Becoming a better trader is about more than stringing together winning trades: it means building genuine discipline and a rigorous analytical method, and it demands limitless motivation. Personally, it took me several years to become the trader I am today, but maybe a few concrete tips can help you shave some time off your learning curve!
So here are 10 practical, easy-to-implement tips to optimize your trading, whether you are a beginner or striving for continuous improvement.
Learn something every day! You have specialized books, plus the internet and YouTube to educate yourself without limits. The learning curve in trading is long and markets are constantly evolving: new instruments, new platforms, new behaviors. To build solid foundations, start by mastering the basics of trading before going any further. And as you may already know, the best French-speaking resource for crypto trading is Captain Trading!
2. Join a Trading Community or Find a Trading Buddy
It is essential to surround yourself with a network of people driven by the same goals: learning to trade and performing. Trading is an activity that isolates us, so being well surrounded matters — to keep learning, but also to share your good and bad experiences, get support, and grow as a group. It will help you enormously on three fronts: technique, mindset, and motivation. If you are not already in our Discord, which is open to everyone, I invite you to join us right now: https://discord.gg/UN7JramvgS
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3. Define Your Technical Analysis Style and Stick to It
Pick one approach and stick to it. Learn it inside out and practice it for months, even years. Trading is not a lottery: there is no luck involved, and you will not get rich overnight. The best-performing traders are where they are because their system and their signals are the product of years spent observing the same indicators, patterns, and data. Whether you rely on tools like the RSI, moving averages or Bollinger Bands, the consistency of your method matters more than the variety of your indicators. The key is to build a clear strategy and stick with it over the long run.
4. Master Risk Management: Your Survival Depends on It
… or rather your survival as a trader, so don’t joke around with this one — it is a very serious topic! Rigorous risk management is what allows you to get it wrong and still sleep soundly. Make absolutely sure you have your risk under control, because on this point you have no excuse whatsoever. Yet it is clearly a major cause of failure among rookies: many go on tilt and cannot stand the idea of being wrong 3 or 4 times in a row, so they try to “win it back”… but trading is not a game!
5. Spend Time on the Charts to Train Your Eye
Nothing can replace time spent watching price movement. This really is an essential point you should not overlook. Load up charts, watch how the market reacts at key levels, map out support and resistance, identify market structures: spend as much time as possible studying them. A tool like TradingView is ideal for this daily chart-watching exercise. To turn these observations into real progress, get into the habit of keeping a trading journal where you log your setups, your entries, and your mistakes.
6. Figure Out What Type of Trader You Are or Want to Become
Be honest with yourself. Many people end up stuck between being a swing trader and a scalper, drifting from one to the other. In reality, each requires very different strengths, availability, and mentality. Swing trading and scalping are not easy to combine, so be careful about trying to do too much: it only makes failure more likely. Choose the style that matches your schedule, your temperament, and your risk tolerance.
7. Start Trading with a Small Amount of Real Capital
This will do wonders to accelerate your learning. Practicing risk management, executing trades, and managing profits and losses are all crucial parts of the process that you unfortunately cannot replicate with paper trading. Emotions only truly kick in when real money is on the line. If you trade crypto, a regulated and reliable platform like OKX is an excellent gateway for your first trades in real conditions.
8. Don’t Hesitate to Join a Quality Paid Group
You might say: “How convenient — the guy just happens to offer a paid group…”
You don’t have to join mine, even though it is obviously the Discord I recommend to anyone who wants to learn trading seriously.
That said, do your research and ask current and former members what they think of the group. What matters is being in an environment where people come together for a common cause in a committed, diligent, and productive way. A good paid group can cut months, even years, off your learning curve.
9. Focus on Comfort and a Sustainable Routine
As suggested just above, the system you put in place is meant to last for years, during which you will keep optimizing it. Several years is a long time… So set up a routine that suits you. Keep time to rest and clear your head: trader burnout is real. It is also very important to arrange a workspace you enjoy (that doesn’t mean 10 screens are useful — 2 is plenty!). Physical and mental comfort is a direct investment in the quality of your trading decisions.
10. Understand the Value of Money and Appreciate Your Profits
If you manage to take money out of this shark tank of a market, that is already a big win! Volume will follow with time and experience. A good trader rarely celebrates, but make sure you properly appreciate your gains and your ability to generate more of them. Don’t forget to work on your trader psychology either: absorbing a loss without going on tilt and enjoying a win without getting carried away is what separates the pros from the amateurs.
I sincerely hope these 10 trading tips will help you become a better trader. To continue your crypto trading education, I invite you to take another look at the tutorials I publish on the blog!
2026 Update — dYdX has moved to v4
The historical version of dYdX (v3) shut down for good on October 28, 2024: trading, funding, and the oracle were frozen, and the platform fully migrated to dYdX Chain, a sovereign blockchain built on the Cosmos SDK. In practice, the old interface and its related tutorials are no longer up to date: the current platform now lives at dydx.trade.
!!! One Last Tip !!!
If you are looking for a decentralized trading platform, I still trade regularly on dYdX (now on v4 at dydx.trade) for several reasons:
Weekly and monthly competitions (Trading Leagues, dYdX Surge…) with real rewards!
It is a decentralized exchange run by its community through on-chain governance.
No KYC: you connect with your wallet and can trade futures contracts anywhere in the world.
A well-oiled public testnet: you can practice trading without burning your capital.
Trading fees stay at ZERO under 100K in monthly volume, and some perp markets even carry 0 fees permanently following a community vote.
WARNING: If I recommend certain exchanges, it is only because I actively use them in my own trading for very specific reasons!
WARNING²: I don’t recommend that anyone store their crypto on an exchange, whether it is aDEX or a CEX — you are never safe from a hack or from ill-intentioned operators, no matter how reputable the exchange in question is.
WARNING² again: You remain solely responsible for your crypto, so stay vigilant and don’t hesitate to set up a rigorous security process that involves withdrawing all your crypto from exchanges once your positions are closed.
FAQ — Becoming a Better Trader
How long does it take to become a good trader?
There is no shortcut: expect several years of consistent practice. The learning curve is long because it combines technique, risk management, and psychology. A good environment (community, mentor, trading journal) can save you months, but consistency remains the real accelerator.
What is the number one mistake beginner traders make?
Neglecting risk management. Many rookies try to “win it back” after a few losses and blow up their capital. Mastering your position size and your stop-loss before chasing profits is what separates those who survive from those who give up.
Should you start with real money or a demo account?
Both have their place: a demo account to learn the tools risk-free, and real money (even a small amount of capital) to learn how to manage your emotions. Emotions only truly kick in when real money is on the line, which is why going live with small amounts genuinely accelerates your learning.
