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Al Brooks Trading Course (www.brookstradingcourse.com)
The speed adjustment was a godsend! Maybe it's not a very nice thing to say but Al's voice tends to put me to sleep, even though I like his content and I have trouble not wandering off in my head when I have grasped a concept and the speaker is still explaining it, making me miss the next points the speaker makes. Speeding up to x1.3 made it much easier for me to follow the material. It's still not overwhelming, because the modules are short enough so that there are many breaks.
Can you help answer these questions from other members on NexusFi?
Trading: Futures, spot FX, Energy Spreads Prop Firm
Posts: 61 since Jun 2011
Thanks Given: 16
Thanks Received: 61
haha. yes Al should make some tracks to cure insomnia. I think his material gives a good overview of price action. I don't use his material for entries but found it useful.
Mack's base methods are covered in Al's course as (1) Major Trend Reversal (MTR) - breaking trendline, new high/low and then reversal, (2) Trading Range Reversals - fading the range, (3) Pullbacks - H2/L2 pullbacks in trend plus 2EL/2eS, and (4) Breakouts - breakout pullbacks only.
Al's 'Best Trades' course module covers the basics of Mack's method with further in-depth modules on each topic. Al then has many more setup and PA info on wedges, breakouts, etc, that Mack talks about but does not promote as they are more advanced techniques. Mack wants to keep it simple for those starting out, and as he covers 4 out of 4 of Al's 'Best Trades' he certainly achieves that. The more advanced topics that Mack will often mention (traps, strong/tight channels, strong breakouts, etc) are all covered by Al and more given the depth of Al's course and methodology.
They are different approaches, Nison's is easier to learn but I don't know what kind of actual trading he does. Brooks is an exceptional trader but his method was harder to learn.
My 2 cents.
I thought Al Brooks video course was very comprehensive, I don't think you would need a primer before starting it. I couldn't comment on his books, having only done his video course. It was a good 55+ hours, and I have re-watched many since.
Platform: Sierra Chart, TOS, Tradestation, NinjaTrader
Trading: energy
Posts: 114 since Jul 2012
Thanks Given: 81
Thanks Received: 172
i have al's books and videos and have watched 100s of mack's pat videos. Al's books are very difficult, and is not recommended, even by him lol. Al recommends (and i strongly agree) that the videos are much better than the books. There is no prework that needs to be done. In fact, i ripped the videos to MP3, and listen to them like a podcast/audiobook. Mack uses a very specific scalping approach on es, whereas half of the charts Al shows are daily or weekly charts, not 5min. I am a big fan of macks approach to price action, and it is 100% based on Al's approach. mack gives so much of his stuff away free, that you could really get away with getting hundreds of hours of content without paying a nickle. but it will be focused on techniques for scalping ES only.
When my friends come and ask me to teach them how to be a daytrader, i point them to Al's videos and tell them to come back after they have watched it 3 times.
I agree that the books are difficult. However, the videos are a great way to start learning Al's approach. It all depends on learning style and the kinds of studying tactics you employ. Coming from a medical/science background, I think I understand his writing style and it is possible to absorb a lot from his books with the proper approach. To me, it's not any more difficult to understand than a medical physiology textbook. It requires organization through note-taking to really benefit. You can't simply read through it 10 times and hope to learn what he's talking about.
Though the video course is excellent, I don't think that it is as detailed, as they are more simplified and to-the-point. The book has way more interesting material, and goes beyond what the videos illustrate. I recommend the videos as a primer for the textbooks, and thorough note-taking should be utilized for the books. Perhaps reading them once front-to-back quickly to get a feel for the organization, and then reading them a second time in order to take full-blown notes.