You want to know how to trade the market for real?
Watch the Fear and Greed index, when it dumps below 20, if there are no rate hikes ahead, if market has deleveraged substantially, then you can buy an INDEX on the low. If you buy a stock, it has to have had prior earning's report beat on EPS, revenue growth and raised guidance which is basically plot armor.
You get two opportunities max in a year. You can't go all in once FGI dumps under 20 either, you have to DCA because you won't be able to time the lowest low. Market usually recovers within 20 trading days or a month.
Sell when FGI returns to 60-70, or go long and save cash until next buying opportunity. April last year, March this year are prime buying opportunities. Unless there's systematic crash which market can dump for six months straight but chances are on your side.
The goal is to buy when fear is rampant aka VIX sky high as market prices in volatility or fear, when margin is being used less aka deleveraging, when no rate hikes are ahead making bonds shinier than equities, when earnings are still doing well across the market. You're looking for a systematic shock like the recent war or tariffs, not systematic crash like private credit collapsing. If VIX is over $30 there's a 10% chance it'll keep running.
Buying OTM calls on stocks can be very lucrative giving enough time like 90 days, out to the next ER when volatility will rise giving you vega gains if price stays flat, while awaiting market recovery. Loading up on QQQ from March 9th to April would've presented massive index growth, or buying calls on MU or NVDA which both meet the "plot armor" criteria otherwise known as relative strength vs. the market.
The hardest part about this strategy is just being patient. For some reason, it's incredibly hard for humans to wait and be patient for opportunity which makes this strategy 10/10 difficulty.