Implementing the strategies and stacks, step by step

From a rules document to a live (or simulated) trade — without Pine Script or invite-only indicators.

1. Pick one strategy first.

   Use the strategy picker and start with one. Read its rules document and its caveats and recent-form notes. Add more only after you've followed one cleanly.

2. Paper trade first.

   Run the strategy on a simulated account for several weeks (until you've taken a meaningful number of setups, not just a few days). The goal is to learn to follow the rules, find your slippage vs. the intended entry price, and see how often the stack skips entry setups.

3. Set up your chart.

   Use the instrument and timeframe on the strategy page (e.g. NQ 30-minute for Connors RSI Reclaim; ES 1-hour for B12_01; GC 30-minute for KAMA Cross). Use the continuous front-month contract for charting and trade the front-month you can actually get filled in. Set the chart's time zone to match the rules document (ET or PT) and use regular session hours where the rules say so.

4. Create alerts — your own.

   Build alerts on the indicator conditions in the rules document (for example "Connors RSI crosses up through 20" or "Supertrend flips") on bar close, plus a time-of-day alert for any cut-off (e.g. no new entries after 14:30 ET). Alerts tell you to look; the checklist below decides whether to act. Subscribers' follow-along posts are a cross-check, not a substitute for understanding the rules. Note alert services and limits depend on your charting platform plan.

5. Entry: what happens at the entry.

   The backtests assume a fill at the close of the entry bar with 4 ticks of slippage (a TradingView "process orders on close" setting). Live you'll place the order right after the bar closes — typically a market order or an aggressive limit. Record the difference between the entry-bar close and your fill in your journal; if your average slippage is much worse than 4 ticks, your live results will be worse than the backtest.

6. Place the stop immediately.

   Use a bracket/OCO so the stop exists the moment you're filled. The NQ strategies use an initial stop of 2.2×ATR(14) (minimum 5 points) and then a 2.8×ATR trailing stop that only tightens; ES B12_01 uses 1.0× daily ATR clamped to 25–110 points; GC KAMA uses 1.5×ATR clamped to $2.50–$10 plus a 1.5× target and a 2.2×ATR trail. Your platform's trailing stop works in ticks — update it per the rules document, or manage it manually at each bar close.

7. Exits.

   Exits are the stop/trail, an opposite entry condition (where the rules say so) and the time-of-day flatten (16:00 ET for NQ/ES; 10:30 PT / 13:30 ET for GC). Put the time exit in your calendar or an alert; do not carry the position overnight unless the rules explicitly allow it.

8. One position at a time (stacks).

   If you follow more than one strategy, you share a single position slot: if you're flat and a strategy's entry rule fires, take it; if you're in a trade, skip every other entry setup until it closes. If two entry setups arrive on the same bar, use the stack's priority list. Log skipped entry setups — they're part of the real stack results. The NQ strategies take turns first-come-first-served (they're not on separate time slots); gold has its own earlier window.

9. Size correctly.

   Use the position-sizing calculator with your account size and the drawdown you can tolerate. Use micros if the full-size result is zero or too coarse.

10. Journal every trade and review weekly.

    Use the template below. Compare your live trades to the weekly validation report: slippage, win rate, skipped entry setups. If a strategy is moved to Watch, Flagged or Removed, decide in advance what you'll do (reduce size, pause, stop following).

Pre-trade checklist

• The setup matches the written rules exactly (bar closed, filters agree)
• I'm flat (no other strategy in a trade)
• Inside the entry window and before the cut-off time
• Contract count from my sizing table
• Stop order placed right after fill
• Time-of-day exit set
• Daily loss limit not reached; no high-impact news inside my own no-trade rule

When things go wrong

• Missed the entry bar? Skip it — don't chase late entries; the rules assume the close fill.
• Platform/connection problem with a position open? Know your broker's trade desk number and how to flatten.
• Loss streak? Streaks of losses are normal in backtests of every strategy here. If you're outside the drawdown you sized for, stop and review — don't "size up to get it back".

Trade journal template