I recently sat down with Adrian, one of our Funded Trading Plus traders who earned an $8,460 simulated payout from the funded stage of our Experience Trader Challenge. His strategy is simple, but it works. It’s a great reminder that success in prop trading often comes from discipline and consistency, not complexity.
What Is a Simple Prop Trading Strategy?
A lot of traders think a “simple” strategy means it’s easy. It’s not. A simple strategy is clear, repeatable, and rule-based. It’s built on structure, not emotions or a pile of indicators.
Adrian’s approach fits that description perfectly. His method is built around three key principles:
1. Trade one market well
Adrian focuses only on the NASDAQ 100 index. No forex, no crypto, no gold. Just one market, and he knows it inside out.
2. One trade per day
He takes one trade per session, usually within the first two hours of the New York open when volume and volatility are at their highest.
3. Risk control and clear reward
Each trade risks around 1% of his simulated account balance, aiming for at least a 1:3 reward-to-risk ratio.
And that’s it. No complex algorithms, no revenge trading, no adding to losers, and no emotional baggage carried over to the next day.
How Adrian Uses Multiple Timeframes
Adrian studies five different timeframes to find market direction and identify strong support and resistance levels. Once he’s got the bigger picture, he zooms in to fine-tune his entry using volume-based candles (2,000 volume bars).
This kind of top-down analysis helps him see where larger institutional orders might be sitting and lets him trade with market momentum rather than against it.
Managing Risk Like a Pro
One thing that separates successful traders from struggling ones is how they handle losses. Adrian’s record shows small, controlled losses and big, extended wins.
When a trade isn’t doing what he expects, he cuts it quickly, often around breakeven, and moves on. There’s no revenge trading, no adding to losers, and no carrying yesterday’s emotions into today’s session.
As Adrian told me, “If I lose, I trust the system. The next day is a new day.”
That mindset alone is a masterclass in trading psychology.
Staying Professional
Adrian trades only from his computer, never from his phone. He treats trading as a professional task, not a hobby.
“It’s better to sit down and watch the charts properly,” he told me. “Trading from a phone feels like gambling.”
He’s absolutely right. Simple doesn’t mean casual, it means controlled, consistent, and intentional.
Results Speak for Themselves
Across his Funded Trading Plus Experience Challenge, Adrian turned a simulated $200,000 account (boosted to $250,000) into a performance that earned him an $8,460 payout.
His success came from doing the same thing every day: one trade, one percent risk, same market, same time window.
That’s the power of a simple prop trading strategy.
What You Can Learn from Adrian
Here are a few lessons from Adrian’s approach that you can apply to your own trading plan:
✅ Simplify your focus – Trade one or two assets you know inside out.
✅ Keep fixed trading hours – Consistency builds confidence.
✅ Stick to your risk rules – Never risk more than 1–1.5% per trade.
✅ Don’t overtrade – One good trade is enough.
✅ Treat every day as new – Leave yesterday behind and start fresh.
Final Thoughts
Prop trading doesn’t need to be complicated. The best traders I meet, whether new or experienced, all follow structured, repeatable routines and protect their mindset as much as their simulated account balance.
Adrian’s story proves you don’t need a dozen indicators or complex theories to succeed. You just need a simple prop trading strategy that fits you, and the discipline to follow it every day.
Mentoring with Andrew Now Available
One-to-one and group mentoring with Andrew Lockwood is now open to book, offering focused educational support inside a simulated prop trading environment.
Please click here for Mentoring details.
Disclaimer:
FT+ programs involve simulated trading accounts only. No real-money investment services are provided, and no client funds are managed.
Any “payouts” are performance-based fees from a simulated program. They are not investment returns.
Trading and trading education involve significant risk of loss. This content is educational only and does not constitute investment advice.
Past performance examples (including case studies or testimonials) do not guarantee or predict future results.
Program eligibility and scaling are subject to stated rules and terms.
About Andrew Lockwood
Andrew Lockwood is a seasoned professional trader with over 40 years of experience in financial markets. Starting his career on the floor of the London International Financial Futures Exchange (LIFFE) in the 1980s, Andrew has traded through multiple market cycles and volatility regimes. Today, he specialises in prop trading strategies, focusing on technical setups, risk management, and trader psychology. As the founder of PropIQ and a leading mentor, Andrew is dedicated to training the next generation of prop traders with proven, real-world trading methods.