What the FIFA World Cup Can Teach You About Trading 

I grew up playing tennis, and my husband grew up playing basketball and football. The American kind, not what we call soccer.

With the FIFA World Cup taking place in the United States right now, I've found myself paying more attention to the sport than usual. While I'm not necessarily a soccer fan, I am appreciating so much of what the sport requires from athletes and teams.

And the more I watch, the more I see parallels to trading.

You're Responsible for Every Role

When you look at a soccer match, there's a lot going on.

There is an offensive team and a defensive team. There are rules that guide the action and penalties when players don't follow those rules. There are emotional highs when a goal is scored and emotional lows when a team misses by a narrow margin.

And then there are the fans.

The passion around the World Cup has been fascinating to watch. Whether it's the busloads of fans from the Netherlands visiting Buc-ee's here in Texas or the Scots taking over Fenway Park in Boston, it's been fun to see the energy surrounding the event.

Now let's bring this back to trading.

In a sporting event, different people fill different roles. In trading, you're responsible for all of them.

You Have to Play Every Position

As a trader, you're responsible for offense and defense at the same time.

Most people naturally focus on the offensive side of trading. They're looking for opportunities, making trades, and trying to find an edge in the market.

You're also responsible for defense. You have to protect your capital, manage risk, and handle losing trades appropriately.

You're responsible for determining the rules of the trading game you play and then actually abiding by those rules. Just like an athlete gets penalized for breaking the rules, traders often end up paying a price when they ignore their own plan.

In trading, you're the offense, the defense, and the person responsible for enforcing the rules.

Why a Trading Plan Matters

This is where having a trading plan becomes so important.

Whether it's digital or written down, a trading plan gives you a place to account for all of the roles you're trying to play. It helps define what offense looks like, what defense looks like, and the rules you'll follow when you're making decisions.

It also gives you something to come back to when emotions start running high and the market becomes more difficult to navigate.

Start With What Resonates With You

When you're building a trading plan, it helps to think about what naturally resonates with you.

What do you want to use to make trading decisions? Is it price action? A specific indicator? Forecasting? Something else entirely?

There are endless combinations of data that can be used to find an edge in the market.

I think what's best is what resonates with you and what you consistently see on the charts.

This is something I demonstrate every week during Ticker Request Live.

You're literally watching me show you what I see. The parts that resonate with you, you can pick up and incorporate into your own trading. The parts that don't, no worries.

Look at the Field

Whether you already have a trading plan or you're just starting to think about one, here's a simple exercise.

Just think about the vast green of a soccer field.

Then ask yourself:

• What do I see in the market?
• What advantages do I have?
• What are my strengths?
• What techniques do I want to deploy consistently?

Those answers can become the foundation of your trading plan.

Once you know what role you want to play and what strengths you want to lean into, it's much easier to build the rest of your trading plan around them.

~ Hima

🚨 PS — Watch the Full Replay: Last Night’s Weekly Trading Show

We had our 22nd broadcast of Ticker Request Live yesterday! 

📺Catch the complete June 16th  replay on Youtube (will come down without notice):

https://www.youtube.com/live/hug3un8ojm4?si=TkvsU9ff29sSswNG&t=482