When price reaches a channel rail, students often redraw before the bar closes. We ask them to narrate the event with one of three labels before the pencil moves.
Probe
A probe is a temporary move beyond the rail that fails to hold on the timeframe you care about — for daily work, that usually means the session closes back inside. Probes test the rail; they do not automatically retire it.
Break
A break is a close beyond the rail with follow-through on the next bar or two, or a decisive range expansion that leaves the channel behind. Exact rules belong on your worksheet; the point is that a break is stricter than a wick.
Reclaim
A reclaim occurs after a break when price returns through the rail and holds. Reclaims matter because they sometimes restore a channel that was written off too early — and sometimes confirm that the old structure is gone for good if the reclaim fails quickly.
Why the labels help
Shared vocabulary shortens arguments in group mark-up. Instead of “it felt broken,” someone says “probe on Tuesday, no break on the daily close,” and the room can agree on the next action.