10 Days With TopStepTrader

[wrbtrader]

Quote from Pekelo:

I actually doubt that. Being profitable in real life is not guarantee for passing.

What most people don't realize that the Combine is a special obstacle with special (and perfectly stupid) rules. But it is what it is. What is important though that an otherwise profitable person can easily blow it or just not able to pass it due to the unreasonable rules.

So what a Combine candidate should do first is to change his style according to the rules and parameters and see if that works for him.

What usually happens to Austin is that he isn't content with making 5K (let's say) because that doesn't let him pass his chosen Combine, so he has to swing it. And when he swings it, he blows it.

Just my guess but this happens to many other Combiners...

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Let's use the analogy of jogging and the Combine just to see the difference between being profitable and passing the Combine.

Let's say I am a good jogger on my own terms. When I choose my own route (uphill, downhill, rain, heatwave) I can run easily for 3+ hours. But when I am trying to enter a marathon with its special (and not so favorable) routes and who knows what kind of weather and time limits, it is possible that I have to give it up half way and not being able to finish.

That is how doing the Combine and your real life trading differ....

Welcome back. This is the old Pekelo from yester-years.

I'm in agreement with you, I think anyone that has a different trading style than the combine should first change their trading style to the rules of the combine and practice as such (a few months) prior to doing the combine. I think that would increase the trader's chance of passing the combine.

Therefore, via your sports analogy, its not uncommon to see athletes that have a routine to then change that routine to practice in similar like environments to be better prepare for the real competition when they arrive there.

That's why boxers will do most of their training in their home environment until the last month or so...that's when they then pack up their bags and complete their training in the same city or nearby city as the championship bout. More importance for those rare outdoor bouts where the temperature, humidity and ring conditions are extremely different than a boxer's home environment.

 

[marketsurfer]

All excuses not to submit profitable claims to a controlled testing environment. Just like the mental paitents who claim they can levitate but refuse to demonstrate to James Randi for his million dollar prize. They all have the same non sensical reasons not to participate then when they fail, the excuses start again--- when the real reason is as clear as day to everyone but the true believers . Sad

Just replace TA with supernatural powers and this fits perfectly.

http://skepdic.com/randi.html

 

[Maverick74]

Quote from Pekelo:

I actually doubt that. Being profitable in real life is not guarantee for passing.

What most people don't realize that the Combine is a special obstacle with special (and perfectly stupid) rules. But it is what it is. What is important though that an otherwise profitable person can easily blow it or just not able to pass it due to the unreasonable rules.

So what a Combine candidate should do first is to change his style according to the rules and parameters and see if that works for him.

What usually happens to Austin is that he isn't content with making 5K (let's say) because that doesn't let him pass his chosen Combine, so he has to swing it. And when he swings it, he blows it.

Just my guess but this happens to many other Combiners...

---------------------------------------

Let's use the analogy of jogging and the Combine just to see the difference between being profitable and passing the Combine.

Let's say I am a good jogger on my own terms. When I choose my own route (uphill, downhill, rain, heatwave) I can run easily for 3+ hours. But when I am trying to enter a marathon with its special (and not so favorable) routes and who knows what kind of weather and time limits, it is possible that I have to give it up half way and not being able to finish.

That is how doing the Combine and your real life trading differ....

More absurd BS. The rules are whatever you want them to be. If you don't like the rules...CHANGE THEM! Man you guys on ET are so full of excuses. I'm with Surf on this. Look, admit it, most of you guys who are "profitable" and I'm betting it's less then 1%, are only so because you double down, avg down, hold on to huge losers waiting for your breakeven plus 1 tick to get out. And you run around and tell your friends and neighbors you're a big time futures trader. The fact is, most of you guys can't trade your way out of a paper bag the second the rules do not permit you to take massive losses or massive heat. Just say that instead of making up bullshit about how tough the rules are. A bunch of whiners on here. Pekelo, wasn't it you that started a thread several years ago doing a journal where you actually were holding a position in the spoos that went like 150 handles against you and you refused to take the loss. Yeah dude, keep your day job, or in your case, your night job.

 

[wrbtrader]

Quote from Maverick74:

More absurd BS. The rules are whatever you want them to be. If you don't like the rules...CHANGE THEM!...

Something is odd here, it seems like those you're debating with or debating with you have done the combine...yes or no ?

If the answer is yes, why are you guys constantly arguing about what the combine is, the rules and such. Did you and Pekelo do the combine.

I'm asking because of what I see arguments or disagreements along with a lot of personal attacks in this thread and in another thread involving two people that said they did the combine. Just seems odd that most of you folks seem to not be on the same page and then take it to the gutter level when there is no agreement on what's on the page.

 

[Pekelo]

Quote from wrbtrader:

... anyone that has a different trading style than the combine should first change their trading style to the rules of the combine and practice as such...

