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Course, Structure

The Map, lesson 1: Swings you can define

What a swing is, when it exists, and the two tiers to read: internal swings for entries, swing structure for context.

A swing high is a bar whose high sits above the highs of the bars on both sides of it. It only counts once the bars to its right have closed.

Swing high 2 bars left 2 bars right Confirmed at this close
A. A swing high with a length of 2. It exists only after the second bar to its right closes.
Swing low Swing high
B. Two tiers. Squares are swing structure, length 10 to 20. Circles are internal swings, length 1 to 3, inside it.
12345678nowSwing high, confirmed at bar 8confirmedcandidateerased

Bar 8 has closed. Bar 6 is now a swing high. It made its high 2 bars ago and only exists from this close.

C. Illustrative bars, swing length 2. Bars 3, 4 and 5 each looked like a swing high until the next bar went higher. Bar 6 became one only when bar 8 closed. On the site, step through the bars one at a time.

Rules

  1. Pick a length and keep it. A length of 2 means two bars on each side.
  2. A swing is confirmed late. With a length of 2 it exists only after two more bars close. Never act on one before it exists.
  3. Read two tiers: internal swings for entries, swing structure on 1H or 4H for context.
  4. Strictly above, not equal. Two equal highs are a level where stops collect, covered in lesson 3.

What the evidence says

Every break, sweep and range in this course is measured from your swings. That makes swing length the easiest setting to tune until a backtest looks good, so ours is fixed before a test starts and never changed after.

Hypothetical results1, not actual trading. The full statement is at the end of this page.

Exercise

On a 5-minute MNQ chart, mark every confirmed swing in one session with a length of 2, then with 10. Note both counts and when each swing was confirmed, not when it formed.

The pointA swing only exists once the bars to its right have closed, so never act on one before it is confirmed.

Check yourself

  1. With a length of 2, a bar prints the highest high of the session so far. The next bar has closed lower, and the one after it is still forming. What do you have?

    1. A confirmed swing high, because the next bar closed lower
    2. Not a swing high yet: the second bar to its right has to close first
    3. A swing high, as long as the forming bar stays below it
    Answer

    B. With a length of 2, a swing exists only after the second bar to its right closes. A bar that is still forming can change, so you don’t act on it yet.

  2. Two bars side by side print exactly the same high, above every other bar around them. With a length of 2, is either one a swing high?

    1. Yes, both of them are swing highs
    2. Yes, the later of the two is the swing high
    3. No: a swing high must be strictly above, and equal highs are a level
    Answer

    C. The rule is strictly above, not equal. Two equal highs are a level where stops collect, which lesson 3 covers.

  3. You time entries on a 5-minute chart and judge the bigger picture on 1H. Which swings do you read on each?

    1. Internal swings for the entry, swing structure on 1H for context
    2. Swing structure for the entry, internal swings for context
    3. One swing length on both, so the two charts never disagree
    Answer

    A. Read two tiers: internal swings (length 1 to 3) for entries, and swing structure (length 10 to 20) on 1H or 4H for context.

Next: Breaks and changes of character

Education only. Nothing here is advice about your account.