When I trade, I’m not just clicking buttons. I’m listening to the market breathe, watching it twitch, testing its reflexes. There’s a rhythm to it, a pulse you get attuned to when you’ve been doing this long enough. And for me, it always starts with context — the big picture. If you don’t understand where the market is in its overall structure, then every tick is just noise.
My style? When I trade futures, for instance, I keep it simple. If I’m hitting more than five trades a day, something’s gone wrong. That’s not discipline. That’s desperation. A calm, consistent approach always beats frenzy. I don’t chase setups. I wait for them to come to me. And if I miss it? That’s fine.
As I like to say, “Don’t chase the school bus. Another one’s coming.”
Expected move logic is my anchor. I credit Don for that — we even taught a class together on it. I took his framework and applied it religiously on the intraday level. When the market touches that expected move line and confirms it with price action — whether it's divergence or a one-candle reversal — I act. But I’m not looking for miracles. I’m looking for five handles. That’s my day done. No drama.
There’s a misconception that short-term traders don’t care about the bigger picture. That’s nonsense. You need both. My analysis might look scalpy to some, but I’m always layering it over the broader context. Is it a trend day? Is it a range day? Has the market already reached its extremes or is it still searching? Those questions dictate whether I’m looking for a quick scalp or preparing for something larger.
And let’s talk psychology — because no trading approach works without it. You can’t be a high-probability trader and a high-reward, low-risk trader off the same setup. You have to choose. Me? I’ll risk one to make five — over and over again. That means I’ll be wrong more than I’m right. But the math works. If you can’t stomach the inevitable losing streaks, if you can’t pluck that button eight times before the corn drops, you’ll never survive this game.
And here’s the thing — the same trade, the same level, the same logic can yield different results for different traders. That’s not an inefficiency. That’s individuality. One trader takes three handles, another takes five, someone else rides it to ten. They’re all right. Because your exit has to match your plan, your temperament, and your rules.
So when the breakout fakes out, I’m not surprised. Markets wiggle and squirt — I’ve said it before. They flirt with your levels before committing. That’s why I plan the trade, trade the plan, and let the numbers speak. You won’t find me flipping sides mid-session. If I’m wrong, I take the hit. If I’m right, I take the win. And when I hit day done, I’m done. That’s the point.
Because trading, at its core, isn’t about chasing price. It’s about knowing who you are — and pressing the button with intention.
- Blake Young