I've been trading ES futures for a year and I've watched countless traders blow prop firm challenges making the same mistakes.

Here's what actually kills most accounts:

1. Overleveraging during high-impact news

CPI, FOMC, NFP — the ES moves fast. I sit on my hands until the dust settles, then trade the re-test. Stop fighting the spike.

2. No daily drawdown awareness

Prop firms have hard daily limits. Build your position sizing around that number BEFORE the session starts — not after your first loss.

3. Trading against the macro trend for small scalps

If the daily is clearly trending down, why are you fighting for 4-tick longs every 10 minutes? Trend alignment is free edge.

4. Revenge trading after a stop

One bad trade turns into three. Three turns into a blown account. The traders who consistently pass challenges close the platform after hitting max loss and come back tomorrow.

I trade ES as a 23 year old out of Philadelphia. My whole process is built around prop firm rules — passing challenges, staying funded, pulling consistent income.

If you're working on getting funded, come check out JemStocks.

— Jalen | @jemstocks