Crude oil futures are trading at $91.25, up $1.85 on the day, after trading between a low of $88.58 and a high of $91.55. The rebound has brought the price back toward an important retracement level, but buyers still have work to do before they can claim stronger technical control.Sellers had their shot below supportOn the hourly chart, the lows yesterday and today briefly moved below support at $88.79, but neither break could sustain downside momentum. The price quickly rebounded, suggesting buyers are defending the area near $88.75–$88.80.Sellers had their shot below that floor. They could not keep the price below it.That is an important distinction for traders. Breaking a technical level is one thing. Staying below it and building momentum is another. When a break fails, sellers who entered on the move lower can find themselves caught on the wrong side as the price rebounds. Their buying to exit those positions can help fuel the recovery.The repeated rebounds give traders a clearer level against which to measure risk. As long as the floor continues to hold, buyers remain in play. However, holding support does not automatically mean a sustained rally is underway. Buyers also need to get through resistance above.The $91.45 retracement is the next hurdleThe rebound has taken the price back toward the previously broken 38.2% retracement at $91.45. Today’s high of $91.55 briefly moved above that level, but with the price back at $91.25, the break has yet to gain traction.For buyers, the next step is to move above $91.45 and stay above it. A sustained break would strengthen the bullish bias and suggest the recovery has room to extend.The next upside target would be the nearly converged 100- and 200-hour moving averages near $92.75. With both averages clustered in the same area, that level represents another key test. Sellers may lean against the moving averages, while buyers would need to push through and hold above them to improve the technical picture further.There are two hurdles on the upside: reclaim $91.45, then challenge $92.75. Getting through the first would be progress. Getting through the second would provide stronger evidence that buyers are taking control.What would put sellers back in control?Conversely, a move back below $88.79–$88.80, followed by sustained trading below that area, would weaken the support floor and shift the bias toward the sellers.After two unsuccessful attempts to extend lower, sellers need a break that sticks. A rebound that then stalls beneath the old floor would provide additional evidence that support has become resistance.Below that area, the next downside target is $86.79, the 50% midpoint of the rally from the early July low. The 100-day moving average at $86.40 follows below it.Those levels would become the next places to watch for buyers to slow or stall the decline. They are potential support targets, rather than guarantees that the price will bounce.The lesson for beginner traders: use the levels to define riskThe price action offers a useful lesson: a brief move through support or resistance is not enough on its own to confirm a breakout.Traders look for what happens after the break. Does the price continue in the breakout direction? Does a pullback hold the broken level? Or does the price quickly return to the previous range?For example, if crude moves above $91.45, a subsequent pullback that holds near that level would support the buyers’ case. A quick move back below it would raise doubts about the breakout. The same principle applies at $88.80 on the downside.This is where technical analysis helps define risk. Before entering a trade, identify the level that supports the trade idea and what price action would invalidate it. Then size the position around that risk. The goal is to risk a little when the setup offers the potential to make more than a little.For now, $88.80 below and $91.45 above remain the key boundaries. Buyers have defended the floor, but they still need to clear the ceiling. A sustained move outside those boundaries would help signal the next directional push.Key technical levels:$92.75: Nearly converged 100- and 200-hour moving averages; next upside target.$91.45: 38.2% retracement; immediate resistance and breakout hurdle.$88.75–$88.80: Support floor, centered on the $88.79 technical level.$86.79: 50% retracement of the rally from the early July low.$86.40: 100-day moving average; additional downside support target. This article was written by Greg Michalowski at investinglive.com.