Build one connected process, not a pile of lessons.
Each stage answers a question created by the one before it. Market mechanics explain what an order does. Chart reading gives a stop a reason. Risk converts that stop into an appropriate size. Written rules make replay consistent, and the journal turns practice into the next focused lesson.
Weeks 1-2Foundations Learn the market language
Explain a quote, pip, lot, spread, margin and order without guessing.
MOVE ON WHENYou can calculate a pip move and place each main order type on demo.Weeks 2-4Charts Read candles in context
Describe trend, range, location and a completed candle in plain words.
MOVE ON WHENYou can mark a chart before the next candles appear and explain the read.Weeks 3-5Risk Make the downside specific
Choose the stop for a market reason, then calculate position size.
MOVE ON WHENEvery practice order has a known cash risk and a written invalidation point.Weeks 5-7Rules Write one complete setup
Define context, trigger, stop, exit, costs and reasons to stand aside.
MOVE ON WHENAnother learner could follow the rule without asking what you meant.Weeks 6-9Replay Practise without hindsight
Advance candles one at a time and make the decision before the result.
MOVE ON WHENYou follow the same sequence in wins, losses and no-trade examples.Weeks 7-10Review Journal the decision
Compare the plan, the action and the chart without judging by money alone.
MOVE ON WHENYour weekly review produces one clear keep, change or practise decision.Weeks 9-12+Progress Earn the next layer
Move into testing, multi-timeframe work and advanced material deliberately.
MOVE ON WHENThe added concept answers a problem your current process cannot answer.
Know what the numbers and orders mean before reading setups.
A currency pair is a relative price. Learn which currency is the base, which is the quote, how Bid and Ask differ, how a pip is measured and how spread, commission and rollover can affect a result. Then connect lot size, leverage and margin without treating them as interchangeable ideas.
Pair → quote → pip
Read EUR/USD 1.0850 as a relationship, identify both currencies and calculate a move between two prices.
Lot → leverage → margin
Separate position size from the collateral required to open it and from the amount that could be lost.
Bid → Ask → order
Know which side opens and closes a long or short, then rehearse market, limit and stop orders on demo.
Session → event → cost
Notice when the market is active, when an event is scheduled and when spreads make a planned order unsuitable.
Read the candle, then structure, then location.
Begin with OHLC and the difference between a completed candle and one still forming. Zoom out to meaningful swing highs and lows, then decide whether price is trending, ranging or unclear. Only after that should support, resistance or an indicator answer a more specific question.
For example: H4 context, H1 location and M15 trigger. The exact stack can differ; the jobs should not drift mid-session.
Two providers can form slightly different candles. Name the workspace before comparing screenshots or results.
Learn price structure on a clean chart. Add a tool only when you can state what decision it changes.
Decide where the idea fails before calculating size.
Risk is a chain of decisions. Start with account-level limits, choose the maximum cash risk for one idea, place invalidation where the market logic fails, measure the stop distance and calculate the resulting size. Also count overlapping exposure: several pairs can express the same currency view.
- 01Account limitsDaily, weekly and total open risk
- 02Trade riskThe cash amount you choose to place at risk
- 03InvalidationThe price that makes the setup wrong
- 04Stop distanceEntry to invalidation, measured in pips
- 05Position sizeCalculated from risk, stop and pip value
Never reverse the order: choosing a favourite lot size first makes the cash risk change whenever the stop distance changes.
Know both before the order is sent.
Set a point where new orders stop for the session.
Review correlated positions as one combined risk picture.
Turn one trading idea into a rule another person could follow.
Choose one market condition and one entry idea. Write the pair or watchlist, timeframe jobs, context, location, completed trigger, entry, stop, exit, maximum cost, event treatment, expiry and reasons to stand aside. Write long and short logic separately if both are part of the method.
- 01MARKETWhich pairs, sessions and conditions?
- 02CONTEXTWhat must already be true?
- 03TRIGGERWhat completed event permits an entry?
- 04RISKWhere is invalidation and how is size calculated?
- 05EXITWhat closes, cancels or pauses the idea?
“It looks strong” is an impression. “A completed H1 close above the marked range, before the signal expires” is a rule you can practise.
Use replay, a journal and review as one learning machine.
Replay removes the temptation to explain a finished chart. Move one candle at a time, complete the checklist, record the decision and then reveal what happened. Journal waits and no-trades too; they show whether restraint is part of the process.
- 1RULEKnow what you are looking for.
- 2REPLAYDecide before revealing the result.
- 3JOURNALRecord the plan and the action.
