If you only learn 1 thing about trading, learn this:
There are only 2 ways to become profitable.
Once you understand the differences, you will know:
which strategies can actually work
which trading advice is useful
who is worth learning from
why all paid courses aren’t worth it
what to learn next
#1: Systematic Trading
Every trading rule is fully defined and quantifiable
Every decision could be executed automatically by code
Success comes from discovering a profitable set of rules through testing, data, and experimentation
#2: Discretionary Trading
Rules guide decisions but don't define every action
Decisions rely on experience, judgment, and adapting to market conditions
Success comes from experience with a specific strategy
Instead of trying to sell you shortcuts that don’t work, this guide teaches the skills, process, and experimentation required to succeed regardless of which path you choose.
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Because regardless of whether you become a systematic or discretionary trader, there is simply no course, substitute, or shortcut for the work and experience required to succeed. Nobody who develops a system capable of making millions would sell it, let alone share it publicly in a strategy video. And nobody who succeeds through discretionary trading can sell you the experience required to make it work. Let’s continue.
This website was designed to answer every question you could have. Let’s get started.
The Complete Trading Guide (90 minutes)
This guide combines traditional explanations with hundreds of clips filmed throughout my trading journey. Every major lesson is reinforced with real examples from the time I was learning it, making the concepts much easier to understand. Rather than teaching a specific strategy, this guide teaches principles that apply regardless of the strategy or market you eventually trade.
In this guide, you'll learn how to:
experiment with strategies instead of blindly copying them
build and refine your own trading system
collect and analyze meaningful trading data
identify what actually works and what doesn't
avoid common mistakes that waste months or years
The video is fully timestamped with chapters. Whether you're just getting started or already have experience, you can skip to the sections that are most relevant to you. I have put an absurd amount of work into creating this strictly based on the desire to help you succeed. Thank you.
Don't trade with real money until you're ready. Start with a free sim account at NinjaTrader here. It’s what I’ve personally used and recommended since 2021.
Are you completely new to trading and looking to just learn the basics?
This video is an “intro to trading” class meant just for beginners. Skip it if not needed. Covered topics include: brokers, indicators, technical analysis, order types, basic trade components, candles, timeframes, charts, psychology, what to trade (futures, Forex, crypto, stocks, options), and other introductory topics.
“Does ____ trading strategy work?” “Should I learn _____ concepts?”
Remember:
Either the strategy/system or pattern works on its own, so automate it and create an algorithm (or just execute the trades manually)
OR:
The system only works when you choose how and when you will or will not follow it, making discretion what can make that particular system “work.”
All popular/public trading strategies (like supply and demand, ICT, support and resistance, etc.) and indicator-based systems (like VWAP or EMAs) have already been automated with 100% precision, and you can actually find most of them for free on TradingView. People have already coded them and shared them online. They don’t yield nonrandom results (and therefore don’t work). There are profitable algorithms, systems, and indicators, but they’re not being sold for $15/month to retail traders… and they certainly aren’t being given away for free either. The indicators and strategies that actually yield nonrandom results are being actively deployed in the markets to make money — and they’re being kept private. Think about how stupid it would be for someone to lose money by giving away their profitable strategy or indicator.
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Algorithmic/systematic trading strategies are valid, and so are discretionary strategies. But, you must understand the difference between them. By doing that, you’ll see exactly what you must learn next and how to spend your time. And, understanding that is how you navigate YouTube, Twitter, and all other social media platforms. You’ll see exactly how to extract value from what you find while discerning what is helpful and what is not — and that will make it clear on exactly why paying for a course, indicator, mentorship, and anything else is a terrible decision. Additionally, this will show you everything you need to know about whether you should learn whatever trading strategy you’re currently thinking about, because nobody gives away anything that is actually profitable when fully automated. So, all of the various strategies out there are sort of just perspectives to learn price action through, and becoming profitable through them requires work that only you can do. Whether you make something new or tweak an existing approach, the breakthrough to profitability comes from you and not someone else online (and certainly not a paid course). There’s only so many ways I can keep emphasizing the importance of understanding this, so learn more about it in the video below. It covers everything far more clearly.
This video has been embedded to start playing at 54:08. That’s the section in the guide that clarifies the difference between systematic vs discretionary trading systems. It’s the missing puzzle piece. Trading influencers give up and sell a course before learning it, and so that’s why all of what you’re seeing on this page isn’t widely discussed. Plus, they’re incentivized to hide it from you, because it proves why their courses are completely useless in terms of developing a real edge in the markets. I repeat: every single trading influencer in this space who sells trade alerts, indicators, trading systems, courses, or mentorships is incentivized to not tell you how the path to profitability actually operates.
