ICHIRO VS. BONDS

Traders have a basic tension between whether they want to trade like Ichiro or Bonds. Should they eat often but small? Or eat seldom, but in huge quantities?

My basic strategy is an ICHIRO strategy. I try to get on base often with a large variety of hits. Don't go for the home run swing, but if you sense a weak pitcher, be ready to take it out of the park.

Ichiro is beguiling to pitchers because he can hit almost any pitch, and he can place it all over the infield and outfield. His speed means that even on a dinker, he can outrun the throw and get a hit.

I want to be able to get my hit ratio up to 65%, and have my winners outpace my losers by an order of 2:1.

That is something that I was able to do in the past, but it is not an easy statistic to maintain over time.

The problem that traders run into is that they don't know whether they are Ichiro or Bonds. They don't have a clear view of their strategy.

It is important to stick with your strategy.

That being said, YOU NEED TO ALLOW YOURSELF BATTING PRACTICE WHERE YOU CAN PRACTICE BEING BOTH.

We are all weak and easily tempted to drift styles. That is why have a paper trading account is good practice. It allows you to be creative and reckless, and learn something about yourself without destroying PNL in the process.