learning to tradeMany aspiring Forex traders believe they do not need any outside help when learning how to trade the Forex market. I call “an aspiring trader” anybody who is still learning to trade and has not yet been profitable at year’s end.  Part of the allure of trading is the independent lifestyle and freedom that it can provide for you if you are successful at it, but it takes time and knowledge to achieve this, and that knowledge needs to come from somewhere. One negative aspect of the independent attitude that trading elicits in people is the fact that many new or struggling traders believe they can effectively teach themselves how to profitably trade the Forex market (usually a huge mistake).

While it may be the case that some people have an easy time teaching themselves to trade, it definitely is not the case for most, and even for people who do effectively teach themselves to trade profitably, it is almost always after years of frustration and thousands of dollars of lost money and time in trial and error trying to trade with useless trading systems. There is a very simple way to greatly reduce the probability of having to experience such emotionally and financially painful events; follow a respected trading mentor who can share knowledge and years of experiences with you. There is no better way to learn how to trade than from somebody who is already successful in the trading business, we will get to this in detail later in this article, but for now lets discuss how trading can be taught to an aspiring Forex trader.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate over whether or not trading can be taught simply boils down to the age old psychology issue of “nature vs. nurture”, that is, is trading a skill that can be taught to people who have no prior experience or is it just a natural talent that you are either born with or not? This issue of trading being taught vs. it being a natural gift was first made popular by the famous experiment by Richard Dennis and Bill Eckhardt who had an ongoing dispute in mid-1983 about whether traders were born or made. Dennis believed he could teach people to become great traders but Eckhardt thought genetics were the determining factor. They posted ads for trading apprentices in the major financial newspapers stating that after a brief training session, the trainees would be supplied with their own trading account.

learn how to tradeThe group was invited to Chicago in December of 1983, after learning the rules Dennis wanted them to trade with; they began trading small accounts in January and after they proved themselves Dennis funded most of the trainees with 1 million dollars in February. This group became known as the “Turtles”, Dennis named them this after a saying he had heard on a recent trip to Singapore. The Turtles went on to become the most famous experiment in trading history because over the next four years they earned a total sum of over $100 million dollars. Richard Dennis thus proved that a simple set of rules could be used to take people with little or no trading experience and turn them into very profitable traders.

The Importance of learning from a Mentor

One of the most ironic aspects of Forex currency trading is that most people think they do not need assistance from a successful professional forex trader while learning to trade. Most people are fully aware that only about 10% of people that attempt trading end up becoming professionals, the other 90% either quit or spend years of grueling trial and error before they figure it out or give up. The irony here is that most people are fully aware of these statistics, at least in the back of their mind, yet few of them are willing to seek the help of a professional trader or trading mentor.

If trading is so difficult and almost everyone knows it, then why are so few traders willing to accept help from someone who has already figured out what it takes to become successful? The simple answer is ego, arrogance, ignorance, any or all of the above. The bottom line however, is that ego and arrogance mean nothing to the market. In fact, being arrogant will only hurt you as a trader; the very fact that some people are unwilling to accept help from a professional trader is probably the very reason why they will fail; an overflow of arrogance. Now I am not claiming I have the “Holy-Grail” here to show you how to print money, but I can confidently say I have “Genuine Knowledge and Real World Trading Strategies” to teach my students, which will not only save them many years of  “searching” for strategies,  but if applied correctly will likely produce high-probability trades on a consistent basis.

Almost every single job in the “real world” requires you be trained “on the job” by a professional who is already experienced at the job. I think it’s safe to say that most “regular” jobs are much easier, at least mentally, than figuring out what it takes to make money consistently in the Forex market. As you need to be trained in any other skill by a professional in the field, so you need to be trained by a professional Forex trader if you want to become one. As I mentioned above; there are people who do learn to trade on their own, but I promise you their path is much harder and filled with many more pitfalls than the person who lets down their walls and accepts the help of a professional trader. Now again, I remind you, I am not promising miracles, but I am promising a “short cut” to knowledge and skills that may otherwise take you years to learn and use. As a trading coach, my job is to transfer my knowledge of trading and guide you to the correct path and in developing the correct trading mindset, so that you can then go out and continue to grow and excel as a trader.

My background

bear-vs-bullI began as a stock trader when I was in high school, I parlayed my interest and passion for trading into a full-time trading career right after I graduated and haven’t looked back since. That’s not to say I haven’t experience my fair share of losses and frustration, because I have, but my passion for trading and natural knack for understanding market dynamics kept my head above water long enough for me to discover the best trading technique in the world; price action analysis. Once I became a fully converted price action trader, by learning from the work of others, my own experiences and screen time, my trading results began getting more consistent and eventually I was managing money for private clients and producing double digit annual percentage returns for them. My extensive work with financial firms here in Australia, as well as learning from other professional traders, has enabled me to see how the ‘big boys’ trade and further enhanced my understanding of how markets move. I have shared my trading style and strategies in my comprehensive price action educational course, which is designed for newbie’s and advanced traders alike. My live seminars have worked to further my teaching style and my students love the flare and style that I have for teaching price action trading.

Price Action is not just a set of rules

While the example of Richard Dennis and the “turtles” was a good example of the fact that trading can indeed be taught, there is a problem with learning a strict set of trading rules. Specifically, strict trading rules will not work in all market conditions; they may work great in a bull market or in a bear market, but fail miserably in sideways markets. What learning price action does for you is gives you a unique perspective on the market that allows you to profit in all market conditions. You are not just learning a strict set of rules that will only work in a bull market; you are learning a way of making sense out of price movement and learning how to spot specific price action setups that can be profitable in all market conditions. In this way, price action is truly the best method to learn how to trade with. If you take my Forex trading course and join my members’ community, not only will I share with you all of my professional trading knowledge and strategies, but in my opinion you are getting taught the most relevant and consistently effective way to trade the markets, which is without doubt, Price action analysis.

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About Nial Fuller

is a Professional Trader, Investor & Author who is considered ‘The Authority’ on Price Action Trading. His blog is read by over 200,000+ followers and he has taught 25,000+ students since 2008. In 2016, Nial won the Million Dollar Trader Competition. Checkout Nial’s Professional Trading Course here.

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