From what I remember of it, having read the book years ago, the first step is a breakout meeting some predefined criteria. Beyond that, protective stops are based on lows or highs or retraces into ranges, depending on the specific setup. Further, the whole structure can be used as an "overlay" for another method. Sounds fairly TA to me.
My understanding is that TA has to do with basing trading criteria principally on price action, however that may be determined, rather than underlying "price drivers," be they economic or otherwise. Therefore, the operating principle is one of reaction rather than prediction. Of course, the Welles Wilders et al of this world added unfortunate clutter and nonsense, but I don't think that detracts from TA's basic premise. As for your comment on surf, let's not forget he was a full-on Gannster, which stems from the dark side of the moon. So he may well have gone the way of Ayn Rand, seeing that one extreme is not good and deciding that the answer must be at the other extreme.
