WickCheck / Trading school
Trading school: ICT, SMC and backtesting explained
Plain explanations of smart money terms, short lessons on testing strategies honestly, and a test button wherever a concept can be checked on real data.
Learning corner
Level 1BeginnerStart here. How charts, sessions and risk work, what a backtest is, and the words every trader uses.7 lessons · 58 termsLevel 2IntermediateStructure, gaps, order blocks and liquidity, plus how to tell a real edge from luck. Classic setups to test yourself.9 lessons · 46 termsLevel 3AdvancedFull ICT models and the finer concepts behind them: displacement, inversions, breakers, timing and intermarket divergence.3 lessons · 31 termsA–ZDictionaryEvery term in one place, with its level.135 terms
1Learn the wordsPlain meanings of every ICT and SMC term, each with a picture.
2See it on real chartsEvery strategy shows a real winner and a real loser from the data.
3Test it in secondsOne click opens the rules in WickCheck. Change any word, run it.
Start here: why most strategies need a human behind the screen
Read the lessonPopular setups tested mechanically are often break-even. Here is what that does and does not mean.
Core concepts at a glance
The twelve ideas behind most smart money setups. Tap one for the full explanation.
Fair value gapOrder blockBreak of structureChange of characterLiquidity sweepBuyside and sellside liquidityPremium and discountOptimal trade entryKillzonesSilver BulletJudas swingPower of 3 (AMD)
Popular strategies explained
How popular setups work, the usual rules, the variations traders use and what testing shows. Every one opens in WickCheck.
ICT Silver Bullet strategy explainedThe one-hour ICT setup: what it is, the rules, common variations and what testing shows.The ICT 2022 model explainedSweep, market structure shift with displacement, fair value gap entry: the most taught ICT entry model.New York open liquidity sweep strategyTrading the first hours of New York after a sweep of any untaken high or low.London open Asian range strategyUsing the Asian range as liquidity for the London session.Order block strategy explainedTrading returns to the last opposite candle before a strong move.Turtle soup strategy explainedFading failed breakouts of obvious highs and lows.Turtle trading and the 20-day breakoutThe classic trend-following rule set, simplified.RSI(2) strategy explainedLarry Connors' short-term pullback rule for index markets.Moving average crossover strategiesGolden cross, EMA crosses and why filters matter.Bollinger band mean reversionBuying closes below the lower band and exiting at the middle.Power of 3 (AMD) as a trading planAccumulation, manipulation, distribution: using the idea without guessing.
Lessons
Why most strategies need a human behind the screenWhat a backtest can and cannot tell you about discretionary trading, and how to use both.Trading sessions and killzones: times, what happens in each, and how to test themAsian, London and New York sessions and the ICT killzones, with exact times in New York and London time, daylight saving notes and test rules.What a backtest is, and what it is notThe basics in five minutes: rules, data, costs and the limits of testing the past.How costs quietly eat small edgesSpread, commission and slippage explained, and why tight stops make them worse.Why 30 trades prove nothingHow luck hides in small samples and how many trades you actually need.When a great result is just luck: overfittingHow to tell a real edge from a curve-fitted one.R, risk per trade and drawdown in plain wordsHow position size, R-multiples and drawdown fit together.How to read your WickCheck resultsWhat each number means and the order to look at them in.
ICT and SMC glossary · 135 terms
Market structure
Break of structureBOSChange in state of deliveryCISDChange of characterCHoCHDisplacementMarket structureMarket structure shiftMSSSwing high and swing low
Imbalances and gaps
Balanced price rangeBPRBISI and SIBIConsequent encroachmentCEFair value gapFVGInversion fair value gapIFVGLiquidity voidNew week and new day opening gapNWOG / NDOG
Order blocks
Liquidity
Asian rangeBuyside and sellside liquidityBSL / SSLEqual highs and equal lowsEQH / EQLInducementIDMLiquidityLiquidity runStop huntLiquidity sweepPrevious day high and lowPDH / PDLTurtle soup
Sessions and time
Asian sessionBroker server time (chart time)Central bank dealers rangeCBDRDaylight saving time (DST)DSTICT macrosJudas swingKillzonesLondon close killzoneLondon sessionNew York PM sessionNew York sessionOpening range breakoutORBPower of 3 (AMD)PO3 / AMDSilver BulletTime zones for traders (UTC, GMT, New York, London)UTC
Price levels and ranges
Daily openDealing rangeEquilibriumEQFibonacci retracementFibMidnight openOptimal trade entryOTEPremium and discountWeekend gap
Bias and confluence
ConfluenceDraw on liquidityDOLHigher-timeframe biasHTF biasIPDAInterbank Price Delivery AlgorithmMarket maker modelMMXMOrder flow (ICT)SMT divergenceSMTTop-down analysis
Risk and results
Breakeven stopBEDrawdownDDEquity curveExpectancyPartial profitsProfit factorPFR and R-multipleRRisk of ruinRisk to rewardRRSharpe ratioStop lossSLTrailing stopWin rate
Backtesting
BacktestForward testMonte Carlo testOut-of-sample dataOverfittingSample sizeSpread, commission and slippageWalk-forward test
Trading basics
Bid and askLeverageLimit orderLong and shortLot sizeMarginMarket orderPipPosition sizingRangeStop orderSupply and demand zonesSupport and resistanceTimeframeTrend
Candles and patterns
CandlestickDojiEngulfing candleInside barMarubozuPin barHammer / shooting starSwing failure patternSFPWickShadow
Indicators and volume
ATRAverage True RangeBollinger bandsDivergenceMACDMoving Average Convergence DivergenceMoving averageSMA / EMAPoint of controlPOCRSIRelative Strength IndexValue areaVAH / VALVolume profileVWAPVolume-weighted average price
News and macro
CorrelationCPIConsumer Price IndexDollar indexDXYEconomic calendarFOMC rate decisionFOMCHigh-impact newsRed folder newsNon-farm payrollsNFPRisk on and risk off
Prop firms
Consistency ruleDaily loss limitDaily drawdownFunded accountMaximum loss limitMax drawdownProp challengeEvaluationProp firmProprietary trading firmTrailing drawdown
Psychology and process
Tool comparisons
Best no-code backtesting tools in 2026: an honest comparisonWickCheck, TradingView, Backtrex, FX Replay and StrategyQuant: what each one is good at, and where each falls short.WickCheck vs TradingView strategy testerPlain words vs Pine Script: when each one is the better choice for backtesting.WickCheck vs BacktrexTwo no-code backtesters with different ideas: plain words versus a chart-driven builder.
Education only, not financial advice. Definitions vary between teachers; these are ours, written for clarity.