When a wick is not a break
Separating exploratory wicks from accepted breaks so trendlines survive noisy sessions.
Clinic evenings produce a recurring argument: did price break the line, or merely visit it?
We teach a close-based default for discretionary charts. A wick beyond the line without a close beyond it is logged as a probe. Probes can weaken a line — especially when they arrive with expanding range — but they do not automatically retire it.
Scoring language
On our scorecard:
- Respected — closes remain on the defended side; probes are rare.
- Weakened — repeated probes or narrowing space between price and line.
- Invalidated — accepted close beyond the line, ideally with follow-through on the next bar.
Participants who jump from probe to invalidation redraw constantly. Participants who ignore every probe keep zombie lines. The middle language keeps charts honest.
Context still matters
A probe into thin overnight liquidity differs from a probe into a busy cash session. Validation Clinic discussions spend time naming the session, not only the wick.