SMC Academy [PhenLabs]

📊 SMC Academy [PhenLabs]
Version: PineScript™ v6

📌 Description
The SMC Academy indicator is a comprehensive educational tool designed to demystify Smart Money Concepts (SMC) for traders of all levels. Unlike standard indicators that simply print signals, this script uses a “Learning Phase” system that allows users to toggle between individual concepts—such as Market Structure, Liquidity, Imbalances, and Order Blocks—or view them all simultaneously. It lets you focus on one piece of the puzzle at a time.

🚀 Points of Innovation

• Progressive Learning Modes: Toggle between 5 distinct phases to master concepts individually before using the Full Strategy Mode.
  
• Educational Tooltips: Hover over labels to read detailed explanations of why a BOS, MSS, or Liquidity zone was identified.
  
• Smart Filtering: Uses ATR and Volume integration to filter out low-quality Fair Value Gaps and weak Order Blocks.
  
• HTF Dashboard: A built-in panel analyzes Higher Timeframe (4H) data to ensure you are trading in alignment with the broader trend.
  

🔧 Core Components

• Market Structure Engine: Automatically detects Swing Highs and Lows to map out market direction using configurable swing lengths.
  
• Liquidity Manager: Identifies unmitigated swing points that serve as Buy-Side (BSL) and Sell-Side (SSL) liquidity magnets.
  
• Imbalance Detector: Highlights Fair Value Gaps (FVG) where price inefficiencies exist, using ATR thresholds to ignore noise.
  
• Order Block Identifier: Locates the specific candles responsible for structure breaks, validated by volume analysis.
  

🔥 Key Features

• Break of Structure (BOS): Automatically marks trend continuation signals with solid lines and color-coded labels.
  
• Market Structure Shift (MSS): Identifies potential trend reversals when significant swing points are breached.
  
• Dashboard Context: Displays the current trend direction and the 4H context directly on your chart.
  
• Custom Alerts: Built-in alert conditions for structure breaks and new Order Blocks allow for automated tracking.
  

🎨 Visualization

• Structure Lines: Solid lines indicate confirmed breaks (Green for Bullish, Red for Bearish).
  
• Liquidity Zones: Dotted lines extending rightward indicate resting liquidity levels that price may target.
  
• FVG Boxes: Shaded boxes highlight imbalance zones, automatically extending for a user-defined number of bars.
  
• Dashboard: A clean, non-intrusive table in the top-right corner displays trend status and active mode.
  

📖 Usage Guidelines
Setting Categories

• Learning Mode: Select from ‘1. Market Structure’ through ‘5. Full Strategy Mode’ to filter what appears on the chart.
  
• Swing Detection Length: Default (5). Determines the sensitivity of the swing high/low detection.
  
• Structure Break Type: Options (Close/Wick). Choose whether a candle close or just a wick is required to confirm a break.
  
• Min FVG Size: Default (0.5 ATR). Filters out gaps smaller than this multiplier to reduce noise.
  
• Filter Weak OBs by Volume: Default (True). Only highlights Order Blocks where volume exceeds the 20-period average.
  

✅ Best Use Cases

• Educational Study: Isolate “Phase 1: Market Structure” to practice identifying trend changes without distraction.
  
• Trend Following: Use “Phase 3: Imbalances” to find entry points within an established trend.
  
• Reversal Trading: Combine “Phase 2: Liquidity” and “Phase 4: Order Blocks” to catch reversals at key levels.
  

⚠️ Limitations

• Subjectivity: Market structure can be interpreted differently depending on the swing length settings used.
  
• Ranging Markets: Like all trend-following concepts, false BOS/MSS signals may generate during choppy, sideways price action.
  
• Repainting: While the signals are non-repainting once confirmed, the live candle may flash a signal before the close if “Close” mode is selected.
  

💡 What Makes This Unique

• Interactive Learning: The inclusion of tooltip explanations transforms this from a simple tool into an active mentor.
  
• Phase-Based Workflow: The ability to strip the chart back to basics at the click of a button is unique to the PhenLabs ecosystem.
  

🔬 How It Works

• Swing Analysis: The script calculates pivot highs and lows based on your length input to define the structural landscape.
  
• Break Validation: It checks if price crosses these pivot points to trigger BOS (Continuation) or MSS (Reversal) logic.
  
• Volume Confirmation: For Order Blocks, it looks back inside the swing leg to find the specific candle responsible for the move, verifying it has significant volume.
  

💡 Note:
For the best experience, start in Phase 1 to calibrate your Swing Detection Length to the specific volatility of the asset you are trading before enabling Full Strategy Mode.