How the practice develops
The Mentoring Path
A chart process is built in sequence. Each stage answers a different question and leaves evidence for the next review.
Before the first session: gather, do not polish
Choose two recent decisions: one you believe followed your plan and one that became unclear. Save the anchor, setup and execution charts with enough price history visible. Add the words you used at the time; do not rewrite them after seeing the outcome.
First passage: define the chart hierarchy
We decide which timeframe establishes regime and location, which frames the setup, and which—if any—is used for execution. The choice depends on holding period and availability. There is no universal “best” combination.
The first session ends with a one-page hierarchy and one replay exercise. Most learners remain here until they can open a lower chart for a stated reason.
Second passage: scenarios and invalidation
Once chart roles are stable, we write conditional paths around meaningful structure. A scenario must identify what price is doing, what evidence would support continuation or rejection and which event makes the reading obsolete.
This stage often reveals a mismatch between structural invalidation and acceptable risk. Mentoring does not solve that mismatch by inventing a tighter level; sometimes the correct chart decision is to pass.
Third passage: execution evidence
Only now do we examine the lower-timeframe trigger. The aim is not to collect candlestick names. It is to decide whether price at the pre-marked area is accepting, rejecting or moving through it—and whether that evidence arrives before the opportunity has become extended.
Fourth passage: honest review
A three-screenshot entry preserves context, decision and aftermath. We grade adherence separately from outcome and choose one recurring process error for the next review cycle.
Suggested cadence
- Begin with one 75-minute private session.
- Complete two to four weeks of replay and journaling.
- Use a clinic for a single difficult example, or a full follow-up when the hierarchy itself needs revision.
- Consider a journal audit only after enough consistent entries exist.
There is no obligation to continue on a schedule. The aim is independent review, not permanent dependence on a mentor.