# How I Find My Trading Entries: Why Structure Beats Indicators for Intraday and Swing Setups Trading entries work best when you read market structure, not indicators. Learn the ICC approach from SCI's course: steps, timing, risk. Source: https://swiftmaple.top/how-i-find/ · based on the channel [SCI](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsS3T1SnsX__1g9COtfKCQ) · Video: [How I Find My Trading Entries | Trading Course 003](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh85H9D7gXo) · 2026-10-16 ![How I Find My Trading Entries: Why Structure Beats Indicators for Intraday and Swing Setups](https://swiftmaple.top/how-i-find/how-i-find.webp) ## Key takeaways - Entries are found by reading market structure and a clear model, not by stacking indicators. - SCI's Trading Course 003 focuses on entry timing, a skill that looks simple until real money is on the line. - The ICC framework (Indication, Correction, Continuation) is the core model taught by the SCI channel. - Risk management and emotional control are repeatedly cited as the difference between a good setup and a blown account. - The course is free and hosted on the SCI channel, with live trades posted on X and community chat on Discord and Telegram. Trading entries are best found by reading market structure and applying a repeatable model, not by stacking indicators. In his Trading Course 003, SCI walks through exactly how he locates entries, and the takeaway is that timing and context matter far more than any single tool. You can follow the same teaching through his [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/tradesbysci), where he posts trade breakdowns and updates. ## Why structure beats indicators for finding trading entries A trading entry is a decision about when and where to commit risk, and that decision is only as good as the context behind it. Indicators are derived from price, so they lag by definition; structure is the price itself. When you mark up a chart with swing highs and lows, you are reading the actual footprint of buyers and sellers. SCI's approach in the course is to strip the chart down and let structure lead. This does not mean indicators are useless. It means they are confirmation, not the trigger. If a moving average cross or an oscillator signal fires in the middle of a range, it is noise. If it fires at a structural level where price has already shown a reaction, it becomes a filter. The hierarchy matters: context first, level second, trigger last. A practical way to apply this is to mark the higher-timeframe structure before you look at anything else. On a daily or 4-hour chart, identify the most recent impulse leg and the correction that followed. That alone tells you whether you should be looking for longs or shorts. Most traders skip this step and jump straight to a 1-minute chart, which is why their entries feel random. ## The ICC model: indication, correction, continuation SCI's framework is built around three phases: indication, correction, and continuation. The indication is the first impulsive move that shows intent from one side of the market. The correction is the pullback that follows, where weak hands get shaken out. The continuation is the expansion that resumes the original direction. Your entry lives in the transition between correction and continuation. The logic is simple. You are not trying to predict the move; you are waiting for the market to reveal its hand, then positioning yourself before the second leg. This is why entry timing is a skill that looks easy on a replay but feels difficult in real time. On a replay, the correction is obvious. Live, it looks like a reversal. To make this concrete, here is a step-by-step way to apply the model: 1. Identify a clear impulse leg on your chosen timeframe. This is the indication. 2. Mark the correction zone, typically the area where price retraces into a prior structure level. 3. Wait for a reaction inside that zone, such as a rejection wick or a lower-timeframe shift in momentum. 4. Enter on the continuation trigger, with your stop beyond the correction extreme. 5. Target the next structural level, not an arbitrary number of pips. ## Entry timing and the psychology of pulling the trigger Entry timing is where most traders fail, not because they cannot see the setup but because they cannot execute it. A viewer comment on the course noted that entry timing looks simple until you actually start trading, and that is accurate. The gap between knowing and doing is filled with fear of loss and fear of missing out. SCI addresses this by keeping the model mechanical. If the conditions are met, you take the trade. If they are not, you wait. The fewer discretionary decisions you make at the moment of entry, the less your emotions can interfere. This is also why journaling your entries, with a screenshot and a one-line reason, is so valuable. Over time, you see which conditions actually produce your best trades. Another practical point is session selection. One viewer mentioned trading during a night shift and finding that low-volume sessions helped them process information more clearly. That is a