What it is
The Belt Hold (Japanese: *Yorikiri*, meaning "push out") is a single-candle reversal pattern where the candle opens at an extreme (the high or low) and moves in one direction for the entire session. This creates a long body with no shadow on the opening side.
The psychology: The market gaps in the direction of the trend, but from the very first trade, the opposite side takes complete control. There's no pullback toward the open at any point - pure one-sided dominance from start to finish.
The longer the candle body and the less shadow it has, the more significant the signal. A perfect Belt Hold has zero shadow on the opening side.
The psychology
The Belt Hold shows one side seizing immediate control from the open. In a Bullish Belt Hold, the candle opens at its low - sellers had zero success from the open. Buyers dominated the entire session, driving price higher without ever looking back.
In a Bearish Belt Hold, the candle opens at its high and sells off all session. The opening print was the best price buyers got - from there, it was all downhill. The lack of a wick on the opening side shows total conviction from the dominant party.
What makes this pattern significant is the psychological shock. A long bullish Belt Hold at the bottom of a downtrend tells sellers that the opening price was the last easy exit - everything after favored buyers. The opposite applies at tops.
Identification
- 01No wick on the opening side - Bullish: opens at its low. Bearish: opens at its high
- 02Long real body - The candle should have a meaningfully large body relative to recent candles
- 03Prior trend to reverse - Bullish belt hold needs a prior downtrend, bearish needs an uptrend
- 04Close near the opposite extreme - Should close near the high (bullish) or low (bearish)
- 01High volume - Confirms institutional participation in the move
- 02Appears at key support/resistance - Confluence with known levels
- 03Gap open - A gap in the reversal direction adds power
- 04Unusually large body - Larger than average range shows exceptional conviction
- 01Small body - Weak Belt Holds with short bodies are just regular candles
- 02Wick on the opening side - Even a small wick weakens the signal significantly
- 03No prior trend - Without a trend to reverse, the pattern is meaningless
- 04Low volume - Suggests the move lacks institutional backing
Execution framework
Enter after a follow-through candle confirms...
Bullish Belt Hold: Below the low of the candle. Bearish Belt Hold: Above the high of the candle. The no-wick open is the key feature - if price violates it, the signal fails.
T1: Previous swing high (bullish) or swing low (bearish). T2: Nearest resistance/support level. Belt holds work best as confirmation of existing support/resistance rather than standalone signals.
Minimum 1:2. The long body creates a relatively wide stop, so ensure the target justifies the risk.
Context matters
The Belt Hold is a single-candle reversal pattern that depends heavily on context. The no-wick open is visually distinctive, but the pattern needs trend context and volume to be actionable.
- 01At well-established support (bullish) or resistance (bearish)
- 02After an extended trend showing signs of exhaustion
- 03With volume significantly above the recent average
- 04At Fibonacci retracement levels
- 05With a gap open in the reversal direction
- 06When the body is among the largest in recent sessions
- 01In the middle of a range with no clear trend
- 02With low or average volume
- 03When the body is small relative to recent candles
- 04Against the higher timeframe trend
- 05In choppy, indecisive price action
- 06Without confirmation from the following candle
Always confirm this pattern with volume analysis and higher timeframe context. A pattern in isolation is just a shape - confluence with other factors is what creates high-probability setups.
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