Learn crypto trading, one lesson at a time
65 free lessons on candlesticks, chart patterns, indicators, key levels, risk and trade management. The same knowledge base Trnd Tools members read inside the terminal, open to everyone.
Part 1
Base Knowledge
The building blocks: candlesticks, chart patterns, indicators, levels and volume.
Candlesticks & Timeframes
How a candle is built and how the timeframe you choose changes what it tells you.
- How a Candlestick Is BuiltOpen, high, low and close, and what a single candle actually records.
- Wicks, Bodies and RejectionReading the shape of a candle rather than just its colour.
- Choosing Your TimeframeHow the timeframe you trade changes the signals you see.
- Multi-Timeframe AnalysisUsing a higher timeframe for context and a lower one for timing.
Candlestick Patterns
When particular patterns form, they can offer an indication as to which direction the price might move in the future.
- Bullish Engulfing Candlestick PatternA Bullish Engulfing pattern is a two-candle reversal setup that signals a potential shift from selling pressure to buying momentum.
- Bearish Engulfing Candlestick PatternA strong bearish candle fully engulfs the previous bullish candle, indicating sellers have stepped in and price may move lower.
- Hammer Candlestick PatternA candle with a long lower wick and small body, showing rejection of lower prices and potential bullish reversal after a decline.
- Shooting Star Candlestick PatternA candle with a long upper wick and small body, showing rejection of higher prices and potential bearish reversal after a rise.
- Doji Candlestick PatternA candle with little to no body, reflecting indecision between buyers and sellers and a possible turning point in the market.
- Morning Star Candlestick PatternA three-candle pattern where selling pressure fades and buyers take control, signaling a potential bullish reversal.
- Evening Star Candlestick PatternA three-candle pattern where buying momentum weakens and sellers step in, signaling a potential bearish reversal.
Chart Patterns
Charting patterns offer an immediate insight into market conditions and can often be used to identify signals that suggest the price will shortly go up or down.
- Double TopA Double Top pattern is a bearish reversal setup that signals weakening buying momentum after price tests resistance twice and fails to break higher.
- Double BottomA Double Bottom pattern is a bullish reversal setup that signals strengthening buying pressure after price forms two lows at a similar support level.
- Head & ShouldersA Head and Shoulders pattern is a bearish reversal setup that signals a potential trend change after a higher peak forms between two lower peaks.
- Inverse Head & ShouldersAn Inverse Head and Shoulders pattern is a bullish reversal setup that signals a potential shift from downtrend to uptrend after a lower trough forms between two higher lows.
- Bull FlagA Bull Flag pattern is a bullish continuation setup that signals temporary consolidation before price potentially continues moving higher.
- Bear FlagA Bear Flag pattern is a bearish continuation setup that signals temporary consolidation before price potentially continues moving lower.
- Ascending TriangleAn Ascending Triangle pattern is a bullish continuation setup that signals increasing buying pressure as higher lows form beneath a fixed resistance level.
- Descending TriangleA Descending Triangle pattern is a bearish continuation setup that signals increasing selling pressure as lower highs form above a fixed support level.
- Symmetrical TriangleA Symmetrical Triangle pattern is a consolidation setup that signals tightening price action before a potential breakout in either direction.
- Rectangle ConsolidationA Rectangle Consolidation pattern is a sideways consolidation setup that signals price trading between clear support and resistance before a breakout occurs.
- Rising WedgeA Rising Wedge pattern is a bearish setup that signals weakening bullish momentum as price rises within converging upward trendlines.
- Falling WedgeA Falling Wedge pattern is a bullish setup that signals weakening selling pressure as price falls within converging downward trendlines.
- Cup and HandleA Cup and Handle pattern is a bullish continuation setup that signals accumulation and consolidation before a potential breakout to new highs.
- PennantsA Pennant pattern is a continuation setup that signals brief consolidation after a strong price move before the trend potentially resumes.
Indicators
This article will help you learn what technical indicators are and how to use some of the most popular technical analysis tools to your advantage.
- RSI - Relative Strength IndexThe Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a momentum indicator that measures the speed and strength of price movements to identify overbought, oversold, and potential reversal conditions in the market.
- Moving AveragesMoving Averages (MAs) are trend-following indicators that smooth out price action to help traders identify market direction, trend strength, and dynamic support or resistance levels.
- VolumeVolume is an indicator that measures how much of an asset is being traded and helps traders confirm trend strength, breakout validity, and overall market participation.
- MACD - Moving Average Convergence DivergenceA trend-following momentum indicator built from two moving averages.
- Stochastic RSIAn oscillator applied to RSI itself, for faster momentum readings.
Support & Resistance
In the simplest terms, support and resistance levels are where the forces of supply and demand meet.
- What Support and Resistance AreWhy certain prices repeatedly stop price moving.
