How a boring trendline trading strategy still works in 2026

Video: This boring trading strategy made me $526,454

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Oct 30, 2026 · based on the channel Tori Trades

Trading with trendlines is a rule-based approach in which you draw a line along consecutive swing lows in an uptrend (or swing highs in a downtrend), wait for price to break a second, steeper "Action Line" to enter, and exit when a "Safety Line" is broken. Tori Trades, a futures trader, describes this as the same system she has used for over 11 years and credits it with $526,454 in results. The method uses no indicators, no oscillators and no pattern library, which is exactly why it is repeatable enough to survive a decade of market conditions. You can follow the fuller walkthrough and the trader's current resources through the Tori Tradez waitlist page.

What the trendline trading strategy actually is

The core idea is that price moves in swings, and the line connecting the swing points defines the trend you are allowed to trade. A valid trendline is drawn along at least two swing lows in an uptrend, and it must not cut through the bodies of the candles between them. The more touches the line receives without being broken, the more traders are watching it, and the more meaningful a break becomes.

Two lines do the actual work:

1. The trendline itself, which defines direction and keeps you on the right side of the market.
2. The Action Line, a steeper line drawn along the most recent pullback highs inside the trend, which triggers the entry when price closes above it.
3. The Safety Line, drawn along the most recent swing low, which defines where the idea is wrong and the trade is closed.

Nothing here forecasts the future. The system simply says: while the trendline holds, look for longs; when the Action Line breaks, get in; when the Safety Line breaks, get out. That is the whole edge, and it is why the strategy feels boring compared with indicator stacks and multi-screen confluence checklists.

Top-down analysis before you draw a single line

Top-down analysis means you decide the direction on a higher time frame and only then look for entries on a lower one. The sequence is fixed:

• Start on the daily or weekly chart and mark the major swing highs and lows.
• Draw the primary trendline on that higher time frame and note whether price is trending or ranging.
• Drop to the execution time frame (for example the 1-hour or 15-minute chart for intraday futures) and draw the local trendline inside the direction the higher time frame allows.
• Only take longs when the higher time frame is bullish and shorts when it is bearish; skip the setup entirely when the two conflict.

This filter removes most of the trades that look good on a five-minute chart and fail on the daily. It also answers the most common beginner complaint, which is being stopped out right before price reverses: a trade against the higher time frame is far more likely to be swept.

Rules for drawing trendlines correctly

A trendline is only useful if two different traders would draw the same line. The practical rules that make that possible:

1. Anchor the line to confirmed swing points, not to every wick. A swing low needs at least one clearly higher low on each side to count.
2. Use candle bodies as the primary reference and wicks as tolerance; a wick that pierces the line slightly does not invalidate it.
3. Never force a line. If the price action does not produce two clean touches, there is no trendline and therefore no trade.
4. Redraw as structure develops. When a new higher low forms, the trendline is adjusted to include it, and the old line is kept on the chart for reference.
5. On lower time frames, adjust the lines rather than reusing the higher-time-frame line unchanged, because the same trend looks different at a different resolution.

A useful discipline is to write the two anchor points down when you draw the line. If you cannot name them, you are drawing a line to fit a trade you already want to take.

Entries, exits, position sizing and trailing stops

Entry and exit are defined by the two lines, and risk is defined by the distance between them. When price closes above the Action Line, you enter. The stop goes beyond the Safety Line, usually with a small buffer for spread and volatility. Position size follows from that distance:

• Risk a fixed percentage of the account per trade, commonly 1% or less.
• Measure the distance from entry to stop in ticks or points.
• Divide the dollar risk by that distance to get the contract or lot size. If the stop is far away, the position gets smaller, not the risk bigger.

Once the trade is running, the stop is trailed. A common approach is to move the stop to the most recent swing low each time a new higher low forms, so the Safety Line effectively rises with the trend. This keeps the trade alive through normal pullbacks while locking in gains if the structure breaks. The same framework applies to futures contracts and forex pairs; only the tick value and contract size change.

Tools, trade journaling and the links mentioned in the breakdown

The strategy needs a charting platform, a broker and a trade journal, and the video points to the trader's own choices for all three:

• Join the waitlist for the trader's program and updates.
• TradeZella for trade tracking, with the code TORI20 for a discount on the yearly plan.
• TradeStation, the broker used in the video.
• Instagram and Facebook for the trader's only official social accounts.

Journaling matters more with this system than with most. Because the rules are visual, the only way to know whether you are following them is to record every setup, mark whether the trendline was valid, and compare the result with your plan. Over a few dozen trades the journal shows whether the losses come from the market or from redrawing lines after the fact.

Common doubts from traders trying trendlines

Most objections to this approach fall into a few predictable categories. Beginners who have spent months on complex smart-money concepts often find trendlines almost too simple, and assume they are missing something; the simplicity is the point, since fewer inputs mean fewer ways to talk yourself into a bad trade. Others ask where the actual order is placed and with what leverage, which is a broker and platform question rather than a strategy question, and the answer is that risk per trade is set by the stop distance, not by the leverage on the account.

The most common real problem is discretionary drift: entering before the Action Line breaks, moving the stop away from the Safety Line, or drawing a new line to justify staying in a losing position. The fix is mechanical. Define the two anchor points, define the Action Line and the Safety Line before entry, size the position from that distance, and accept that a losing trade taken by the rules is a good trade. Traders who report consistent progress with this method usually describe the same shift: fewer setups, more patience, and sitting on their hands while price moves between the lines.

Summary

A trendline system with an Action Line for entries and a Safety Line for exits is not exciting, and that is precisely why it has lasted more than a decade for Tori Trades and produced the $526,454 figure cited in the breakdown. The work is top-down analysis, honest line drawing, fixed fractional risk and a journal that keeps you accountable. Anyone can learn the mechanics in an afternoon; the returns come from applying them identically for hundreds of trades. The full walkthrough is on the Tori Trades channel, and the trader's program and updates are available through the waitlist link.

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