Break of Structure Strategy (BOS)

The strategy

BOS in plain words.

What it is

A market structure system, built on what traders call a break of structure. Price closes past the last major swing high or low in the direction the trend already runs, and the push leaves a fair value gap behind it.

What it does

It joins the trend on the pullback to where the push began, instead of chasing the break, reading price alone.

How it works

You read the trend on a 1-hour chart and mark the major swing highs and lows on a 5-minute chart. When a 5-minute candle closes past the last major swing in the direction both charts' trends already run, and the push leaves a fair value gap, three candles where the first and the third do not overlap, you wait for the push to top out. Once two lower highs confirm its high, your limit goes at the open of the order block, the last candle against the push, with your stop one to two ticks past it and your target at that high. The plan must pay at least three times its risk. An order still unfilled at 12:00 ET, or when price reaches the target first, is cancelled. No new trades after 12:00 ET.

What gets graded

The rules the reps grade.

BOS is written down rule by rule, so every rep can be scored against it.

The call. Trade the break, or stand aside: when a check fails, when a high-impact report is due inside the window, or when the trade cap is reached. Skip every FOMC day too, the days the Federal Reserve announces its rate decision.
The bias. State it before the order goes in: long after a break up, short after a break down.
The break. A 5-minute close past the last major swing, the way the trend already runs. A wick past it is not a break, and the first close against the trend, what traders call a change of character, is never traded.
The 1-hour. Its structure points the way of the trade.
The gap. The push leaves a fair value gap: three candles in a row where the first and the third do not overlap.
The order moment. Two lower highs confirm the push's high, and the order goes in then.
The entry. A limit at the open of the order block, the last candle that closed against the push. The limit stays there and is never chased.
The stop. One to two ticks past the order block.
The target. The push's high, or its low on a short, and the plan pays at least three times its risk.
The clock. Breaks that close at 9:35 ET or later, and orders before 12:00 ET.
The journal. Every rep logged, with how you felt when you took it.

Every rep is graded on whether you followed these rules, never on the money.

Forge III and Forge IV

Learn it in BOS Hammer. Prove it in BOS Anvil.

BOS Hammer

BOS Hammer teaches BOS one rule at a time, then the gate.

Why Structure Breaks
Swing Points and Structure
The 1-Hour Sets the Direction
The Break: A Close, Not a Wick
The Gap and the Order Block
The Order: When the High Confirms
The Plan: Stop, Target, 3R
Standing Aside

The gate, in one sitting: six correct calls in the trainer, your written plan, and a short knowledge check. Pass all three and the BOS HAMMER badge is yours.

BOS Anvil

BOS Anvil is where you run it: simulated MNQ sessions played one candle at a time, every rep scored on BOS's rules and never on the outcome, then journaled.

Sixteen scored practice sessions. Breaks with no gap behind them, changes of character, wicks that never close past the swing, mornings where the 1-hour disagrees, the block was already reached or the plan cannot pay three times its risk, pushes that run to the target without you, and trades that go your way for the wrong reason and score lower for it. Every one graded on whether you followed your own rules, never on the money.

The BOS ANVIL badge takes twenty scored reps across seven different scenarios, with your best twenty averaging 85 percent rule adherence.

What you need

Build the BOS layout.

Save a TradingView layout with two charts side by side, a 1-hour chart for the direction and a 5-minute chart for the trade, both on extended trading hours. Add the built-in Williams Fractals indicator to both charts to mark the swings. The free plan holds 1 chart per layout and 2 indicators per chart, so TradingView Essential, with 2 charts per layout, is the minimum tier for BOS.

Steady Edge Trading routes new members to a $15 TradingView credit, which covers your first month of Essential.

Start free with a $15 credit through SET

Free

Play one BOS rep before you pay for anything.

Foundations and a first scored rep are free, with no card required. Once you are in, every strategy on the shelf has a free rep to try before you choose.

Start The Forge free

Included in The Forge

One subscription. Every strategy.

BOS is included in the paid Forge, with every other strategy The Forge teaches. Each one walks the same path.

Same six stages, a different strategy. Spark, Heat, Grind and Edge are shared, and what they build carries to every strategy. Each strategy’s own rules live in its Hammer and Anvil.

Start here

Foundations

Free, no card. Candles, liquidity, order types, indicators and level placement.

Forge I

Spark

The real odds, informed commitment, and getting your account and charts set up properly.

Forge II

Heat

Instruments, contract mechanics, chart reading, order types, and the risk math behind every position.

Forge III

BOS Hammer

BOS, taught rule by rule, and the plan you write down.

Forge IV

BOS Anvil

Graded BOS reps, scored on the rules, never the money.

Forge V

Grind

Why markets move, trading around scheduled events, scaling, and the live layer.

Forge VI

Edge

Synthesis, your own record held up to you, and the real capital decision.

The training

The Forge

$79/mo

Or $199 a quarter. Cancel anytime.

All six stages of every strategy on the shelf
Every graded rep scenario in the simulator
Adherence Insights, your full record
SET Discord access included, a $29 a month value

Start free

Or unlock every strategy now ›

Subscription, cancel anytime. Payments are not refunded and partial periods are not prorated. Read the Refund and Billing Policy before you buy.

The Forge builds the execution. Live Edge is the live read of the market, on the days JT posts, and it covers every strategy in The Forge. $99 a month. Join Live Edge ›

The other strategies in The Forge

Trend

EMA Crossover Pullback (TREPP)

A trend-following system built on five checks: Trend, RSI, EMA, Pullback and Probability.

See how it works → Breakout

Opening Range Breakout (ORB)

A breakout system for the first two hours of the session.

See how it works → Mean reversion

Liquidity Sweep Reversal (LSR)

A failed breakout system, built on what traders call a liquidity sweep.

See how it works →

Questions

The questions people actually ask.

What is a break of structure?

Price climbs in legs and pulls back, and the peaks and troughs it leaves are the market's structure. A break of structure is a close past the last major swing in the direction the trend already runs: the trend carrying on, confirmed by a close rather than a guess. The first close against the trend is a change of character, and BOS never trades it. BOS joins the trend on the pullback, with a limit at the order block, the last candle that closed against the push, once the push leaves a fair value gap.

Which markets does BOS work on?

The rules work on any liquid market whose swings are clean enough to read. The reps use MNQ, the Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100: one point is worth $2 per contract, and a tick, a quarter point, is worth $0.50. How many contracts you trade is set by your account and your risk, never by BOS.

Is BOS included in The Forge?

Yes. Every strategy The Forge teaches is included in the paid Forge: $79 a month, or $199 a quarter. Foundations and a first scored rep are free, with no card required.

Can I learn more than one strategy?

Yes, and every one is in the same subscription. Same six stages, a different strategy. Spark, Heat, Grind and Edge are shared, and what they build carries to every strategy. Each strategy’s own rules live in its Hammer and Anvil.

Read every question ›