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"Yorikiri" - opens at extreme and moves one direction all session, showing immediate conviction
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 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.
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.
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.
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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