I built the Meat Zone because I kept doing the same thing manually every single trade. Pull up the chart, draw the entry line, draw the stop, mark four targets, shade the area I actually cared about. Every time. So I automated it and added probability decay labels at each target so I stop pretending all four TPs are equally likely.
This guide walks you through what the indicator does, how to set it up on TradingView, how to replicate it in Sierra Chart, and how to fit it into a real trade plan.
What the Indicator Shows and Why It Matters
The Meat Zone draws six horizontal levels on your chart: Entry, Stop Loss, and TP1 through TP4. The band between Entry and TP1 is shaded. That shaded band is the "meat" of the move. It is the zone where price is most likely to travel before it either reverses, consolidates, or runs further.
The probability decay labels are the part traders skip when they plan manually. TP1 has the highest label. Each target after that carries a lower number. This is not magic math. It is a reminder that every tick past TP1 requires the market to keep going in your favor. Most trades do not deliver all four targets. The labels keep you honest about that.
The stop level is just as important as any TP. It defines the trade. If price touches that line, the setup is invalid. Period. The indicator keeps it visible so you are not guessing where your line is mid-trade.
What it does not do: it does not tell you when to enter, what direction to trade, or whether the setup is good. That is your job. The Meat Zone is a visualization layer, not a signal generator.
How to Use It on TradingView
Add the WFF Meat Zone script to your chart from the Indicators menu. Once it loads you will see the input panel. Here is what each field does.
- Direction: Set to Long or Short. This controls which side of entry the stop and targets are drawn on.
- Entry Time: The bar timestamp where your entry occurs. The indicator anchors the level lines to this bar.
- Entry Price: Your actual fill price or planned entry price. This is the base level everything else is measured from.
- Stop Loss (SL): Your invalidation level. Enter the absolute price, not a point offset.
- TP1 through TP4: Each target entered as an absolute price. You do not have to fill all four. Leave any unused targets blank and the indicator skips them.
Practical steps to set it up before a trade:
- Identify your setup and mark your entry, stop, and targets on a scratch pad or in your head first.
- Open the Meat Zone inputs. Set Direction to match your trade.
- Type in Entry Price, then SL, then TP1 at minimum. Add TP2 through TP4 if your plan calls for scaling out.
- Hit OK. The shaded band and all levels draw immediately.
- Check that the stop is visually where you thought it was. If it looks wrong on the chart, it is wrong in your plan.
One thing I do: I set the indicator up before the session opens, not after entry. It forces me to commit to a stop and targets in advance, not adjust them on the fly because I got nervous.
How to Use It in Sierra Chart
Sierra Chart does not run Pine scripts, so you recreate the Meat Zone using built-in drawing tools and a simple study overlay. This takes about two minutes once you know the workflow.
Option 1: Manual horizontal lines (fastest)
- Use Chart, then Add Horizontal Line to draw your Entry level. Set the line color to white or gold.
- Add a second horizontal line for Stop Loss. Color it red.
- Add lines for TP1 through TP4. Color them in a gradient from bright green (TP1) to lighter green (TP4) so the decay is visual.
- To shade the Entry to TP1 band, use the Rectangle drawing tool. Draw it from Entry price to TP1 price across the visible bars. Set fill opacity to around 15 percent and the color to gold or green.
- Right-click each line and add a price label or text annotation with the probability decay note you want. For example: TP1 (High Probability), TP2 (Moderate), TP3 (Low), TP4 (Extended).
Option 2: ACSIL study (for automation)
If you want Sierra to draw the levels automatically from inputs, you can use an ACSIL (Advanced Custom Study Interface) study. The approach mirrors the TradingView inputs. You define entry price, stop, and four targets as study inputs. The study calls sc.AddLineUntilFutureIntersection or sc.UseTool to draw horizontal rays at each price. The Entry-to-TP1 band uses sc.AddAlertLine or a filled rectangle tool call.
The ACSIL path takes more setup but lets you save templates. If you trade the same setup repeatedly, build the study once and load it from your chart settings each morning.
For most traders, Option 1 is the right call. The manual lines take less time to draw than writing the study, and Sierra's drawing tools are fast once you have the keyboard shortcuts memorized.
How to Combine It with the Rest of Your Plan
The Meat Zone is a visualization tool, not a system. It works best when you already have a reason to be in the trade.
The workflow I use: I identify the setup from my session framework (AMD structure, Silver Bullet window, or a clean liquidity sweep). I mark the area of interest. Then I drop the Meat Zone on the chart to lock in the exact prices before price gets there. The shaded band confirms whether my TP1 is sitting at a logical level or whether I am reaching.
A few rules I apply alongside it:
- If TP1 does not clear at least 1x the distance to my stop, I reconsider the setup. The math has to work.
- I partial out at TP1 almost always. The label is there for a reason. Most of the edge is in that first target.
- The stop line is non-negotiable. The indicator keeps it visible so I do not forget where it is when the trade goes against me.
- TP3 and TP4 are only valid on a trend day or a news-driven extension. On a range day I ignore them entirely.
Check out the rest of the WFF blog for more setups and indicator breakdowns that pair with this one.
Test Your Levels Against Real Data
Setting up your Meat Zone visually is one thing. Knowing how a setup performs across years of actual ES and NQ price action is another.
Here is a concrete example of what you can do: take a Silver Bullet long on NQ, set your entry at a Fair Value Gap midpoint, stop below the sweep low, TP1 at 1.5R, and run it against thousands of historical setups to see how often that first target actually gets hit before price turns back.
That is what the WFF Backtest Lab is built for. You bring the setup logic and the levels. The engine maps it against multi-year ES and NQ data and shows you where the real edge is and where you are guessing.
Backtest Credits unlock the Qualified tier of the WFF Backtest Lab, giving you full access to the multi-year strategy validation engine.
This is educational content, not financial advice. Past results do not guarantee future performance. Trading futures carries substantial risk and most short-term traders lose money. Trade at your own risk and always use a defined stop loss.