Alan Edward

I genuinely think this is one of the most important things a trader can do.

Take 20 trades.

That’s it.

I first heard Mark Douglas talk about this in Trading in the Zone, and at the time it seemed almost too simple.

But then I realised I was judging my strategy after one trade. Sometimes after one day.

A couple of losses and I’d start questioning everything.

The problem is, an edge doesn’t play out over 3 trades.

Sometimes a good strategy starts with losses.

Sometimes a bad strategy starts with wins.

That’s why I like the idea of 20 trades.

It’s enough for the edge to start showing itself, but not so many that you’re stuck doing something that clearly isn’t working.

When I started thinking in 20-trade samples instead of individual trades, trading became a lot less emotional.

I stopped reacting to every win and loss.

I stopped feeling the need to change things every week.

And I started trusting the data a lot more than my feelings.

If you’re constantly strategy hopping, try it.

Take 20 trades exactly as planned and see what happens.