1. Welcome to the Blueprint for Consistency
📌 Trading is not just about learning strategies—it’s about structuring them into a repeatable process.
You’ve mastered Smart Money liquidity sweeps, Order Blocks, Fair Value Gaps, institutional order flow, and risk management. But without a structured trade model, you’re still just reacting to the market instead of trading with confidence.
💡 Imagine having a step-by-step blueprint that tells you exactly how to trade every single day.
🚀 By the end of this chapter, you will understand:
✔️ How to create a repeatable ICT-based trade plan that fits your style.
✔️ How to refine your trade selection process for maximum efficiency.
✔️ How to structure your pre-trade, execution, and post-trade review process.
✔️ How to create a daily and weekly trading routine for long-term success.
This is Dave – No Nonsense Trader, and if you’re ready to turn your ICT knowledge into a structured, systematic trading approach, let’s build your personalized ICT trade model.
📌 Image Guide:
📷 Suggested Image: A structured trading plan template, outlining entry criteria, risk management, and execution rules.
🎨 AI Prompt:
“Create a structured ICT trading plan template, outlining entry criteria, risk management rules, execution steps, and trade review processes. Use a clean, professional format with financial market elements.”
2. The Three Pillars of a Successful Trade Model
📌 A great ICT trade model is built on three core pillars:
1️⃣ Trade Selection & Setup Identification
✔️ Liquidity Pools: Identifying where price will seek orders.
✔️ Order Blocks & FVGs: High-probability Smart Money entry zones.
✔️ Kill Zones: The best times to execute trades.
2️⃣ Execution & Risk Management
✔️ Stop-Loss Placement: Avoiding retail stop zones.
✔️ Position Sizing: Risking 1-2% per trade for longevity.
✔️ Entry Confirmation: Waiting for liquidity sweeps before entry.
3️⃣ Trade Review & Continuous Improvement
✔️ Journaling Every Trade: Tracking performance and refining setups.
✔️ Backtesting Performance: Identifying what works and eliminating what doesn’t.
✔️ Adapting to Market Conditions: Adjusting risk when needed.
🔍 Example:
A trader using an ICT trade model doesn’t just jump into random setups—they follow a structured checklist before placing a trade.
This is why Dave – No Nonsense Trader always teaches that consistency beats randomness every time.
📌 Image Guide:
📷 Suggested Image: A visual breakdown of the three pillars of an ICT trade model: Trade Selection, Execution, and Review.
🎨 AI Prompt:
“Create a structured infographic illustrating the three pillars of an ICT trading model: Trade Selection, Execution, and Review. Use clean annotations with financial market elements.”
3. Step-by-Step Guide to Building Your ICT Trade Model
📌 A trade model is like a business plan—it guides every trade decision.
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Trade Setup
✔️ What market conditions do you trade best?
✔️ Which ICT concepts give you the highest probability of success?
✔️ What timeframes and Kill Zones do you trade?
🔍 Example:
A trader only takes liquidity sweep setups inside Kill Zones, confirming with Order Blocks and FVGs.
Step 2: Establish Entry & Exit Rules
✔️ Entry Criteria: Liquidity grab, OB retest, FVG confirmation.
✔️ Stop-Loss Rules: Below/above liquidity levels to avoid stop hunts.
✔️ Take Profit Strategy: Targeting the next liquidity pool.
🔍 Example:
A trader enters only after a liquidity grab at a key OB, placing stop-loss below the low and targeting the next liquidity pool.
Step 3: Set Your Risk Management Rules
✔️ Max Risk Per Trade: 1-2% of account balance.
✔️ Scaling In & Out: Adjusting position size based on confluence.
✔️ Max Drawdown Rule: Stopping trading after 3 consecutive losses.
🔍 Example:
A trader using a strict 1% risk per trade ensures they never risk account ruin, even during a losing streak.
Step 4: Daily & Weekly Routine for Trade Execution
✔️ Morning Market Analysis: Identifying key liquidity levels.
✔️ Pre-Kill Zone Preparation: Mapping out high-probability setups.
✔️ Post-Trade Review: Tracking performance and refining execution.
🔍 Example:
A trader who follows a structured daily routine improves faster than someone who trades randomly.
This is why Dave – No Nonsense Trader emphasizes structure—if you don’t have a process, you don’t have consistency.
📌 Image Guide:
📷 Suggested Image: A daily and weekly ICT trading routine checklist.
🎨 AI Prompt:
“Create a structured trading routine checklist for ICT traders, outlining daily and weekly tasks such as liquidity mapping, trade execution, and review processes. Use a clean, professional financial theme.”
4. How to Backtest & Optimize Your Trade Model
📌 Your trade model should evolve based on real performance data.
How to Backtest Your Trade Model Effectively:
✔️ Replay past price action to test your model in historical markets.
✔️ Track win rate, risk-to-reward ratios, and trade outcomes.
✔️ Identify what works and refine weak areas.
🔍 Example:
A trader tests their trade model on 50 past setups, refining it based on what produces the best results.
This is how Dave – No Nonsense Trader ensures that every aspect of his trade model is backed by data, not emotions.
📌 Image Guide:
📷 Suggested Image: A trading performance tracker displaying backtesting results and win rate analysis.
🎨 AI Prompt:
“Create a structured backtesting performance tracker for ICT traders, displaying win rate analysis, risk-to-reward calculations, and trade optimization metrics. Use a clean, professional trading layout.”
5. What’s Next?
🔥 In the final chapter, we’ll bring everything together. You’ll learn:
✅ How to refine your trade plan for maximum consistency.
✅ How to build a professional trading mindset for long-term success.
✅ How to continue learning and improving even after this course.
📌 Key Takeaways from This Chapter:
✅ A personalized ICT trade model ensures consistency and discipline.
✅ A structured daily routine improves execution and decision-making.
✅ Backtesting and journaling are key to refining your edge.
✅ Risk management and trade selection should always align with your strategy.
📌 Next Up: Chapter Ten – Next Steps & Continuous Growth as an ICT Trader 🚀
🔥 You now have a structured, repeatable ICT trade model—keep going!