From a Trader. For Traders.
Mastery Trader Academy is a futures trading education platform built by a funded prop firm trader — not a marketer, not a content agency, not someone who read about trading in a book.
Everything published on this site comes from real trading experience. Real funded accounts. Real payouts. Real losses. And the hard lessons that only come from years of showing up to the markets every single day.
Who Is Behind This Site
My name is Hamza El Houdaigui. I am a funded futures trader based in the United Kingdom with over 8 years of active trading experience across crypto and futures markets.
I specialise in funded prop firm trading — trading exclusively on prop firm accounts across multiple firms. I have been funded by several prop firms and have achieved real payouts. I trade Crude Oil (CL), Gold (GC), Nasdaq (NQ) and Ultra Bond (UB) with a deep focus on commodities — the market where I have built my edge over thousands of hours of screen time.
My trading approach is built on three core concepts:
Market Liquidity Sweeps — identifying where institutional players hunt retail stops before the real move begins.
Market Structure — reading the actual intent behind price action rather than relying on lagging indicators.
Order Flow — executing with precision by understanding who is buying and selling at any given moment.
This knowledge did not come from a course or a mentor. It came from thousands of hours on the charts, multiple funded account challenges, real payouts and honest losses across 8 years of dedicated trading.
My Credentials and Experience
8 years of active trading experience across crypto and futures
Funded trader — multiple funded prop firm accounts achieved and maintained
Real payouts received from funded futures trading
Specialist in Crude Oil, Gold, Nasdaq and Ultra Bond futures
Founder of MTA Journal — a trading journal built specifically for futures prop firm traders
Based in the United Kingdom
Active trader — I trade funded accounts every single day
Why I Started Mastery Trader Academy
Most trading education is sold by people who make more money teaching than trading. Courses that promise shortcuts. Signals that create dependency. Gurus who have never held a funded account.
That is not what this is.
I started Mastery Trader Academy for one simple reason — I lost money the hard way navigating the prop firm world without the right knowledge. I made the mistakes nobody warns you about. I paid for lessons that should have been taught for free. And I came out the other side funded, profitable and with a deep understanding of what actually works in real futures markets.
Mastery Trader Academy exists to share that knowledge honestly — with no fake flexes, no copy-paste systems and no hype. Just practical education grounded in real trading experience.
The knowledge I wish someone had given me when I started — freely shared with traders who are serious about getting funded and staying funded.
What We Cover
Futures Prop Firm Education
How to pass challenges, manage trailing drawdowns, protect funded accounts and build the consistency that keeps you funded long term. Based on real funded account experience across Apex, TopStep, Leeloo, MyFundedFutures and more.
Futures Trading Strategies
Liquidity sweeps, market structure and order flow explained clearly and applied to real futures markets. Not recycled theory — concepts tested in live trading on prop firm accounts.
Trading Psychology
The mental edge that separates consistent traders from everyone else. Most traders do not fail from lack of strategy — they fail from lack of discipline and emotional control. We cover the psychological side of trading that most educators ignore.
Beginner to Advanced Content
Whether you are opening your first funded account or refining a proven edge — there is content here for every stage of your trading journey.
Free Trading Tools
Including a free Futures Risk Calculator built specifically for prop firm traders — calculate your exact dollar risk before every trade across all major futures contracts.
MTA Journal
A complete trading journal built specifically for futures prop firm traders. Import your NinjaTrader and Tradovate trades with one click, grade every setup, track your psychology and identify exactly what is making you money and what is not. Built by a prop firm trader who uses it every single trading day.
My Philosophy on Trading Education
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy in trading.
Your personality, your risk tolerance, your schedule, your psychology — these all shape what kind of trader you can and should become.
What I share on Mastery Trader Academy is knowledge, not a copy-paste system. I break down the concepts that matter — liquidity, market structure, order flow — so you truly understand what is happening in the markets. From that foundation you build an approach that fits you. That is the only way trading ever really works long term.
My goal is simple: give you the tools to think for yourself — not to follow someone else blindly.
The Trader Behind Every Article
Every article, guide and tool on this site is produced or directly overseen by me — Hamza El Houdaigui. I do not outsource my content to writers who have never traded. I do not publish strategies I have not tested myself.
When you read something on Mastery Trader Academy you are getting the perspective of a trader who is actively in the markets — not someone commenting from the sidelines.
A Note on Transparency
We only recommend tools, platforms and firms we genuinely use or believe in. Our editorial content is never influenced by advertisers or affiliate relationships.
Get in Touch
Have a question about prop trading, a strategy, MTA Journal or anything on this site?
Email: [email protected]
I read every message personally and reply within 24–48 hours.
Hamza El Houdaigui
Founder, Mastery Trader Academy
Funded Futures Trader | 8 Years Experience | Commodities Specialist | United Kingdom
The content on Mastery Trader Academy is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice. Trading futures involves substantial risk of loss. Past performance including funded account results is not indicative of future results. Please read our full Disclaimer before using this site.
My Funded Trading Certificates
Below are some of my real funded account passing certificates from prop firms I have personally traded with. I have been actively passing funded evaluations since 2021 across multiple prop firms including Apex Trader Funding, Leeloo Trading and Take Profit Trader.
My Personal Experience With These Prop Firms
My Personal Experience with Leeloo Trading
I passed two Leeloo evaluations in 2022. Great pricing and disciplined structure, best suited for traders with another income source who are building long term funded trading income. First payout requires 30 active trading days.
My Personal Experience with Apex Trader Funding
I have been trading with Apex since 2021 and passed many evaluations with them. I traded ZB, UB and GC futures with them. Fast single step evaluation and consistent payouts but be aware instrument availability can change and they may occasionally request video verification of your trading.
My Personal Experience with Take Profit Trader
hold a passing certificate with Take Profit Trader. Daily payouts from day one and excellent live chat support. Important to understand that PRO accounts use intraday drawdown while PRO+ uses EOD drawdown — know the difference before you start.