The Terrain. Target. Trigger. Framework
The Quiet Work Behind Every High-Conviction Trade
Home » The Terrain. Target. Trigger. Framework
In trading, it’s easy to get caught up in noise, emotions, and second-guessing. What separates high-conviction trades from shaky ones isn’t luck – it’s process. The Terrain-Target-Trigger Framework is a simple structure that helps remove guesswork, sharpen clarity, and make execution repeatable.
Terrain: What Environment Am I In?
Before you trade, understand the environment you’re in. This is your terrain: the higher-timeframe trend, the lower-timeframe structure, and the market’s narrative around news or data. Just like you wouldn’t drive a sports car through a muddy field, the setup you choose must match the conditions. Recognise your own markers — VWAP behaviour, liquidity voids, or trap zones — and use them to map the landscape.
Target: Define Success
A trade without a target is aimless. The target anchors conviction, defines risk-to-reward, and stops you from panicking at normal pullbacks. It might be a gap fill, a prior high or low, a VWAP test, or simply a move into the close. The key is deciding in advance what “success” looks like so you trade with purpose, not emotion.
Trigger: When to Act
The trigger is the signal to pull the trigger — your objective reason to enter. It could be a level break with volume, a pullback to a zone, a hold above VWAP, or an inside bar breakout. Without a trigger, you’re guessing, often chasing poor setups or entering too early. With one, you bring discipline and structure to execution.
Putting It Together
Strong terrain, a clear target, and a defined trigger turn uncertainty into a structured plan. For example: post-news momentum forms a strong trend (terrain), the prior week’s low becomes the objective (target), and a pullback confirmed by an engulfing bar with volume provides the entry (trigger).
Final Thoughts
The Triple T Framework breaks a trade into three essential questions:
Terrain tells you if you should trade.
Target tells you why it’s worth it.
Trigger tells you when to act.
Trading will never be easy, but clarity can make it simpler. Use this framework as your process: simple, scalable, repeatable.