in all my years studying this stuff, i can not avoid a single simple truth.
EITHER YOU ARE FOR A TREND, OR AGAINST IT.
that's it.... nothing more, nothing less.
if a breakout occurs, i either bet against it (and am betting on a sideways market) or i am betting that it will continue into a medium or long term trend.
so in sideways years, my trend following systems will lose pips.... and likewise my countertrend systems will do well...
i looked at several ways of profiting in both types of markets throughout the year, but at the end of the day, fate relied on 2 things:
i bet the market would trend
the market trended
that's all there is to it. it's very simple. you can't see trends or sideways markets in advance, so you roll the dice, and hopefully you will have bet the correct strategies in hindsight.