Harry, repeitition is one of the answers - the wag in me would suggest how do learn to repeat something you dont do in the first place because you freeze ? just trying to add a touch of levity
Remember when you was a child and was learning to mount a bicycle ... (the 3 points is to let your memory remembering )
No, Freezing up and being fast are not the same things. I'm pretty fast but that is not what makes me money. Waiting for the right entry & exit, that is key.
Did I say the contrary ? I said Patience also is important. It doesn't exclude speed. Above all if you trade on very low scale and compete with the market makers I can tell you if you are not quick enough they will eat your cake in front of you . Why some people who can trade on higher scale cannot daytrade on lower scale it's because of that for most part: their time reaction is too slow they get stressed. This is true for anything. I can see it in programming also. When the programmer has not enough experience in a very urgent project he becomes too stressed by the speed and commit much more error : then you have to put him aside and take another one. In fact when I say patience I mean patience during action. Now action is 20% of the stuff the other 80% is preparation.
I'd say the issue of speed depends greatly on the type of trading strategy one is using. Most of my entries are done on stops that are called by signals some time before, so speed isn't so much an issue...
Of course if you use a system that is automated it is not an issue so the issue is for those who don't and there are still many. See Gringinho post for example: http://www.elitetrader.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30991&perpage=6&pagenumber=4 "I also use my own neurons to do my trading - and will continue to let them have the last say. Still, I find that I do trading based on not an infinite state of mind, nor infinite variations of signals. Sometimes, however I lose my concentration, and do not process those same signals as well as I do other days. "