Pattern reference

Continuation pattern guide

A quick-reference summary of the structures we teach in workshops. Use this page to review criteria before marking up your own charts.

Pattern comparison table

Each pattern requires a prior trend (the pole), a consolidation phase, and typically declining volume before a breakout in the trend direction.

Pattern	Trend required	Boundary shape	Volume behaviour	Target method
Bull flag	Prior uptrend (pole up)	Parallel lines, slight downward drift	Declining through consolidation	Pole height added to breakout point
Bear flag	Prior downtrend (pole down)	Parallel lines, slight upward drift	Declining through consolidation	Pole height subtracted from breakout point
Pennant	Sharp prior move (steep pole)	Converging trendlines (symmetrical)	Declining, often sharply	Pole height from apex breakout
Ascending triangle	Prior uptrend	Flat resistance, rising support	Declining, spike on breakout	Height of triangle at widest point
Descending triangle	Prior downtrend	Flat support, falling resistance	Declining, spike on breakdown	Height of triangle at widest point
Rectangle	Established trend before pause	Parallel horizontal boundaries	Low and stable inside range	Height of rectangle added/subtracted

These are the mistakes we see most often during chart review sessions:

Confusing pennants with wedges. Wedges have both boundaries sloping in the same direction. Pennants converge symmetrically after a sharp pole.
Calling every pullback a flag. The consolidation must be bounded by parallel or converging lines, not a random retracement.
Ignoring volume. A pattern with rising volume inside the consolidation is less likely to be a valid continuation setup.
Measuring from the wrong point. The pole starts at the base of the sharp move, not from an earlier swing low unrelated to the current trend leg.

Our workshops walk through each pattern on live charts with trainer feedback on your trendline placement.