Trading and Crypto

How I Find My Trading Entries

How I Find My Trading Entries | Trading Course 003

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· based on the channel SCI

Key takeaways

  • Entries are not signals — they are locations where price is likely to react, found before the move happens.
  • The starting point is marking up structure: highs, lows, supply and demand zones on the higher timeframe.
  • ICC stands for Indication, Correction, Continuation — the three-phase sequence behind most entry models.
  • A marked-up chart shared between two traders is the fastest way to check whether you see the same levels.
  • Entry timing is the skill that separates a good plan from a good fill: the level matters, the trigger matters more.
  • Risk is set before entry: stop behind the invalidation point, size derived from that distance, not from emotion.

Trading entries are found by marking up market structure first, then waiting for price to reach a pre-defined level and show a confirmation trigger before risking capital. In practice, the entry is not a signal you chase — it is a location you identified earlier and a reaction you waited for. The full walkthrough of this process is what SCI covers in the third part of his trading course, and his daily chart markups are posted at Trades By Sci on Instagram.

Why Trading Entries Start With Structure, Not Signals

Structure is the map; entries are the pins you place on it. Before any position is taken, the chart has to be reduced to the few levels that actually matter: the most recent swing highs and lows, the supply zone where sellers previously stepped in, and the demand zone where buyers previously stepped in. Everything else on the chart is noise.

A workable markup routine looks like this:

  1. Open the higher timeframe (daily or 4-hour) and mark the last major swing high and swing low.
  2. Identify the zone that caused the most recent impulsive move — that is where aggressive orders were filled.
  3. Drop to the execution timeframe and mark the same levels, without adding new ones.
  4. Write down the price you want to trade from and the price at which the idea is invalid.

If step four cannot be written in one sentence, there is no trade — there is a hope. This is the discipline that turns a chart from a wall of candles into a short list of decisions.

The ICC Framework Behind Most Entry Models

ICC stands for Indication, Correction, Continuation — a three-phase sequence that describes how a directional move is built. The indication is the first impulsive push that shows intent, usually leaving an imbalance or a clean break of a prior swing. The correction is the pullback that follows, and it is the phase where most retail traders get shaken out because it looks like a reversal. The continuation is the expansion that validates the original intent.

The entry almost always lives inside the correction, not after the continuation. That is the uncomfortable part: the position has to be opened while the chart still looks uncertain, before the move is obvious to everyone watching. Waiting for the continuation to be confirmed means buying the top of the impulse rather than the base of it, which is why entries feel late even when the direction was right.

A useful habit is to label each phase out loud on the chart. If the label cannot be assigned, the setup is not an ICC sequence — it is a range, and ranges require a different plan.

Confirmation Triggers That Justify a Fill

Confirmation is the specific, observable event that turns a level into an entry. Without it, a zone is just a price. Common triggers include a rejection wick into the zone followed by a close back outside it, a lower-timeframe break of structure in the direction of the trade, or a return to a level that was already respected once.

The trigger should be objective enough that two traders looking at the same chart would mark the same candle. Vague conditions such as "it looks strong" or "momentum feels good" cannot be backtested, and anything that cannot be backtested cannot be improved. A practical test: describe the trigger to another trader and check whether they highlight the same bar. If they highlight a different one, the rule is not finished yet.

Entry Timing and Execution Discipline

Timing is about when the trigger fires, not when the idea appears. A level can be identified hours in advance and still require patience until price actually arrives and reacts. This is the gap where most plans break: the level is correct, the direction is correct, but the fill happens too early, before the market has shown any willingness to defend the zone.

Session context matters here. Liquidity is unevenly distributed across the trading day, and the same setup behaves differently during a thin session than during an active one. Traders who work a night shift or trade outside the main session often report that slower conditions make it easier to process what the chart is doing — fewer fakeouts, less urgency, more deliberate decisions. The trade-off is wider spreads and slower moves, which has to be priced into the plan.

Execution discipline also means accepting that a missed entry is not a loss. If price runs without the trigger, there is no trade; forcing a fill at a worse price converts a good idea into a bad risk-to-reward ratio.

Risk Placement Before the Entry

The stop belongs where the idea is wrong, not where the account can tolerate pain. Once the invalidation point is defined, the distance between entry and stop determines position size — not the other way around. A setup with a wide invalidation and a small target is not a trade worth taking, no matter how clean the markup looks.

Several traders who followed earlier course material describe the same lesson from the other side: the strategy worked, but poor risk management and emotional sizing turned a winning approach into a costly one. The edge and the risk process are two separate skills, and only the second one decides whether the first one survives long enough to compound.

Common Questions Traders Ask About Entries

One recurring doubt is whether entries can be found without staring at the screen all day. The answer is that markup can be done in advance, and alerts can be set at the levels that matter, so screen time is spent on execution rather than discovery. Another is whether the same entry model works across instruments — the structure logic transfers, but volatility and session behaviour differ, so the same zone will produce different-sized moves on different markets.

A third theme is consistency between traders. Comparing markups with someone else who uses the same framework is one of the fastest ways to find gaps in your own reading of structure, because disagreements point directly at the levels you marked carelessly. Finally, many traders ask how long it takes before entries feel natural. The honest answer is that recognition improves with repetition, and the first measurable progress usually shows up as fewer trades taken, not more.

Final Thoughts on Finding Entries

Finding entries is a repeatable process, not a talent: mark structure, wait for price to reach a level, require a trigger, place risk where the idea is invalid, and size from that distance. The framework in this course is built to make that sequence mechanical, so decisions stop depending on how the chart feels in the moment. SCI presents the material as part of an ongoing trading course, and the third instalment focuses specifically on where entries come from and why timing decides whether a correct read becomes a profitable trade. Follow along at Trades By Sci on Instagram for the markups that back the process.

Questions & answers

What does ICC mean in trading?

ICC stands for Indication, Correction, Continuation. The indication is the first impulsive push that reveals directional intent, the correction is the pullback that follows it, and the continuation is the expansion that confirms the original move. Most entry models place the fill inside the correction phase rather than after the continuation.

Do I need to watch the chart all day to catch good entries?

No. Levels can be marked up in advance on the higher timeframe, and alerts can be set at the prices that matter. Screen time is then spent on execution and confirmation rather than on searching for setups, which also reduces impulsive trades.

How do I know if my entry trigger is good enough?

A trigger is good enough when it is objective: two traders looking at the same chart should highlight the same candle. Conditions like a rejection wick into a zone or a lower-timeframe break of structure can be described and tested, while vague feelings about momentum cannot be backtested or improved.

Why do traders with a working strategy still lose money?

Because the edge and the risk process are separate skills. Several traders describe having a profitable approach but losing on oversized positions and emotional decisions. Placing the stop where the idea is invalid and sizing from that distance is what keeps a working strategy alive long enough to compound.

Source: How I Find My Trading Entries | Trading Course 003 · Markdown version

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