When trading breakouts, which is a better indicator to gauge volatility. Is it better to use beta Or standard deviation? Is Average True Range any good in comparison?

I have been trying to learn more about breakout trading and preparing for major breakouts on the downside in the markets. My concern is that every sharp sell off is being bought into with vengeance, almost. Many potential breakouts have failed in my observation. What are the best ways to identify false breakouts and ways to trade them. 

It’s pretty obvious that many retail traders use pivot points extensively to day trade. The pivot point logic seems dubious to me mainly because it’s just a simple formula without a proper rationale according to me. Just want to get some feedback from traders. Does it really work and if yes, in what ways? Do you use it for indices only or evens stocks? Does anyone have any backtested results?