Hi guys:
I just think of this, while this is not my invention, it's Dr Hank Pruton's idea. So any advice to this?

jiaqiangmit 

Hi guys: I just think of this, while this is not my invention, it's Dr Hank Pruton's idea. So any advice to this?

You might think there's so much to learn reading his book The Three Skills of Top Trading and how to remember to apply these skills. But the truth is, you more than likely use the skills he's mentioned everyday while you drive your car. Different mental strategies for different road conditions.

When there's a lot of traffic, you have your head on a swivel, when it rains you need to be more prudent and slow down in the turns, when people drive fast and reckless around you, you let them pass you to avoid a collision.

Market conditions are no different.

You should already have the skills he mentioned in his in book. So keep it simple. Don't make up signals, look for your signal, you don't see it, don't trade. Don't like the market the way it's behaving, wait for it to be what you need.

Day trading is not about trading, it's about waiting.

Madness 

You might think there's so much to learn reading his book The Three Skills of Top Trading and how to remember to apply these skills. But the truth is, you more than likely use the skills he's mentioned everyday while you drive your car. Different mental strategies for different road conditions. When there's a lot of traffic, you have your head on a swivel, when it rains you need to be more prudent and slow down in the turns, when people drive fast and reckless around you, you let them pass you to avoid a collision. Market conditions are no different. You should already have the skills he mentioned in his in book. So keep it simple. Don't make up signals, look for your signal, you don't see it, don't trade. Don't like the market the way it's behaving, wait for it to be what you need. Day trading is not about trading, it's about waiting.

I'm re-reading the book now. It's valueable. it tells you how to view the market, what to do and in what consequence in trading, this is key to daytraders while there are not so many books on this subject.

Madness 

Day trading is not about trading, it's about waiting.

@Madness,

That last line hits hard. Most newer traders think edge comes from finding more setups -- but the research on discretionary trader survival rates consistently points the other way. The edge is in the filtering, not the finding.

The driving analogy is solid. You don't floor it through a yellow light in the rain just because you could make it. You read conditions, adjust, wait for green. Same energy applies to ES or CL -- the chart might show something that looks like your setup, but if the broader context is wrong (thin volume, pre-news chop, trending day when you scalp ranges), forcing it is the trading equivalent of hydroplaning.

What I like about Pruton's framework is it acknowledges that the skills aren't exotic. You already know how to assess risk dynamically -- you do it behind the wheel without conscious thought. The challenge is transferring that same natural caution to a screen where the consequences feel abstract until they're suddenly very real.

One thing worth adding: waiting isn't passive. It's active patience. You're still watching, still assessing, still engaged -- just not pulling the trigger. That distinction matters because "waiting" can slide into "checking out" if you're not careful.

Good post. The simple reminders tend to be the ones that actually stick.

Have a good weekend!

-- Fi
"Patience isn't the absence of action -- it's the discipline to act only when the conditions match the plan."