Education · Long-form
Swing Trading Rules: A Documented Playbook Approach
Swing trading — holding positions multiple days to weeks — is the format most compatible with day jobs and the format most aligned with how retail traders should start. This page covers the rules of structured swing trading: setup definition, position sizing scaled to multi-day moves, weekly review workflow, and the documented-playbook approach.
Why swing first
Swing trading allows day-job compatibility (decisions at session boundaries, not real-time). Swing structures are larger and clearer than intraday structures (less noise). Swing position sizing accommodates the wider stops that multi-day moves require. Most successful Indian retail traders started with swing and only added intraday after years of practice.
Setup definition rules
Each setup needs explicit conditions: trigger pattern, structural level, trend filter, volume confirmation. Foundation Module 3 covers candlestick patterns; Module 4 covers structural levels; Module 5 covers volume. By Stage 2 capstone, students have 5-10 documented setups in their playbook. Each setup is reviewed quarterly for continued edge.
Position sizing scaled to swing
Swing stops are typically 1.5-3 ATR away from entry — wider than intraday. Position sizing accordingly: same 1% account risk produces smaller share counts than tight-stop intraday positions. Per-position exposure can be larger though, because hold time is longer. Stage 2 covers the math in detail.
Weekly review workflow for swing
Sunday evening: review the past week's trades, plot equity curve, compute expectancy by setup. Monday morning: scan for new setups across watchlist. Position decisions made by Tuesday close at latest, then monitored through end of week. The discipline is in the cadence.
Common swing-trading mistakes
Holding too long (target hit but greedy hold). Cutting winners early (loss aversion). Re-entering closed setups without confirmation (FOMO). Adding to losing positions (hope). All four are catalogued in Module 7 with mechanical rules to prevent each.
FAQs
How long do swing trades typically hold?
5-15 trading days median for setups in Stage 2 playbook. Range: 2-30 days. Longer holds typically violate the 'momentum has stopped' exit rule.
How many swing trades per month?
5-15 for an active swing trader with 5-10 setups. Some weeks: zero (no setups passing checklist). Some weeks: 4-5. Don't trade for the sake of trading.
Can I swing trade with a job?
Yes — that's the intended audience. Pre-market scan (15 minutes), evening review (15 minutes), weekend review (45 minutes). Total time: under 4 hours per week.
What capital do I need for swing trading?
₹2,00,000+ for meaningful position sizing on Indian large-cap equities. Below that, fixed costs (brokerage, STT, GST) eat into per-trade returns disproportionately.
Should I use stop-loss orders or mental stops?
Hard stops always. Swing positions held overnight; gap-down events are the canonical case where mental stops fail catastrophically.
Start with Foundation
73-page printed curriculum book + 28 video lessons + tutor channel. ₹4,999. 7-day refund.
Enrol — ₹4,999Bharath Shiksha is an educational publisher. We do not provide investment advice. Curriculum uses anonymised historical examples with at least 30-day data lag; no specific securities are named for buy/sell/hold; no performance claims or return projections.