any drummers here?

[easycore]

any vegan drummers around here? if so i got a question for you all. what type of arm, back and wrist excercises and/or stretches do you do to help improve your drumming ability? besides lifting weights which i do get answered a lot. any flexibility excercises advice?

[drummer boy]

I work out with ben-wa balls on a daily basis (don't laugh). This is the single most beneficial exercise that I've found. I would recommend them for all musicians, actually, not just drummers, and also anyone who does any kind of repetitive tasks with their hands, like computer keyboarding. They keep the wrists and lower arms supple and stimulate all the nerve endings throughout the area. You will notice the effect the very first time you use them. You can find them in most Asian markets. The bigger the balls the better of course , but you might want to start with a smaller set at first until you get the hang of it. Other than that, just keep your lower arms, wrists and hands stretched out at all times and aim for complete relaxation whenever you're playing. If you have a complete absence of tension in your body, there's little or no chance of injury. There's also a yoga move known as the crow which is good for stretching the wrists and lower arms. I've been drumming for over twenty years, injury free.

I do lift weights as well, but I don't find that it affects my drumming at all, for better or worse. The fastest, strongest drummers out there are the ones who are the most flexible and the most relaxed. It has nothing at all to do with brute power.

What kind of drumming do you do?

[MuayThaiSoldja]

Ok, I'll definately try those out. However, what would you recommend for your feet/ankles? I've been playing for the past 10 years Total. Off and on a lot actually and just recently started jamming with a friend. I've noticed after the second total session my ankle/leg/foot got sort of tight and tired. I figured it was because I haven't played in a while but do you have an exercise recommendation?? Greatly appreciated, oh and I'm currently doing like a fast punk rock style of drumming.
Phil.

[drummer boy]

However, what would you recommend for your feet/ankles?

If you haven't played for a while, of course, you need to let your body get back into the groove. If you're still feeling sore after a few weeks, then you might be doing something technique-wise that is causing tension. Are you playing heel-up or heel-down? I would recommend heel-up for speed. Playing heel-up there shouldn't be any tension at all in the lower leg, in fact you really don't use the lower leg much at all. The momentum comes from flexing your thigh slightly. Use the spring of the pedal to get a bounce going. As with sticks, you want to let gravity do most of the work. Concentrate on using the least muscle-power possible for maximal results. This is kind of general advice, but it's really more about your mental approach than any specific technique.

oh and I'm currently doing like a fast punk rock style of drumming.

Your style of drumming is irrelevant when you're talking about playing with speed/power/precision. That's why punk/metal drummers used to go and check out Buddy Rich when he was around, and why jazz drummers go and check out metal drummers today. When you're talking about speed, all techniques tend to converge, there's really no differentiation based on what type of music you play.

Stay relaxed and speed will come. It's more about getting out of your own way than about exerting maximal effort.

[MuayThaiSoldja]

Oh awesome, I really do appreciate the advice. I play heel up and have been actually trying to relax more, it's been working so far. So thank you, A LOT!!!