Trading Plan - What should be included and how to improve it.

I have been failing same like many traders are failing these days for same reason. Not having a plan and clearly defined when to trade , when not to trade and didn't have set barriers when to stop. Always wanted to make more. Yes it sounds boring and restrictive. But you will either lean on plan or on impulses.

Everything start with visualization of how your trade setup should looks like. You should know what exactly you are looking for and describe it as much as possible for example:

🧩 Basic Concept
Im looking for the fake break out of the range. Whether we call it manipulation or Stop hunt. It really doesn't matter. The idea is that once big candle is created it creates fomo and break out traders are entering continuation. I trade against them.

📍Bullish continuation setups
Model 1 - Entry after manipulation - 50% target
Model 2 - Entry on pullback on level between 61.8 - 80% 📍Bearish Continuation setups
Model 1 - Entry after manipulation - 50% target
Model 2 - Entry on pullback on level between 61.8 - 80% pullback This is your strategy, your pattern you are looking for in the specific situations and market conditions.

📍 Trading plan
is how, when and where , you are going to execute it. It's also good to describe your step by step process, so you remind it to yourself. I suggest to read it before every trading session. Especially beginners or if you adopted a new strategy. Describe every trade element as much as possible. With experiences you will be improving and shaping it. It has to be as simple as possible. 📍Trading Pairs - If you are day trader / Intra week trader focus on 8 pairs maximum, You dont need more - DXY, EUR, GBP, CHF, BTC, ETH, SOL, XAU

📍Market Bias - Describe how you analyze your Bias - Trend
Do you have HTF Trend / Liquidity ?
Internal LQ - Discount / Premium
External LQ - Significant HL taken
Monday, Friday, Weekly CLS Range
Key Level ? - If NO - NO trade
Liquidity Sweep + SMT
CIOD - Close - Model 1- 50% TP

📍Down Trend - Trade Stop hunts above the highs
📍Up Trend - Trade Stop Hunt below the lows 📍TF Alignment CLS Range + Entry - Structure of my Top Down analysis
Weekly / Daily Range - CLS Range
H4 / H1 / M30 / M15 - Entries
Don't overcomplicate it this works 📍Setup Qualifications - If one of criteria is not met = No trade
High volatility Stop hunt
Stop run out of CLS range - 0.15%
Rejection from Key Level
CIOD on the LTF Model 1
Correct times - NY, LO , PM Sessions

📍Entry Model 1
CIOD - the next candle below / above open
if the engulfing candle is too big, wait for a pullback
If range is too big take TP at 50%
Look for correlated pairs
If within HTF trend, target full range.

📍Bullish Scenario LTF Change in order flow is important aspect of the trade if you dont wait patiently for the candle close on the right timeframe, setup is invalid. 📍Bearish Scenario
as you can see price action never looks completely same you need to practice your eyes to see it, profiles, levels and what is happening on the edge of the range. Another and not less important part is knowing when not to trade. Also Im not perfect and even I have quite good plan sometimes I dont follow so reminding these mistakes and reading them in my trading plan is great way to eliminating them next time.

🧪 Low Probability Conditions
Day and Day before NPF, FOMC or CPI
Last and First day of a New Month
Dont buy or sell in the direction of overextended markets
An HTF objective has been met
Price tripped between two Key Levels

🧪 Don't trade IF
- Equal highs / Lows around your SL
- If stop run is to shallow
- Candle didn't closed yet
- If you didn't catch the initial move - don't fomo
- No room for at least 2RR

🧪 Recent Mistakes
- Trading within wrong market conditions
- Entering before CIOD confirmed
- Shallow manipulations
- Now waiting for the PWL / PDL Work on constant improvement, not by adding indicators or by looking for new strategy, commit to the one and master it . 1 Kick - 10 000 times

⁉️ This is questions Im asking myself when going thru past trades. It will help you improve as a trader and shape your trading plan.

- Was there a type of trade that did/didn’t work well?
- Was there a particular market that I did/didn’t trade well?
- Was there a particular day/time that I did/didn’t trade well?
- Did I enter trades too soon?
- Did I enter trades too late?
- Did I take profits too soon?
- Did I take profits too late?
- Did I put my stops loss too tight?
- Did I use an unnecessarily big stop loss?
- Did I take take any trades with poor Risk:Reward ratio?
- Did I risk too much?
- Did I risk too little?
- Did I deviate from my trading model?
- Did I deviate from my plan?

I promised myself I’d become the person I once needed the most as a beginner. Below are links to a powerful lessons I shared on Tradingview. Hope it can help you avoid years of trial and error I went thru.

📊 Sharpen your trading Strategy
⚙️ 100% Mechanical System - Complete Strategy
🔁 Daily Bias – Continuation
🔄 Daily Bias – Reversal
🧱 Key Level – Order Block
📉 How to Buy Lows and Sell Highs
🎯 Dealing Range – Enter on pullbacks
💧 Liquidity – Basics to understand
🕒 Timeframe Alignments
🚫 Market Narratives – Avoid traps
🐢 Turtle Soup Master – High reward method
🧘 How to stop overcomplicating trading
🕰️ Day Trading Cheat Code – Sessions
🇬🇧 London Session Trading
🔍 SMT Divergence – Secret Smart Money signal
📐 Standard Deviations – Predict future targets
🎣 Stop Hunt Trading

🧠 Level Up your Mindset
🛕 Monk Mode – Transition from 9–5 to full-time trading
⚠️ Trading Enemies – Habits that destroy success
🔄 Trader’s Routine – Build discipline daily
💪Get Funded - $20 000 Monthly Plan

🛡️ Risk Management
🏦 Risk Management for Prop Trading
📏 Risk in % or Fixed Position Size
🔐 Risk Per Trade – Keep consistency

David Perk aka Dave FX Hunter ⚔️