- Drawing Horizontal LevelsMarking levels as zones rather than exact prices.
- Trendlines and Diagonal LevelsSloping support and resistance, and their limits.
- Support and Resistance FlipsWhy broken support so often becomes resistance.
- Level Strength and RetestsJudging which levels deserve your attention.
Breakouts & Breakdowns
Breakouts and breakdowns are key technical trading strategies indicating a potential change in market sentiment and the start of a new, significant trend.
- Anatomy of a BreakoutWhat separates a real break from a brief poke through a level.
- Anatomy of a BreakdownWhy breaks to the downside behave differently.
- False Breakouts and Liquidity SweepsThe most expensive pattern for inexperienced traders.
- Volume ConfirmationUsing participation to judge whether a break is real.
- Breakout vs Retest EntriesEntering on the break, or waiting for it to come back.
Part 2
Chart Analysis
Applying the fundamentals to a live chart: timeframes, key levels, patterns and confluence.
Reading a Live Chart
Working through a chart from blank to a marked-up thesis.
- TimeframesChoosing a timeframe and reading several at once.
- Mapping Key LevelsMarking the prices that actually matter.
- Drawing Chart PatternsPlotting structure on a live chart without forcing it.
- Breakouts & BreakdownsReading a level being broken, and whether it holds.
- Building ConfluenceStacking independent signals into one thesis.
Part 3
Looking for a Trade
Turning analysis into a shortlist: scanning, watchlists and waiting for your setup.
Finding a Setup
Recognising when a trade is actually forming.
- Chart Patterns CompletingSpotting a pattern in the act of finishing, before it is obvious.
- Key Levels In PlayRecognising when price is approaching a level that matters.
- Forming a Trade ThesisWriting down what you expect to happen, and what would prove you wrong.
- Waiting for Your SetupThe discipline of not trading until your conditions are met.
Part 4
Entering a Trade
Execution: risk and reward, position sizing, leverage, order types and journaling.
Execution
Turning a decision into a position, sized and protected.
- Risk & RewardSizing the payoff against what you are risking to get it.
- Position Sizing, SL & TPTurning a stop distance into a position size, and where targets belong.
- LeverageWhat leverage changes, what it does not, and how liquidation works.
- Entries & Limit OrdersMarket, limit and stop orders, and when each one fits.
- JournalingRecording trades so your results become data you can act on.
Part 5
Managing a Trade
What happens after entry: divergences, consolidations, levels, time rules and stops.
Managing an Open Position
What to watch, and what to do, once you are in.
- Looking for DivergencesReading momentum against price while you are already in a position.
- Looking for ConsolidationsWhat sideways price action means for an open trade.
- Support & Resistance LevelsUsing levels ahead of price to plan exits.
- Time RulesDeciding in advance how long a trade gets to work.
- Breakeven StopsWhen moving a stop protects you, and when it costs you.
Part 6
Advanced Concepts
Derivatives and order-flow data: what the numbers behind the price actually mean.
Derivatives & Order Flow
The data underneath the price chart.
- CVD - Cumulative Volume DeltaWhether buyers or sellers are being the aggressive side.
- Open InterestHow much leverage is committed to the market right now.
- Order FlowReading the order book and the trades hitting it.
- Funding RatesThe cost of holding a perpetual position, and what it signals.
- Liquidation LevelsWhere forced selling and buying is likely to cluster.
- CME GapsWhy the futures market leaves holes in the chart.
Trnd Academy FAQ
Is Trnd Academy free?
Yes. Every lesson on this page is free to read and needs no account. The same knowledge base is also built into the Trnd Tools dashboard, where it is included in the Free plan alongside the trade journal.
Where should I start?
Read the categories in order. Base Knowledge covers candlesticks, chart patterns, indicators, support and resistance and breakouts. Chart Analysis applies them to a live chart, then the next three categories walk through finding, entering and managing a trade. Advanced Concepts covers derivatives data such as funding, open interest and liquidations.
Is this financial advice?
No. The lessons explain how chart patterns, indicators and risk management work so you can build and test your own process. They are educational and do not recommend buying or selling any asset.
How is the Academy different from the Trnd Tools blog?
The blog covers market conditions, product updates and weekly analysis, so it dates quickly. The Academy is reference material: each lesson explains one concept and is kept current as a single page rather than published as a stream of posts.
How do I practise what the lessons teach?
Log your trades. The Trnd Tools journal records entry, stop, target, size, setup and outcome for every trade so you can check whether the patterns you trade actually pay. It is free for up to 10 trades a month, with 30 days of Pro on signup.
Put the lessons to work in a journal
Reading about setups is the easy part. Log every trade with its stop, size and R-multiple and find out which ones actually make you money. Free for up to 10 trades a month, with 30 days of Pro on signup.
Start journaling freeOr see the trade journal tour and pricing.