legitimate observation: if you trade when you are alert and the market is orderly, your entries improve. You do not have to trade the New York open to be profitable. ## Risk management and position sizing around entries A good entry with bad risk management is still a losing trade. The course emphasizes that your stop placement should be dictated by structure, not by how much you are willing to lose. If the structural stop is too far for your account size, you either reduce your position size or skip the trade. You never widen the stop to make the trade fit. Position sizing follows from that. If your stop is 50 points away and you risk 1% of your account, your position size is determined by that math. This is the part that separates traders who survive from those who blow up. One commenter described having success with the model but learning a hard lesson through poor risk management, which is a common path. The model can be right and you can still lose if your sizing is wrong. A simple rule is to never risk more than a fixed percentage per trade, and to never move your stop further away once you are in. If the trade goes against you, the structure is invalidated and you are out. That discipline is what allows you to take the next setup without hesitation. ## Common questions and doubts from traders learning entries Many viewers ask whether they need to understand the full ICC model to take entries. The answer is that you can start with just the correction-and-continuation pattern, but understanding the indication phase gives you context for why the trade should work. Without it, you are trading a pattern in a vacuum. Another frequent doubt is whether the model works on all instruments. The principles are universal because they are based on market structure, but the behavior differs. XAUUSD, for example, has its own volatility characteristics compared to major forex pairs. You should study how the model behaves on the specific market you trade rather than assuming one size fits all. A third question is about timeframes. SCI's entries can be applied on intraday charts, but the higher-timeframe context is what gives them weight. If you are trading a 5-minute continuation, you still want to know where you are in the daily structure. Ignoring that is how you end up buying at the top of a daily range. Finally, some traders worry that the model is too simple to work. Simplicity is the point. A model with fewer moving parts is easier to execute consistently, and consistency is what compounds. As one viewer put it, simplicity is the key. ## Useful links - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tradesbysci - X (live trades): https://x.com/tradesbysci - Trading platform: https://tinyurl.com/hideoutsci - Discord: https://discord.gg/tradesbysci - Telegram: https://t.me/iccmafia ## Final thoughts on finding trading entries The core lesson from SCI's Trading Course 003 is that entries are a function of structure, timing, and risk control, not of indicator settings. You mark the indication, wait for the correction, and enter on the continuation with a stop that respects the structure. The model is simple, but executing it consistently requires discipline and emotional control. If you want to follow along, the SCI channel is the source of this breakdown, and you can start with the [Instagram page](https://www.instagram.com/tradesbysci) for daily context and trade examples. Practice the steps on a demo account until the process becomes mechanical, then scale slowly. ## Questions & answers **Do I need indicators to find good trading entries?** No, indicators are optional and should be used as confirmation rather than triggers. The primary tool is market structure: swing highs and lows that show where buyers and sellers have acted. SCI's approach relies on price action and the ICC model, with indicators only adding context if they align with the structural level. **How long does it take to get consistent with entry timing?** It depends on how much deliberate practice you put in, but most traders need several months of journaling and review to internalize the process. The model itself can be learned in a few sessions, but executing it without hesitation under real risk takes repetition. Start on a demo account and track every entry with a screenshot and a reason. **Can I use the ICC model on any market like XAUUSD or forex?** The principles of indication, correction, and continuation apply to any liquid market because they are based on structure. However, volatility and session behavior differ, so you should study how the model performs on the specific instrument you trade. XAUUSD, for example, moves differently from major forex pairs, so adjust your targets and stops accordingly. **What is the biggest mistake traders make with entries?** The most common mistake is entering without higher-timeframe context, which leads to buying at the top of a range or selling at the bottom. The second is poor risk management, such as widening a stop to avoid a loss. Both are avoidable if you define your structural stop first and size your position so that the risk fits your account.