how to understand Al Brooks

[truetype]

[Al Brooks] really makes trading simple once you 'get it'!

Does he have any published track record, or even just market calls?

I have no doubt that he foresaw 20 of the last 5 trend changes.

Outside of the fantasy world of ET, no one gets every call right. But I'd sure take 63% correct!

 

[SimpleMeLike]

Not so at all, actually - the key difference being that homeopathy is a load of old bunkum which has never had any scientific (or even statistically valid anecdotal) evidence for it at all, whereas in the case of Al Brooks' teaching, trading forums are teeming with people - like myself - who have been trading professionally for many years, all saying openly that we probably wouldn't be making a living at all without having studied it at great length and in great detail (and heaven knows there's no other productive way to study it).

This is a hugely controversial subject in forums, partly because of the prevalence of the people who have struggled for a very long time with his books and eventually abandoned them (understandably - I was nearly one of them, myself, but the strength of the recommendations I'd had, from people I knew were making a living by following them, made me super-persistent, which most people really have to be, with them. I used to think the problem was with me, because English isn't my first language and I didn't speak, or even read, it then nearly as fluently then as I do now, but I was probably wrong to imagine that, given how many native English-speakers apparently have exactly the same problems reading them that I also had).

The video-course didn't exist, when I started.

Although much of the content of the books is absolutely brilliant, and amazingly helpful, they're really not particularly well-written, and they're terribly badly and unprofessionally edited (and his publishers should be ashamed of themselves). Let's just say that as writers go, the good Dr. Brooks is a great eye-surgeon.

However, it really is worth persisting with them - as attested to by so many members here and elsewhere. It's a real learning-curve, but ultimately - for so many of us - a very profitable, productive and worthwhile one.





That's certainly a very common (and completely understandable) experience.

Thank you Xela for your comments.

I am considering Al Brooks books as well just to enhance my skills and for extra reading.

What would say the major challenge is with Al Brook teachings or books? Is it the technical challenge of teaching his price action or just his way/wording of teaching?

 

[lawrence-lugar]

Thank you Xela for your comment

I am considering Al Brooks books as well just to enhance
What would say the major challenge is with Al

Would you bet your house or car on a football game, SimpleMeLike
That same example kind of applies to trading as well...yet, many people don't seem to mind to place that bet.

Everyone thinks their crystal ball will work, and they are special. -- Who knows...maybe you are, truly one of the really rare one's.
But you should only bet or trade if you have inside information, or a truly truly somewhat unique, proven, tested skill.

Thoroughly consider all the fixed and dynamic variables in play. If you don't have anywhere near a firm grasp of its future, you shouldn't be betting/trading. You only declare war...because both sides think they will win. Otherwise, who in their right mind would essentially commit suicide.

I'm eating my third English Muffin, with low fat and cholesterol-free butter. It's completely bland and tasteless, but better than dieing prematurely from clogged arteries.
To 2018, SimpleMeLike...All the best,

 

[Xela]

What would say the major challenge is with Al Brook teachings or books?

With apologies, I'm not at all sure that I'm a "fit and proper" person to answer this question, for various reasons: first, English isn't my first language (I don't really know to what extent this was relevant to my experience - maybe not as much as I felt at the time, admittedly, after seeing what other people say); secondly, I have Asperger's syndrome and probably react pretty differently to "stuff like this" from how others will (but that makes me persistent, too: I shared Frederick's reaction - mentioned above - to the first 100 pages of the first book, but kept going slowly and deliberately and very conscientiously, and then read the entire set of books a second time, and most of their content a third time); thirdly, everyone seems to have different opinions from mine, on this question, too, and I therefore question how relevant or helpful anything I can offer will be to anyone else. But, having said all that ...

Is it the technical challenge of teaching his price action or just his way/wording of teaching?

A lot of the former and a little bit of the latter, too, I suspect.

It is, very much, "his" price action, because he really is teaching different material/information from other established, well-recognized price action authors (I'm thinking primarily of Beggs, Volman and Ross). But I think his writing's not great, too: it's awkward to read, and the books are very badly edited as well (I think that last bit's actually more or less factual - not just my opinion), none of which helps.

I've seen enough people commenting (I've even seen enough enthusiasts commenting) to suspect strongly that it's seen as "challenging" all round: i.e. it's not just me and my own difficulties.

My overall view is that it's a slow, difficult learning-curve, and very time-consuming, but amazingly worthwhile.

For what it's worth, if anything, I always suggest to people that they should read both Volman's books before tackling Brooks (don't know if you've seen them?), and then start with his video-course, before looking at his books. It's not what I did myself, but I wish I had done, and I think it will probably smooth the path for most people.

Sorry - not a particularly helpful answer at all, I know.

 

[truetype]

Why follow / worship someone with no finance background, no track record and a Nostradamus writing style?

 

[Xela]

Why follow / worship someone with no finance background, no track record and a Nostradamus writing style?

Brooks enthusiasts may each have their own reasons for that? In my case, that would be simply because so many people I knew, first-hand, to be successful, professional traders (mostly institutional) urged me so repeatedly, and for so long, to give him the benefit of the doubt and do so.

Fortunately for me, as it turned out.

And by the way, he does actually have a considerable and very impressive track-record ... but I can't prove that to you because - understandably and wisely, in my opinion - he chooses not to make evidence of it public (any more than can obviously be inferred by the visible reality that he long ago gave up his very successful career as an eye-surgeon to trade full-time because he found it better paid, more stable and more conducive to family life) ... but if people still want to belittle him in public with the claim that he has "no track-record", well, he's left himself open to that by his refusal to prove it, hasn't he? So carry on, if it makes you feel better.

 

[speedo]

Brooks enthusiasts may each have their own reasons for that? In my case, that would be simply because so many people I knew, first-hand, to be successful, professional traders (mostly institutional) urged me so repeatedly, and for so long, to give him the benefit of the doubt and do so.

Fortunately for me, as it turned out.

And by the way, he does actually have a considerable and very impressive track-record ... but I can't prove that to you because - understandably and wisely, in my opinion - he chooses not to make evidence of it public (any more than can obviously be inferred by the visible reality that he long ago gave up his very successful career as an eye-surgeon to trade full-time because he found it better paid, more stable and more conducive to family life) ... but if people still want to belittle him in public with the claim that he has "no track-record", well, he's left himself open to that by his refusal to prove it, hasn't he? So carry on, if it makes you feel better.

There was no need to reply to any criticism of marketsurf's biggest cheerleader.

 

[Xela]

There was no need to reply to any criticism of marketsurf's biggest cheerleader.

I hear you ... (I have an extravagant enthusiasm both for correcting factual misinformation when I see it on the board, and sometimes for supplying literal answers to rhetorical questions, too - and probably did both, with my response above!

)

 

[geth03]

There is/ was a guy on youtube who uploaded videos to show how he trades like Al Brook.
He is broke now. I thin even Al Brook doesnt understand what Al Brook is talking about.

 

[zenemini]

I think it says that he's a much better trader than he is a writer, and that he both needed and deserved better from his publishers (who do actually have a respected editorial department, on this subject, though you'd never know it from Al's books!) than he got.

Imagine you are a professional editor and you receive Brook's manuscript. My guess is that the editor sent it back immediately demanding a full re-write, and the publisher just went and published it as is. I applaud @Frederick Foresight as I only made it a handful of pages before I gave up. This is not a judgement on the Brooks method as I have no basis upon which to judge it.