What is the biggest enemy of contract trading? It's not market trends, but that moment of impulsiveness.



Recently, I received a bunch of DMs, and the most common question is how to avoid liquidation in futures trading. Honestly, the method is simple—never bet everything at once.

I've seen many beginners, and those who survive do the same thing: treat the initial capital as life, not as chips.

So, how exactly to do it? Let's take $1000 as an example. Step one, split it up. Don’t be afraid of the trouble.

First, set aside $200 to sharpen your skills, using only 5 to 10x leverage. I know newcomers get itchy at 50x leverage, but that’s not trading—that’s adrenaline manufacturing. A small market fluctuation, and fingers start clicking wildly, ending in losses faster than anyone.

Leave the remaining $800 untouched. Keep it aside, or put it into financial management, as if it doesn’t exist.

Here’s the key: if you lose all $200, absolutely no adding more. That’s the hurdle I always fail to cross. If you lose and aren’t satisfied, top up, try to turn it around, but you’ll only sink deeper. Later, I realized that stopping is a hundred times more valuable than continuing.

Take a few days off, ask yourself where you went wrong. BTC can’t go anywhere; opportunities are every month. But if your principal is gone, it’s really gone.

After recovery, redistribute that $800. For example, split into 5 parts, each $160, and go slowly.

One day, if this method earns you $500, I suggest you—immediately withdraw $300. Don’t be reluctant. Holding onto the money you’ve already earned changes your mindset completely. I’ve seen too many people whose accounts grew by $500 but refused to withdraw, only to get liquidated in one slip, losing everything and returning to square one—wasted effort.

Another reality you must accept: with 10x leverage, a 10% wrong move means goodbye. BTC fluctuates 20% a year, which is normal. So, position management is always more important than predicting your gains or losses.

Set a warning line: if daily loss reaches 2% of your total funds, be alert. If it hits 6%, close all positions immediately and take a break for two or three days. For profitable trades, set a break-even stop-loss right away—don’t let your gains turn into losses. Add to positions either with a pre-planned strategy or wait for a big pullback; don’t add impulsively when you’re most excited.

The first thing when entering a position isn’t how much you want to make, but to lock in your stop-loss. Once you profit, withdraw your funds. Once your hands are steady, then talk about adding more. The crypto world never lacks opportunities; what’s missing is those who can survive to the next wave.
BTC0,66%
View Original
This page may contain third-party content, which is provided for information purposes only (not representations/warranties) and should not be considered as an endorsement of its views by Gate, nor as financial or professional advice. See Disclaimer for details.
  • Reward
  • 5
  • Repost
  • Share
Comment
0/400
FlashLoanPrincevip
· 13h ago
Impulsiveness is really a contract killer, no doubt about it. I used to be the kind of person who would get reckless when seeing 50x leverage, and the results speak for themselves. Now I split my positions, strictly cut losses, and living is way more important than making quick money. --- I’m now holding onto this split position strategy tightly, or else it’s really easy to go all-in in one shot, a bloody lesson learned. --- That part about stopping additional purchases really hit me. Losing money and still wanting to turn it around, only to sink deeper. Now I understand, principal is the root; without it, everything is gone. --- Profiting is really difficult. Always want to earn a bit more, then a single needle poke brings you back to square one, it’s too painful. --- 10x leverage failing with just a 10% loss is over, this reality must be accepted. You can’t just think about getting rich overnight. --- Now I strictly follow the 2% warning line, feeling much more stable mentally, and it’s less likely to get liquidated. --- The crypto world isn’t short of opportunities; what’s missing are the people who can survive. This saying is really spot on. --- Position management > market prediction, remember this order, or else even if you understand the technology, it’s useless.
View OriginalReply0
GweiWatchervip
· 13h ago
Impulsiveness really is a killer—99% of account liquidations happen because of it.
View OriginalReply0
GetRichLeekvip
· 13h ago
That's right, I'm the kind of fool who clears out everything with a single injection late at night... Now I'm holding onto lessons learned from blood and tears.
View OriginalReply0
GasFeeBeggarvip
· 13h ago
Impulsiveness, it's so true. That's exactly how I died once.
View OriginalReply0
ClassicDumpstervip
· 13h ago
Really, going all in once is just courting death. I've seen too many cases like this. Bro, your logic is sound, but executing it is too difficult—it's human nature. That part about 50x leverage really hit home; it's pure adrenaline rush, not trading. The most heartbreaking thing is that line "those who can survive to the next wave." There are too many dead in the crypto world. Splitting positions is indeed a good way to prevent explosion; it all depends on who can endure that period of torment. I’ve paid my tuition on the profit side; watching five hundred dollars turn to zero is so despairing. No matter how well you explain, it’s useless—you have to blow up once yourself to truly understand. Mindset is the most valuable thing in trading, worth much more than technical skills. This article is a bit of a warning, but it’s all lessons learned through blood and tears.
View OriginalReply0
  • Pin

Trade Crypto Anywhere Anytime
qrCode
Scan to download Gate App
Community
  • 简体中文
  • English
  • Tiếng Việt
  • 繁體中文
  • Español
  • Русский
  • Français (Afrique)
  • Português (Portugal)
  • Bahasa Indonesia
  • 日本語
  • بالعربية
  • Українська
  • Português (Brasil)