Image sourced from Reddit

In order to fully utilize the potential of a hi-hat stand, you need to have expertise in foot techniques. You can also be a great player when you have a deeper understanding of the kick drum pedal techniques and have mastered the art.

Mastering the Kick drum pedal technique helps transform the drummer’s overall performance. The drummer becomes capable of producing more powerful beats that are as precise as well. Apart from that, mastering helps improve the rhyming and timing of the play. The overall range of the player and his endurance increases, which leads to a higher level of skill set.

This blog post will center around tips for kick drum pedal foot training and an overview of the techniques, so stay tuned to the very end!

Tips for Improving Your Foot Technique 

Here is a listicle of tips that you can use as a drummer to improve your foot technique with kick drum pedal

Proper Foot Positioning

Proper foot positioning is one of the essential tips in the foot technique.If your foot is not placed appropriately, you cannot precisely play the kick drum pedal.

To find the perfect foot position, you need to find the position where you can transfer maximum power to the pedal and have control over it.For this, place the ball of your foot on the pedal and avoid using your toes, as this reduces the precision of the strokes.

You can try and test the right point where you feel comfortable playing, which transfers the maximum power to the pedal while allowing you to control your play.

Maintain Even Pressure of Foot

Most of the times, the beginner make the mistake of not focusing on the pressure of your foot.to master your foot technique on the kick drum pedal, you need to maintain a consistent amount of pressure on the foot, as this will help provide you with a consistent sound

Consistent sound is important to the overall rhythm maintenance, and mostly, with uneven pressure or lack of control over the foot pressure, the optimal required sound quality is not achieved.

Strengthen Your Ankles

In order to play the kick drum pedal effectively, you need strong ankles that can endure a workload. Your ankles are key to playing the kick drum pedal to your full potential. Better ankles lead to better pedal responsiveness, which leads to obtaining the optimal sound quality. 

To strengthen your ankles, you need to involve yourself in all strengthening exercises. Try to do that on a daily basis. Start with less and then build on it to increase your ankles' endurance and strength. Avoid overburdening your ankles when exercising, as it will increase your chances of injuries.

Use Your Whole Leg

It is a misconception that you only need your foot to play the kick drum pedal, whereas your whole leg is involved in the process. You must use your whole leg instead of your foot and the ankle. 

The reason for involving your whole leg is that it provides you with additional power, and you get to experience less fatigue than you would have if you were only focused on using your foot and the ankle.

Keep a Loose Ankle

A mistake that most beginners make is that when they are playing the kick drum pedal, they tend to stiffen their ankles so much that they are unable to play with fluidity.

When you have a stiff ankle, you cannot move it quickly. However, keeping your ankles loose will help you move the ankle quickly. You can easily make fluid movements, and that would help you a great deal in increasing the speed and control of your play.

Focus on Smoothness

While playing the kick drum pedal, focus on smoothness to improve your foot technique. Sometimes, beginners start to try playing more vigorously because they want to play faster, but in the process, they are not able to control their play precisely.

So try to play as smoothly as possible. For even strokes, practice slowly and then increase your speed with time rather than just trying to play too fast from the start. With players focusing on the smoothness of play, control is enhanced.

Pay Attention to Footwear

Image sourced from Reddit

In order to improve your foot technique, you must focus on wearing footwear that is not too busy or slippery. The ideal type of footwear is the one that provides good grip on the pedal and makes you comfortable while you are playing the kick drum pedal

The use of bulky footwear like heavy shoes or any slippery wear makes you lose that grip on the kick drum pedal. A good grip is required for great play, so avoiding such footwear will help a great deal.

Stay Balanced

Staying balanced will help you improve your play. The more balanced you are, the more easily you will be able to play your kick drum pedal. To be balanced, you need to maintain proper posture. Your posture must be comfortable and balanced at the same time.

If you are unbalanced and are struggling with a poor posture, than it becomes increasingly difficult for you to avoid your strain, and your pedal techniques become inefficient

Monitor Your Pedal Setup

In order to play your kick drum pedal and improve your foot technique, you have to ensure that the kick drum pedal you're using is in optimal condition.

Therefore, it is better recommended to regularly check the kick drum pedal and inspect the ki drum pedal. Regularly checking and adjusting your pedal’s settings ensures the kick drum pedal remains in optimal condition and suits your playing style.

Use the Right Pedal Technique

Using the right pedal technique helps you progress in your playing style. In order to find the right pedal technique that suits your style of play, you must experiment with different playing techniques.