And this raises the philosophical question:

Why does TST want to change profitable traders' style?

I am looking at some of the completely silly parameters, like Trading duration (winning vs. losing). I saw a guy who had like 6 mins average winner vs. 6:05 average loser. It is so utterly meaningless, except it helps combiners to fail, and generates fees. [rant mode off]

By the way I had a Combine were my parameters were passing (only 1 red), except I wasn't making money. That's how much those stats mean.

PS.: I have both Mav and Surf on Ignore, because they have nothing to add...

 

[Maverick74]

Quote from wrbtrader:

Something is odd here, it seems like those you're debating with or debating with you have done the combine...yes or no ?

If the answer is yes, why are you guys constantly arguing about what the combine is, the rules and such. Did you and Pekelo do the combine.

I'm asking because of what I see arguments or disagreements in this thread and in another thread involving two people that said they did the combine.

I'm not debating anything. I'm trying to point out the FACTS. The FACTS are you can customize your combine. So the rules are irrelevant. They are just an excuse. Look, I ran a trading firm in Chicago for 6 years. I saw the p&l of 100 traders including MANY here on ET. And no, I won't out them. But let's just say, I get it. It's the same guys doing exactly the same thing over and over with EXACTLY the SAME results. There is nothing new here under the sun.

Now I debated TST for 100's of pages on other threads so I'm not going to rehash that here. I just get annoyed when someone blames the combine on the strict rules. LOL. Yeah like, you can't sit on a 30 handle loser in the spoos. Or no, you can't lose 30 times your profit target in a single day or no, you can't go for one tick winners with 40 tick stops. Yeah, who the hell can make money with those tight restrictions. It's a joke.

 

[Maverick74]

Quote from Pekelo:

And this raises the philosophical question:

Why does TST want to change profitable traders' style?

I am looking at some of the completely silly parameters, like Trading duration (winning vs. losing). I saw a guy who had like 6 mins average winner vs. 6:05 average loser. It is so utterly meaningless, except it helps combiners to fail, and generates fees. [rant mode off]

By the way I had a Combine were my parameters were passing (only 1 red), except I wasn't making money. That's how much those stats mean.

PS.: I have both Mav and Surf on Ignore, because they have nothing to add...

You don't have the discipline to put people on ignore.

 

[wrbtrader]

Quote from Maverick74:

I'm not debating anything. I'm trying to point out the FACTS. The FACTS are you can customize your combine. So the rules are irrelevant. They are just an excuse. Look, I ran a trading firm in Chicago for 6 years. I saw the p&l of 100 traders including MANY here on ET. And no, I won't out them. But let's just say, I get it. It's the same guys doing exactly the same thing over and over with EXACTLY the SAME results. There is nothing new here under the sun.

Now I debated TST for 100's of pages on other threads so I'm not going to rehash that here. I just get annoyed when someone blames the combine on the strict rules. LOL. Yeah like, you can't sit on a 30 handle loser in the spoos. Or no, you can't lose 30 times your profit target in a single day or no, you can't go for one tick winners with 40 tick stops. Yeah, who the hell can make money with those tight restrictions. It's a joke.

It seems like a debate to me and it seems like all involved are stating the facts (many contradicting each other).

Also, I didn't realize a lot of ET members here were residing in Chicago area. Heck, I thought most of us (including myself) were outside of the U.S.

Anyways, I didn't take statements by others here and elsewhere that they were making an excuse about why they failed. I took their statements as if they were trying to find a way to come up with a solution to pass the combine. In fact, a few seem to be making multiple attempts at passing the combine (not giving up).

Yet, seems like a ton of frustration here in debating about what the combine is or not is.

 

[igotcash]

The funny thing was Austin stopped posting on, I'm pretty sure, Thursday night. I seem to remember crude oil make a MASSIVE "Trend" move on Friday....so that should be easy money. I mean $3 move. 300 pennies. big dollars. no chop.

then crickets. and more crickets. and denial, avoidance, more denial. and back to selling systems and stuff....

I think you can customize the combine and I do violate a ton of my trading rules with NQ, ES, TF, CL, whatever......I am not the 1% trader, no worries.

but this guy is a vendor and likely got a discount to publish. instead, ran and hid; crying in the closet hoping all leave him alone.

and when he returns it will be with madness and anger. and then back to how easy it is and how we are all idiots and his system is the best.

 

[tobbe]

Quote from marketsurfer:

Just replace TA with supernatural powers and this fits perfectly.

You mean like your lady friend whom you recommend? The one that was taught "exclusive price action" through a prayer?

Come on now, this is getting old. If you are going to generate discussions and page views for ET you need to come up with something new already. Why don't you go bash pair trading for a while?