- 4REVIEWFind the weakest repeatable step.
- 5DRILLPractise one correction, then repeat.
- State context and location.
- Check every setup condition.
- Record the decision before advancing.
- Capture planned risk and a screenshot.
- Grade whether the rule was followed.
- Group rule-followed and rule-broken examples.
- Separate decisions from outcomes.
- Find one recurring mistake.
- Choose one corrective drill.
- Keep the rest of the process unchanged.
Use weeks to organise practice, not to certify readiness.
The first eight weeks cover the core loop. Weeks 9-10 are a built-in consolidation buffer, and weeks 11-12 bridge into broader testing. Stretch any row, overlap compatible drills or return to an earlier gate. Finishing quickly has no special value.
- Pairs, quotes and costs
Base and quote currencies, Bid and Ask, pips, spreads and sessions.
Write ten quote explanations and measure ten pip moves.
Explain why buying and selling use different quote sides.
- Lots, margin and orders
Position size, leverage, margin, market, limit and stop orders.
Place, modify and cancel every main order type on demo.
Set an order without confusing entry, stop and target.
- Candles and timeframes
OHLC, bodies, wicks, forming candles and timeframe aggregation.
Read twenty candles, then compare M15, H1 and H4 views.
Tell a completed fact from a candle still changing.
- Structure and location
Swings, trends, ranges, support, resistance and scheduled events.
Mark ten clean charts before revealing the next move.
Describe context and location without naming a trade.
- Risk before size
Invalidation, cash risk, R, open exposure and daily limits.
Complete ten position-size examples from different stop distances.
A wider stop produces a smaller size at the same chosen risk.
- One rule card
Market, context, trigger, entry, stop, exit and no-trade rules.
Write one setup and find examples that pass and fail each condition.
The wording gives the same answer when the same chart returns.
- Guided replay
Decision order, signal expiry, costs and restraint.
Run short replay sessions and record trades, waits and no-trades.
You can stop when no setup appears instead of inventing one.
- Journal and review
Screenshots, planned versus actual risk, rule adherence and review notes.
Score the week and choose one behaviour to practise next.
You can separate a good decision from a favourable result.
- Consolidation buffer
Revisit the weakest gate; add no new strategy material.
Repeat the drill that exposes the gap until the process is calm.
The weak step works on new examples, not just familiar ones.
- Next-level bridge
Basic backtesting, more market conditions and multi-timeframe roles.
Test the same written setup on a broader historical sample.
You can say what the extra layer changes and when it adds nothing.
One lesson, one worked example and a five-minute recap.
Brief review, focused drill, journal entry and one next action.
Look across the week, not just the most recent or emotional example.
MT4, MT5 and TradingView are tools inside the roadmap.
Platform hopping creates a second learning problem. Pick the workspace supported by your provider or practice goal, learn its chart clock, symbol specifications, order controls and saved layouts, and keep the same core reading process across screens.
Choose MT4 when a broker, indicator or existing workflow requires it. Learn chart time, symbol details and demo orders before installing extras.
- One clean chart template
- Bid and Ask understood
- Order tickets practised on demo
Choose MT5 when your provider supports it and you want a newer MetaTrader workflow. Keep the first template simple and confirm contract details per symbol.
- Saved practice layout
- Symbol specification checked
- Demo order flow rehearsed
Choose TradingView for browser-based chart study and a clean marking workflow. Confirm the symbol and data source before comparing its candles with a broker platform.
- Feed and symbol named
- Intervals saved
- Replay decisions journalled
Progress when the next layer solves a real problem.
Beginner
Market language, clean charts, basic risk, demo orders and one complete practice loop.
Question: Can I follow the process?Open beginner course →Intermediate
Historical testing, costs, varied market conditions, multi-timeframe roles and more structured review.
Question: Where does the method work or fail?Open intermediate course →Advanced
Portfolio interaction, deeper validation, robustness, execution detail and controlled strategy changes.
Question: Is the process stable enough to trust further?Open advanced course →- FOUNDATIONSCHECK
I can explain quotes, costs, margin and the main order types.
- CHARTSCHECK
I can describe a clean chart before reaching for an indicator.
- RISKCHECK
I calculate size from a market-based stop and a chosen cash risk.
- RULESCHECK
My setup includes context, trigger, exit and clear stand-aside conditions.
- PRACTICECHECK
I follow the same process in trades, losses, waits and no-trades.
- REVIEWCHECK
My journal shows what was planned, what happened and what to practise.
If one line is weak, return to that drill. Repeating a stage is normal progression, not falling behind.