Just using the plain old momentum indicator to determine the trend, and then only trading with the trend, seems to help quite a bit.
Momentum indicator = Close[this bar] - Close[N bars ago]
I applied long term momentum (approx 9 months) to a shortterm / intermediateterm system, restricting the system to only trade in the direction of the long term trend.
The number of trades was cut in half, roughly as expected.
Profits increased and drawdowns decreased. Gain-to-pain ratios like the MAR Ratio (which equals CAGR% / MaxDD%) and the Sharpe Ratio also improved. The greatest improvements seem to have occurred recently, in calendar years 2004 and 2006.
Here's a test run in which the filter setting is "stepped" across both possible values: Yes (filter is enabled), plotted in Red; and No (filter is disabled), plotted in Blue. Yes-Red looks nicer than No-Blue.
And this is just the humble momentum indicator. Imagine how much better things get when you use a
sophisticated method of identifying the trend....