Vitruvian Cockpit Guide

This guide is meant to be read like a trading manual, not a tooltip. The cockpit is designed to show the energy state of the market so you can quickly judge whether conditions favor expansion, breakout, pullback, stall, or reversal. Read clusters of dials together. One dial alone can alert you. Several aligned dials can create a usable setup.

How to Read the Cockpit in 10 Seconds

When you first open a market, do not try to read everything at once. Use this order:

1. Momentum – Is price actually moving with intent?
2. Compression – Is energy being stored for a move?
3. Force – Is there real strength behind that move?
4. Gravity – Is price stretched and likely to pull back?
5. Exhaustion – Is the current move running out of energy?
6. Memory / Equilibrium – Is price reacting to a known area or sitting in balance before the next release?

Fast-read rule: high Momentum + high Force usually means expansion. High Compression before that often means a breakout is loading. High Gravity or high Exhaustion means do not chase blindly.

Core Rule Before the Setups

Bias is context only. It is not used here as a trigger dial. Bias tends to stay relatively low because it measures background directional pressure rather than timing. Use it as supporting context only, not as a primary setup trigger.

Dial Meanings and How to Use Them

Momentum

What it measures: the speed of price movement.

How to think about it: Momentum is the engine speed of the market. It tells you whether price is expanding, drifting, or losing pace.

• 70+: strong movement; market is expanding with intent.
• 50–70: usable movement; not dead, but not fully explosive.
• Below 40: slow market, chop risk, or pre-breakout waiting state.

How to use it: high Momentum is strongest when Force confirms it. Rising Momentum after high Compression is one of the cleanest signs that stored energy is being released.

Force

What it measures: the strength behind the move.

How to think about it: Force is the push behind price. It tells you whether buyers or sellers are actually driving the move or whether the market is drifting without commitment.

• 65+: meaningful participation; move has real power.
• 50–65: moderate conviction.
• Below 45: weak move; vulnerable to stall, fakeout, or reversal.

How to use it: high Force with high Momentum is a continuation condition. High Momentum with weak Force often means the move is flashy but fragile.

Compression

What it measures: stored market energy.

How to think about it: Compression is the spring loading before movement. The market coils, stores pressure, and then releases it.

• 80+: heavy pressure building; breakout conditions often nearby.
• 60–80: moderate stored energy.
• Below 50: energy likely already released or market not building much pressure.

How to use it: Compression means little by itself unless you watch what happens next. The cleaner read is high Compression followed by rising Momentum and rising Force.

Gravity

What it measures: how far price is stretched from equilibrium.

How to think about it: Gravity is the market’s pull back toward balance. The higher it gets, the more carefully you should think about chasing trend continuation.

• 75+: price is stretched; pullback or mean reversion risk increases.
• 55–75: extension present, but not extreme.
• Below 50: less stretch pressure.

How to use it: high Gravity with weak Momentum often favors retracement. High Gravity with strong Momentum can still trend, but the move is more mature and requires caution.

Exhaustion

What it measures: trend fatigue.

How to think about it: Exhaustion tells you when a move is getting tired. It does not guarantee reversal by itself, but it warns that the current push may be near its limit.

• 85+: serious fatigue risk; trend may stall or reverse.
• 65–85: caution zone; watch for weakening confirmation.
• Below 50: less fatigue pressure.

How to use it: the best Exhaustion reads happen when Momentum is falling and Force is weakening at the same time.

Memory

What it measures: reaction to historical price structure.

How to think about it: markets remember areas where important business was done. Memory helps explain why price stalls, bounces, rejects, or consolidates around certain zones.

• 70+: strong reaction zone or historical influence.
• 50–70: moderate structural awareness.
• Below 50: less evidence of historical pull at the current location.

How to use it: high Memory with neutral Momentum often means reaction, pause, or rotation rather than immediate clean trend continuation.

Equilibrium

What it measures: balance between opposing forces.

How to think about it: Equilibrium is the market’s center of balance. High Equilibrium often appears before the market chooses a direction.

• 80+: balanced state; market may be coiling before expansion.
• 60–80: partial balance.
• Below 50: market is less balanced and more directional or dislocated.

How to use it: high Equilibrium plus high Compression can be a very useful “move is loading” condition.

High-Probability Dial Combinations

These are practical setup patterns. They are not guarantees. They are structured ways to read the cockpit quickly and consistently.

1) Expansion Trend Setup

Best for: catching strong directional continuation.

• Momentum: 70+
• Force: 65+
• Compression: 60+
• Exhaustion: under 50

Interpretation: energy is expanding and the move has real participation behind it.

Expectation: continuation, directional candles, stops likely to trigger in the direction of movement.

Example: Momentum 78, Force 71, Compression 66 → expect strong directional move.

2) Compression Breakout Setup

Best for: identifying breakouts before or during release.

• Compression: 80+
• Momentum: rising above 60
• Force: 60+
• Gravity: neutral to moderate

Interpretation: the market stored energy and is now beginning to release it.

Expectation: breakout, volatility expansion, faster candles.

Example: Compression 91, Momentum 64, Force 67 → expect breakout behavior.

3) Gravity Pullback Setup

Best for: recognizing retracement risk in an extended market.

