Avoid strategy parameter optimization at the beginning

Why should you avoid parameter optimization at the beginning? Well, I've seen so many traders beginning by fine-tuning every single part of their strategy to the point that they're trying to turn a losing strategy into a winning one through optimization. And that's a perfect recipe for overfitting. So, what I usually do is that I try not to use any other parameters at all. So, for example, for things such as the ATR, the ADX, the RSI, I try not to change the default settings at all. But if I have to, I'm going to use some rounded numbers such as the number 20 or 50 for the moving averages. Then, if the strategy is already profitable, I will use the optimization to improve my existing results, not to rescue a strategy that has no edge to begin with. If you start optimizing a broken strategy, you are not fixing it. You are teaching it how to memorize the past. And when you're done with optimization, always remember to run a Monte Carlo analysis to make sure that your results aren't overfit before going live.