DRUMMERS!!! QUICK TRICK TO FOOT SPEED ON DOUBLE/SINGLE PEDAL | DRUM LESSON WITH SAM WARD

In this video, professional drummer Sam Ward breaks down a very simple exercise to help develop speed and control with BOTH feet using not only a double kick pedal, but also a single. The key is to balance the exercise equally, leading with both feet. Not shown in the video, another great way to practice this is to not only switch leading feet, but to ALSO switch what your hands are doing simultaneously. That gives you 8 different permutations of this EXTREMELY simple exercise (Right hand led groove, right foot led exercise; right hand led groove, left foot led exercise; left hand led groove, right foot led exercise; left hand led groove, left foot led exercise).
This is a CRUCIAL follow-up to Sam's last LONGPLAY ‪@CZcams‬ drop on "The Hand Exercise", which dealt with developing single stroke hand speed and control. It may seem over simplified, but it's not. One of the most important skills to develop early on in any drumming journey is a balanced, controlled and fast single stroke roll! In my opinion, both with the hands AND the feet.
This exercise is quite literally THE SAME EXACT THING; but with the feet instead of the hands! Also, it's important to keep both hands occupied while practicing this exercise - there is more than one way to do this, but in this video the focus was on maintaining a simple 1/4 note based groove on the ride cymbal and snare drum. It was a relatively fast "half time" groove, with 1/4 notes on the hi hat, and beat 3 on the snare drum. (This also sounds like your typical 1/8 note hi hat, 2 and 4 snare drum groove, but in this context, the not rates of the feet sets up the note rates involved with the hands.)
The KEY to success using EITHER of these exercises is to practice consistently, with as much frequency as possible. As stated in the video, the length of time you put into practicing exercises like these is far less important than how frequently you practice them. Generally, hit 3 tempos each time: slow, medium and fast (relative to your maximum speed). The "fast" tempo should always be your "limit". Push yourself as fast as you can go, but don't push to the point of discomfort. Mark your tempo, and move on. Re approach this the next day, and do your best to push that "limit" tempo up; even if just one bpm!!!
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[@gho5tblaz349]

Sounded like you were gonna bust into a snap snare cover of California Uber Allies at the end of the warmup 😂

[@WardenOnDrums]

Haha!!! Love it... wish I could've made it happen for ya... hopefully this did the trick though. Want me to do a quick cover???

[@gho5tblaz349]

@@WardenOnDrums not sure if you mean the foot technique or the intro 😅
This is the best way I’ve come across so far to increase speed. Actually been doing something very similar for my speed, so it’s cool to see it approached a little different!
Hell yeah a cover would be dope 💪

[@WardenOnDrums]

@@gho5tblaz349 Man thank you! I'm glad I could help give you a fresh take on it. Like I say too much in all my lessons/videos, I really prefer to keep things as simple as possible. You want to work on a single stroke roll, I really don't see a reason why this is essentially enough. Coordination wise of course, it's important to add ostinatos / various patterns with your other, unused limbs. But conceptually, that's pretty easy I think!

[@gho5tblaz349]

@@WardenOnDrums definitely makes sense. And the simpler the better imo, especially online.
Maybe you can help me out here, my biggest issue right now is my throne situation . I’m 6’5 & I can’t seem to find my sweet spot. I’m either too low and my legs get stuck at 90 degrees, or I’m too high up over my kit and/or too far back away from my kit when I get my legs at the right angle. Are there any brands/models you would recommend, or even a DIY fix I could use until I finish researching on which throne to grab? I was thinking about making a small platform out of wood I have laying around for a couple extra inches of boost.

[@WardenOnDrums]

Oh wow man that’s an interesting question… there are definitely some easy solutions to this as plenty of guys (Chad Smith, for example) are tall and have found their comfort spot on the drums… but it still of course all depends on personal preference too. I would have to see what “comfortable” looks like to you and then I could show you how to get there. My guess, however is that you sit on your throne as it is, place it to whatever height that gets you close to 90 degrees (in the knees) - it can be a bit obtuse but likely not less than 90 (altho that’s possible too if that feels ok to you). Then set your kit up around you! As soon as you find your comfort zone on the throne, you can rebuild your setup around you so that everything is at the appropriate height and place and that not only do you feel comfortable on the throne; with good balance, not over extending or over bending your knee; you will feel comfortable where the drums now are around you. You did say, the angle of your legs is about 90 degrees at times…. You said that as if it was bad. 90 degrees is generally where I teach people to start. If it’s not comfortable, adjust as needed. But 90 degrees is a great starting point. Hit me up directly for more info! linktr.ee/wardenondrums