• Gravity: 75+
• Momentum: below 50
• Compression: 50–70
• Exhaustion: under 60 or rising

Interpretation: price is stretched and losing clean expansion pace.

Expectation: pullback, mean reversion, smaller candles, retrace toward balance.

Example: Gravity 82, Momentum 41, Compression 63 → expect retracement.

4) Exhaustion Reversal Setup

Best for: spotting when a mature move is running out of gas.

• Exhaustion: 85+
• Momentum: falling
• Force: below 50
• Gravity: often elevated

Interpretation: the move may continue briefly, but the edge shifts toward stall or reversal.

Expectation: stall, sharp wick behavior, reversal attempt, failed continuation.

Example: Exhaustion 89, Momentum 46, Force 38 → expect reversal risk.

5) Memory Reaction Setup

Best for: understanding why price pauses or bounces at important zones.

• Memory: 70+
• Momentum: neutral
• Force: low to moderate
• Compression: moderate

Interpretation: the market is reacting to prior structure rather than freely expanding.

Expectation: bounce, stall, rejection, or consolidation around the zone.

Example: Memory 76, Momentum 48, Force 42 → expect reaction zone behavior.

6) Equilibrium Coil Setup

Best for: spotting quiet balance before expansion.

• Equilibrium: 80+
• Compression: 70+
• Momentum: low

Interpretation: the market is balanced, compressed, and likely preparing for a directional decision.

Expectation: sideways action first, then a larger move soon.

Example: Equilibrium 84, Compression 73, Momentum 35 → expect an upcoming move.

7) Acceleration Move

Best for: identifying runaway trend conditions.

• Momentum: 85+
• Force: 75+
• Compression: above 60

Interpretation: directional energy is not just expanding, it is accelerating.

Expectation: strong continuation, fast directional candles, difficult fading conditions.

8) Trend Stall Setup

Best for: recognizing when trend conditions are fading before a full reversal.

• Momentum: falling below 50
• Force: dropping
• Exhaustion: rising

Interpretation: trend still exists, but the energy supporting it is deteriorating.

Expectation: sideways consolidation, choppier candles, possible reversal attempt soon.

9) Liquidity Sweep / Stop Run Setup

Best for: spotting fast spikes that target obvious levels.

• Compression: 75+
• Gravity: 70+
• Momentum: spiking

Interpretation: the market may be releasing stored energy into a sharp stretch toward clustered stops.

Expectation: fast spikes, stop runs, emotional candles.

10) Quiet Market / Low Opportunity Setup

Best for: knowing when to be patient.

• Momentum: under 40
• Force: under 40
• Compression: under 50

Interpretation: the market lacks energy and may be too dull to produce quality movement.

Expectation: chop, drift, false starts, weak follow-through.

The Physics of the Vitruvian Market Model

Traditional indicators often describe what price has already done. The Vitruvian Cockpit is built to describe the forces acting on price.

The working idea is that markets behave like physical systems where energy builds, releases, stretches, tires, and returns to balance. That gives a repeating cycle:

Compression → Expansion → Exhaustion → Equilibrium → Compression

The dials help show where the market is inside that cycle:

• Compression shows stored energy.
• Momentum shows speed of release.
• Force shows the strength behind that release.
• Gravity shows how stretched the move has become.
• Exhaustion shows when the move is tiring.
• Equilibrium shows return to balance.
• Memory shows reaction to historical structure.

Vitruvian principle: markets behave through balance and imbalance. When forces move out of balance, price expands. When balance returns, price stabilizes or coils again.

Why this matters: the cockpit is not trying to magically predict the future from one number. It is trying to show whether the conditions for movement are strengthening or weakening.

Common Mistakes When Reading the Cockpit

• Reading one dial in isolation. The cockpit works best as a cluster-reading system.
• Treating Bias like a trigger. Bias is background pressure, not entry timing.
• Confusing Compression with direction. Compression means energy is building, not which side will win.
• Chasing high Gravity blindly. A stretched move can continue, but pullback risk is elevated.
• Ignoring Exhaustion. A strong trend can still be near its limit.
• Expecting Memory to trend cleanly. High Memory often means reaction, not immediate smooth continuation.
• Forcing trades in Quiet Market conditions. Some low-energy environments are better left alone.

Practical Reading Template

Use this simple process:

1. Check whether Momentum is active or dormant.
2. Check whether Compression is loading or already released.
3. Confirm with Force to see whether the move has strength.
4. Use Gravity and Exhaustion to judge maturity and risk.
5. Use Memory and Equilibrium to understand context and likely reaction behavior.

Simple examples:

• Momentum high + Force high + Compression moderate: continuation condition.
• Compression high + Momentum rising: breakout loading or starting.
• Gravity high + Momentum weak: pullback condition.
• Exhaustion high + Force weak: reversal or stall risk.
• Memory high + Momentum neutral: reaction zone.
• Equilibrium high + Compression high: coil before expansion.

Final Operating Principle

The cockpit is strongest when it is used as a decision-support framework, not as a one-number oracle. The job of the cockpit is to make the state of the market easier to read quickly, repeatedly, and with structure.

Read alignment, not noise. When several dials agree, probability improves.