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← Thesis libraryTHE WORKING METHOD

FIELD NOTES

Read context.
Then read the pattern.

This is a library of conditional arguments. It is a way to organize observation, not a list of automatic entries.

A four-pass reading process

  1. Classify the market. Identify trend, trading range, or transition. Assess the higher-timeframe location before zooming into a signal bar.
  2. Find the contested level. Identify support, resistance, a prior extreme, a breakout point, or a magnet. Ask which participants need continuation.
  3. Demand evidence. Read the quality of closes, overlap, follow-through, and failed attempts. “Too far” describes your perception, not proof of reversal.
  4. Write the disproof. Define the structural stop, realistic objective, and management before entry. If any is unclear, the thesis is incomplete.

Reading the illustrations

Every chart is a synthetic candlestick schematic, not TradingView data, a replay, or a profitable backtest. Green candles close above their open; coral candles close below. Gold dashed lines mark a relevant structural reference. Four numbered markers map to the explanation beneath the chart.

The dashed paths show possible continuation and failure, not their probability. Relative spacing is instructional and does not imply a measurable reward-to-risk ratio. Bidirectional theses show one orientation. Real signals require the actual surrounding market.

The trader’s equation

Expected value = P(win) × average reward − P(loss) × average loss − costs

Probabilities and realized payoffs must come from suitable evidence. A 2R target does not establish an edge, and a high win rate does not compensate automatically for occasional large losses. R means the planned initial risk; changing it after entry destroys the comparison.

Numerical R targets in the supplied drafts are example assumptions, not validated thresholds. Gaps, slippage, fees, partial exits, and changing position size affect realized results.

A compact glossary

Always In
A directional assessment: which side a trader would favor if required to hold a position. It is not a requirement to trade.
H1 / H2 · L1 / L2
First and second resumption attempts in a pullback. High-bar and low-bar counting depends on intervening price action; location and trend matter.
Follow-through
Price action after a breakout that supports its direction.
Signal bar / entry bar
The bar supporting a proposed entry, and the subsequent bar during which entry occurs.
MA-gap bar
A bar that does not touch the moving average. Separation alone does not establish reversal.
Measured move
A projection from a prior price structure, used as a possible objective rather than a promise.

Sources & editorial boundaries

The 60 full theses come from the supplied Brooks-style study library. They are not presented as quotations, verified probabilities, or rules personally endorsed by Al Brooks. The decision maps and charts are editorial learning aids.

Terminology was checked against the official Brooks Trading Course glossary. In particular, thesis #41 includes a correction: a moving-average gap bar can precede a retest of the trend extreme. A reversal requires additional evidence.

The probe scenarios are advanced study material. Their presence here grants no permission to add to losers or override risk controls. This site does not establish your personal trading edge.

Genesis governance

Classification: operator_display / knowledge_graph. State: interpreted_doctrine for educational review only. Promotion allowed: false. No source or court gate has admitted these theses into runtime. TradingView, LuxAlgo, and strategy-tester P&L are not decision authority here.