Know Where You Are On The Chart: Mapping ES Futures Levels Before You Trade

Before you look for a trade, look for your location… the first question is always where are we, never where can I get short.

From the free MicrosTrader Trading Library… 140 lessons mined from 1,042 live ES and MES futures sessions taught since 2018.

Know where you are on the chart. It means one thing: before you hunt for an entry, you locate price inside its structure. Are you at an edge or stuck in the middle? Who controls this timeframe? In ES E-mini futures, the trader who knows exactly where price sits relative to the day's key levels trades well while everyone else guesses. Location comes first. The trade comes second.

This page gathers everything George teaches about mapping your position on the chart across hundreds of hours of live ES and MES micro futures trading… why the Battle Plan starts with the other side's location, why you can know where price bounces but never how far, and how to draw your ranges so you never trade blind again.

“"You're always constantly asking yourself, where am I at whenever you get on the chart. The first question you should say is, where am I at, not where can I get short."”

— George, live session, Mar 15, 2025

ES futures Battle Plan chart from George’s published record

From George’s published record: Micros Trade Plan #321 — a 27-point move, mapped in advance.

Where Am I? The Number One Question

Open the chart. Most traders scan for a setup right away… long here, short there, anywhere they can force a fill. George flips the order. The first thing he asks is location, and only then does direction follow. Where does price sit? At an edge or in the muddy middle?

The question answers itself the moment your levels are drawn. Am I at an edge? Am I in the middle? Should I look for longs or shorts? Location decides all three before you touch the buy or sell button. This is the same discipline behind Don't Diddle in the Middle… price stuck between levels is a place to wait.

“"What I want to talk about is where am I. It's the number one question you should ask."”

— George, live session, Jan 18, 2025

George has taught this in 40+ recorded sessions… and every claim in the full lesson links to the recording it came from. The full lesson covers far more than fits here.

Read the full lesson free at MicrosTrader.com →

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📍 Originally published on MicrosTrader.com

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