Trading plan
Swing Trading Plan: A Simple Template
Swing trading gives you time to think, which is both the advantage and the trap. A plan keeps the extra time from turning into second-guessing and moved stops.
Start free — no cardWhy it matters
Why swing traders drift without a plan
Holding trades for days means more time between entry and exit for doubt to creep in. Without a plan, that time gets filled with tinkering: tightening stops out of nervousness, taking profit early, adding to losers because you have "conviction."
A swing plan locks the decisions at entry — where the stop goes, where you take profit, what would make you add or exit — so the holding period is about patience, not constant renegotiation.
Components
What a swing trading plan includes
Setups
The multi-day patterns you trade and the conditions that confirm them.
Holding period
How long you expect to hold and what would end the trade early.
Overnight and gap risk
How you size for the risk of holding through closes and news.
Stop and target
Defined at entry, in price or structure, so they are not negotiated later.
Position management
Whether and how you scale, trail, or hold to target.
Example
An illustrative swing plan
For example: trade pullbacks within established trends; risk a fixed percentage per position; set the stop below the pullback structure and a target at the prior high; hold to target or stop, with one defined trail rule; size down to absorb overnight risk.
Written this way, every later urge — to tighten the stop, to bail early — can be checked against what you committed to at entry. That is what a review measures: not whether it won, but whether you held the plan.
In Mettle
How to use this plan in Mettle
- 1
Write each setup as a play
Turn the plan into named plays with their rules, so every trade has something to be measured against.
- 2
Log trades against the play
Tag each trade to its play and record what actually happened, including deviations.
- 3
Review adherence weekly
Let the weekly review reflect how often you followed the plan and how those trades scored, so the plan stays enforced by feedback rather than willpower.
FAQ
Does Mettle build the plan or trade it for me?
No. Mettle does not generate plans, signal entries, or place trades — it is a journal and review tool. You write the plan; Mettle helps you turn it into plays, log trades against it, and review whether you actually followed it.
Are the scores objective or self-reported?
Self-reported, by design. No software can see whether you hesitated, chased, or broke your own rule — only you can. Mettle structures that self-report so it is fast, honest, and comparable week to week, and keeps its analysis grounded in what you actually logged.
Is Mettle free to start?
Yes. You get full access free for 14 days with no card. We only ask for a card once you have reviewed three sessions, after the product has earned a place in your routine.
Trade the plan, not the nerves
Write your swing setups as plays, commit your stops and targets, and review whether you held them. Free to start, no card.
Start free — no cardMore on trading plans