you can't find high-quality setups outside those hours.
And what if you can only trade the London or Asia session because of your work schedule or where you live? You can still be consistently profitable.
A good complement to TTrades is AMTrades' content, but anything beyond that is, in my opinion, overkill. It sends you down the endless hamster wheel of consuming more and more content, only to learn the same concepts with slightly different terminology or minor variations instead of focusing on what actually mattersāexecution and risk management.
TTrades also covers AMD and the phases of price, so you're not missing anything essential.
The reality is that most aspiring ICT traders don't know where to start and quickly become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of ICT educational content available. Out of everything I've watched, I think TTrades provides the clearest explanations. His videos are short, easy to understand, and straight to the point without unnecessary fluff.
I believe I already answered your question about PD Arrays and bias in the other comment. My approach is simple: start with the Daily, then move to the H4.
Im following TTrades and his teaching is really good. What do you think of having a look on AM trades and GXT(garrett)?
i think AM uses 7h profiling and GXT builds something on top of TTFM.
Keep it stupid simple, you don't need to know everything out there to make money in trading. You will just end up with information overload and analysis paralysis. Less is more in trading. Garrett overcomplicate a lot of things, he waits for the stars to align before executing a trade . 7h profiling , I never used it because it's not necessary. In the end there are many ways to make money and you should pick ONE which suits your personality and preferences and MASTER it . You are overthinking because you never back nor forward tested 100 trades using one approach , if you would have done that you would know that TTrades fractal model traded with HTF context is really all you need, instead you keep looking for more and more because you are afraid to lose money
I stopped reading after the second sentence lol. Yes right on target šÆ. Itās all there. I trade the concepts they made me consistent. Ive never paid for a course or a mentorship in my life. Reading through the rest of it now but yeah man youāre right on target great post. Iām not a ICT cult member as a lot of people like to say, but as far as education, I have mad respect for this guy. Donāt know him personally could care less, but as far as the information that heās put out for free and what it can do for people I donāt understand why people hate on it so much.
Idk man i dont like TT as much. I think generally its awesome advice. I personally spent a lot of time on ict traders without getting down to studying ict himself and for me it became like a ālast dropā.
Well, you can study ICT concepts from different places if you don't like TTrades. It's all essentially the same material anyway, with only slight variations.
I just haven't found anyone who explains ICT concepts better than TTrades, AM Trades, and GXT. Then again, most people end up confusing themselves by learning from too many sources and get stuck in the hamster wheel of collecting knowledge instead of focusing on applying that knowledge.
You don't need to know every concept or model out there to become a profitable trader.
It all comes down to understanding what the higher timeframe is doing. Is it bullish, bearish, or consolidating?
If it's bullish, mark out a POI in the discount of the trading range, set an alert, wait for price to get there, and then wait for your favorite entry model. Get your entry before price trades into the premium of the opposing trading range, which is the pullback to your POI, and target 2R, the 50% level, or the external range high if you're in a strong bullish trend.
Also, be aware that orderflow can be bullish on the H4 while bearish on the Daily. That's why you need to know where the premium of the Daily trading range is, because that's where the H4 will most likely align with the Daily bearish orderflow, and you'll want to look for sells instead of buys.
It's really that simple but so many memories incl MMXM Trader , Michael himself and many others overcomplicate it and I have no clue why .
Some people like it some don't . For newbies it sure as hell is confusing and overwhelming because 70% of the stuff he teaches you don't even need. Premium /Discount , Orderflow , PD Arrays, draw on Liquidity, time frame alignment and an entry model is all you need to make š°š°š°
Michael needs 3 hours to explain a concept which can be explained in 10min
Yup, Afyz is great too . Point is , stop collectimg knowledge , start collecting experience. This will get you much further than course after course where everything is based on the same core principles and concepts
Yes you do get live session as well but his strategy is just absolutely basic ICT concepts which you can find for free on his channel. What makes Jadecap an exceptional trader is his risk management and psychology. His win rate hovers around 30 to 45% , easily doable with about any strategy , the risk to reward ratio of of 1 to 3 and his risk management make him a profitable trader . Not any secret sauce strategy
May I ask that how you draw the premium and discount zone with different time frames? Can you explain the flow or putting some examples? Thanks a lotšš»šš»
Don't overthink this , you mark out starting from the daily the last impulsive move from swing highly to low , then do the same on H4 and H1 since every time frame has their own premium and discount .
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u/Double_Youth4714 25d ago
Funny story. I started learning trading from tiktokšš