Trading influencers, YouTube videos on trading, who to follow, what to watch, how to not get scammed, and other important info
You learned from the first section that nobody is giving away a system that works without discretion, so, when you buy a course, you’re paying for a broken algorithm. Most courses contain some helpful information, but all of the real learning is actually up to you. The only value a course has is the information that you learned for free in the beginner guide at the top.
Please watch the video above, which will teach you about the red flags for a fake guru. You should now understand the specific information and value that can be extracted from trading videos. However, it’s not that simple. You are at a very high risk of completely ruining any chances of succeeding by following advice that is blatantly wrong. That is why it is essential for you to watch the video where I exposed the “#1 day trading podcast in the world.” It’s not an exaggeration to say that just by understanding the fundamental differences and the implications of systematic vs discretionary trading, your understanding of trading will be greater than most trading influencers. I’m not kidding.
EVEN IF THESE TRADING INFLUENCERS WERE PROFITABLE (they’re not), WHAT THEY’RE SELLING CAN STILL BE LEARNED FOR FREE.
I know MANY consistently profitable traders, and I know a few making a LOT of money. Guess what? None of them sell courses, mentorships, or private communities.
I trade futures. Here’s a full futures trading guide (covers every important topic)
I believe futures are the best to trade for many reasons, which was covered in the intro to trading video at the top. Another major benefit is access to great trading software that lets you do your initial learning on a sim account for free. You can get signed up with what I’ve personally used since 2021 here.
A collection of other videos that will help you
I spent thousands of hours and multiple years learning to trade through pure experimentation and without ANY outside influence. That means I did a lot of stupid stuff, and I also learned a LOT about crucial topics that others don’t discuss. I poured my entire life into this and became hyper-obsessed for several years, so please benefit from the lessons, breakthroughs, and realizations that I turned into videos in order to benefit others.
1st video: learn about risk reward ratios and win rates, but particularly their relationship to each other as you’re learning and developing a strategy
2nd video: learn the REAL relationship between your trading strategy and “trading psychology”
3rd video: price action isn’t actually fractal, but what are the implications behind not being able to tell the timeframe on a chart? Take the test yourself and see.
4th video: your strategy will or will not work depending on the overall price action conditions, so what are the implications of that when designing a system?
5th video: ATR is a helpful indicator for telling you when volatility changes. That helps you adapt to correct trade sizes. Adjust ATR’s period from 14 to 1 to use it like me.
6th video: this is a collection of some of the most helpful trading advice in the trading industry.
And once the simulation environment is no longer of use
Prop firms are a great way to eventually transition yourself to real money — or, maybe you stay with prop firms like I did for the advantages they offer. I have made a complete prop firm trading guide here, and the video on this page covers the basics as well. There is money to be made with firms if you’re smart about it, but don’t even think about them until you’ve spent some time sim trading. Never use real money until you’re ready.
For getting started with sim trading, go here to see my page on NinjaTrader.
The Prop Firm Center Discord is ONLY for prop firm traders. Decide if you want to join LATER.
100%-free community only for prop firm traders. Discuss trading, your strategy, the best firms, and more. Plus, there are up-to-date discounts at only the best firms as well as tons of free account giveaways.
I started the Prop Firm Center Discord after my video on Apex Trader Funding made them shut down their Discord server to public chat. I wanted a place for all prop users to have a home and to discuss trading, firms, issues, news, and anything else outside of the control of each firm’s moderation team. It is mostly for futures prop firms.
Why I trade through prop firms instead of risking my own money
The firm takes the loss, but you keep the profits. Sort of. Read below.
Risk-free trading
You pay a set price to take an evaluation (hit a profit target before the max drawdown), and, if you pass the evaluation and follow the rules, you are guaranteed funding. If you fail the funded account and lose the firm money, you don’t pay for any of that (the firm does). You just have to take another evaluation if you want to get funded again. If you make money, you keep 80-90% of the profits.
Less pressure
Since the only costs from you are paying to take the evaluation, you can’t lose anything beyond that. So, rather than being paralyzed by fear while trading with your own money, you can trade with the firm’s money. That makes it safe and easier to trade with larger sized positions. It’s much easier to trade when the money being risked isn’t yours! This makes scaling up much less difficult than when your own money is on the line.
