Having been involved in the crypto world for a full ten years, I have seen too many stories—some people become legends overnight through sudden wealth, while others lose everything in an instant. I have also experienced extremes myself: turning 1,000 yuan for meals into 100,000 in three months, and turning $500 into $50,000 in just three days.

But honestly, none of these were due to luck or gambling instincts; they were achieved through a rigorous position management system and nearly obsessive trading discipline.

Today, I want to share the pitfalls I’ve stepped into and the blood I’ve shed over these ten years, in the most straightforward and blunt language. This isn’t some secret to wealth; it’s a survival manual for dancing with blades.

**What is rolling positions? Most people misunderstand it**

Many people think rolling positions means: profit, then add more. That’s pure nonsense. True rolling is when you profit from leverage in a trending market, but even though you make money, your leverage ratio passively decreases. To maintain compound growth potential, you add to your trend position at the right nodes.

Here’s a concrete example: start with 100,000 yuan at 10x leverage, make 50,000 profit, so the account becomes 150,000. But the leverage automatically drops from 10x to 6.6x. At this point, you add to your position to bring leverage back up to 8x—that’s real rolling.

The purpose of rolling is to let profits keep riding the trend, not mindlessly add positions or gamble.

In essence, the core of a rolling strategy is: when a contract approaches delivery or the loss widens, decisively close the old position and open a new one. The goal is pure—cope with volatility, optimize management, and avoid liquidation risks.

**Three hard rules from real trading, bought with blood money**

**Rule 1: Only roll in a trending market; stay put in sideways markets**

The lifeblood of rolling is the trend. Rolling in a sideways market? That’s asking for death. I’ve seen too many people excitedly add positions during a rebound in a bear market, only for the trend to turn and wipe out their principal and profits.

How to judge? Simple and crude: if the price doesn’t make a new high (or new low), I don’t move. Wait for the market to confirm the main direction before rolling. It’s not missing opportunities; it’s surviving to see the next one.

**Rule 2: Only roll profitable positions; cut losses on losing positions**

This is the easiest to fall into. Many people hold onto losing positions out of stubbornness, hoping to turn things around with more rolling. I just want to say: if you don’t cut now, what are you waiting for?

Losing positions are like drowning people—holding onto them drags everyone down. Wait until your account recovers, then take profits from winning positions to open new ones.

**Rule 3: Don’t increase your position size by more than 30% each time you roll**

Greed is the killer. I’ve seen too many go all-in, making a little profit, then trying to become a big shot overnight. When the market adjusts, everything’s gone.

Be conservative: add no more than 30% at a time, leaving room for adjustment. The account curve will become smoother, but you’ll survive longer and earn more in the long run.

**How to operate specifically? From recognition to execution**

Recognition stage: confirm the main trend (a clear upward/downward trend on weekly or daily charts) → check support and resistance on the 4-hour chart → assess current leverage ratio → calculate the cost basis for adding positions.

Execution stage: consider adding when floating profits reach about 20% → don’t be greedy, add within 30% of the position size → move the stop-loss point upward → aim to keep profits running.

Closing stage: decisively cut when the trend breaks → don’t wait for a rebound → better to miss out than to get hurt.

**Live longer, earn more**

These ten years have taught me a simple truth: the crypto world is never short of wealth creation myths; what’s lacking is those who can survive to the next bull market.

Most stories of overnight riches end in overnight bankruptcy. The real winners are often those who seem boring—disciplined, risk-aware, not greedy, and able to restrain themselves.

Rolling isn’t a fast track to wealth; it’s a practice for living longer.

Resist in trending markets, endure in volatile ones—that’s the art of dancing with blades for survival.