Trading 101
The foundation layer of TradeLikeMark. It teaches the basic concepts every trader must understand before building strategies, taking trades or reviewing performance. The goal is not to memorise definitions — it is to learn what price is showing, practise recognition in the chart, and connect basic concepts to a real trading process.
What you'll learn
- ◆The basic language of the market: price, candles, trend, structure
- ◆How to read charts, areas and conditions without indicators
- ◆How risk, invalidation, plan, checklist and review fit together
Learn the basic language of the market before you try to execute.
Trading is learned in the chart. Reading gives you the concept. The chart gives you the repetition. Every lesson asks you to open a chart, observe real examples, mark them and write down what you see.
TradeLikeMark is not built around endless video courses. Videos can help, but passive watching is not skill-building. Reading, thinking, chart practice, journaling and review create deeper learning. Some collections may add video later — the foundation is active learning.
Lessons
What Trading Really Is
Preview6 min readTrading is not prediction. It is decision-making under uncertainty, built through process — not opinion.
What you'll learn
- ◆Why trading is decision-making under uncertainty, not prediction
- ◆What actually moves a market: price, participation, liquidity, reaction
- ◆Why a trader needs a process, not an opinion
Why Price Action Matters
Preview6 min readPrice action is the raw record of decisions, pressure and reaction — the foundation everything else is built on.
What you'll learn
- ◆What price action actually is
- ◆Why price reflects pressure, imbalance and reaction
- ◆Why reading price comes before any indicator
How Charts Work
Preview7 min readWhat a chart actually shows, how timeframes change the picture, and why higher-timeframe context matters.
What you'll learn
- ◆What a chart represents and candles vs line charts
- ◆How timeframes change what you see
- ◆Why higher-timeframe context frames everything
Candles, Wicks and Market Movement
Preview7 min readOpen, high, low, close — and why a single candle is information, not a trade.
What you'll learn
- ◆What a candle’s body and wick represent
- ◆Open, high, low and close
- ◆Why one candle alone is never enough
Trend Basics
Preview7 min readTrend is structure — higher highs and higher lows, or lower highs and lower lows — not just a candle moving.
What you'll learn
- ◆How to define an up- and down-trend through swing points
- ◆The difference between a trend and a single move
- ◆Why trend depends on timeframe
Support and Resistance
Preview7 min readSupport and resistance are areas, not perfect lines — and most beginners draw far too many of them.
What you'll learn
- ◆Why support and resistance are zones, not exact lines
- ◆How reactions and repeated touches define an area
- ◆Breaks, retests, and roles flipping
Supply and Demand Basics
Preview7 min readAreas of imbalance where strong moves begin — and why a zone alone never guarantees a reaction.
What you'll learn
- ◆What supply and demand areas represent
- ◆How to tell a meaningful area from a random one
- ◆Why an area is a place to watch, not a signal
Market Structure Basics
Preview8 min readSwings, break of structure and change of character — context, not a signal.
What you'll learn
- ◆How swings build structure
- ◆What break of structure and change of character mean
- ◆Why structure gives context, not entries
Range, Trend and Consolidation
Preview8 min readMarkets trend, range and consolidate — and using trend expectations inside a range is a classic beginner error.
What you'll learn
- ◆The difference between trending, ranging and consolidating conditions
- ◆Why each condition calls for different behaviour
- ◆Why mismatched expectations cause repeated mistakes
Risk, Reward and Invalidation
Preview8 min readRisk comes before entry. Invalidation is where the idea is wrong — not where the loss feels comfortable.
What you'll learn
- ◆Why risk is decided before entry
- ◆What invalidation really means
- ◆Why risk-to-reward is a planning tool, not a guarantee
Trading Plan, Checklist and Journal
Preview8 min readThe plan is the operating document. The checklist protects it before a trade. The journal proves whether you followed it.
What you'll learn
- ◆Why a trading plan is more than a strategy or a checklist
- ◆How plan, checklist, journal and review fit together
- ◆What the 13 sections of a real trading plan cover
Building Your First Trading Process
Preview7 min readTrading 101 is the start, not the finish. Now you turn concepts into structured practice, planning and review.
What you'll learn
- ◆How to turn Trading 101 into a practice routine
- ◆The recommended order of next steps
- ◆Why the next step is structure, not random trading
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