Like you can try different techniques and then choose which one is the best for you and complements your style of play

Record and Review

One crucial tip for analyzing your improvement is recording and reviewing your own performance. When you are playing, you cannot estimate in detail the small points of improvement or areas where you were on par.

You gain valuable insights into your playing style when you record yourself playing the kick drum pedal and then listen to it in detail. You identify your areas of excellence and areas of improvement.

So, frequently recording and listening to your kick drum playing helps you see how much you are improving, and thus, you can track your progress.

List of Foot Techniques for Kick Drum Pedal

Image sourced from Reddit

Here we have a bunch of kick drum pedal foot techniques that are mostly used while playing. Understanding each one is important to improve your foot technique.

Heel-toe Technique

The heel-toe technique is a foot technique in the kick drum pedal that uses the rocking motion of the heel and the toe of your foot to move the pedal faster. With a faster pedal, you can achieve double strokes.

 

Pros

Increased Speed: The heel-toe technique helps increase the speed of drum play. With this technique, you can play at a faster pace, which is ideal for drummers who play at a faster pace.

More Efficiency: The heel-toe technique helps reduce the effort in playing the double strokes, thus increasing the efficiency of the play. You play double strokes without much effort, and so the performance overall is smoother

Cons

Challenging: The heel-toe technique might be challenging for beginners to learn as it requires good practice before you can pull it off.

 

Footwear Sensitivity:

The footwear is also important in the heel-toe technique, so you have to wear footwear that gives a good grip and proper foot positioning.

Single-Stroke Technique

The single-stroke technique involves making consistent single strokes with even pressure.

 

Pros

Control and Precision: This technique helps enhance the overall control and precision while playing as you have mastered consistency with even pressure in each stroke

Makes learning Other Techniques Easier: The single-stroke technique makes a strong foundation for the drummer. So, the drummer can build on this strong foundation and learn all the other advanced techniques easily.

Cons

Speed Limitations: This technique is not as fast-paced, so a faster tempo using this technique is not as effective. It has to be combined with other techniques to yield results.

Less Dynamic: as only a single stroke is used, the technique is less versatile, leading to a lower dynamic range.  

 

Double-Stroke Technique

The double stroke technique involves performing two rapid strokes in succession using the pedal rebound or a combination of the heel and toe movements.

 

Pros

High Speed: The double stroke technique helps increase speed to facilitate the playing of faster rhythmic patterns.

Versatility: with double stroke technique, you can play a variety of different musical styles and rhythms, making your range more versatile

Cons

Fatigue: The double stroke technique can be a bit tiring for some if overused. This technique requires you to have good endurance of both the foot and the leg. You have to put in a lot of force while playing the kick drum pedal through this technique.

Coordination Challenges: To master the double stroke play, you need good coordination. Coordination becomes a challenge in this technique and thus leads to inconsistencies.

 

Here is a customer review form our client Hallosk about the kick drum pedal. 

Excellent High Quality!

Excellent quality! This double kick is built better than some of the most expensive ones I looked at in the music store. It does not move around due to the heavy cast iron and the large footprint of the floor plate. With the added gripping surface and screw down floor spikes it is in place to stay! The pedal plates are extremely high quality aircraft grade aluminum and large enough for some fancy footwork. If you play fast like I do you will have no problem keeping your foot right where you want it. Great as a single kick as well. Including extra hardware to separate them and use as a single. Great for fast single pedal songs like Foghats Slow Ride ect. The two leg hi-hat stand is an exact match for these pedals making a smooth transition from hi-hat to kick! I recommend that you purRead full review…

Slide Technique

The slide technique involves sliding your foot back and forth to create smoother pressure on the pedal, which helps produce an even and smooth sound.

 

Pros

Consistency: The slide technique helps in achieving consistent sound with the strokes.This

helps in making your kick drum pedal play sound smooth, and you can easily get help in achieving a consistent feel of the music

Smooth Transitions: The slide technique helps a great deal in transitioning the different beats smoother than ever.

Cons

Can't Play at High Speed: The slide technique is not compatible with fast playing as the sliding motion can not be performed at a faster speed with precision. 

Need Special Footwear: The slide technique has much to do with the footwear you wear. When practicing the sliding technique, your footwear must have a decent grip and not be slippery.  

 

Leg Pressure Technique

The leg press technique involves using the entire leg muscle, including your thighs and calf, to control the pedal.

 

Pros

Power and Control: The leg pressure technique helps add more power to your strokes and thus reduces overall foot fatigue.

Reduced Effort: You do not have to put in much effort when you use the whole leg to play the kick drum pedal. With much less force, you can play the drum pedal accurately.

Cons

Leg Strain: The leg pressure technique can lead to posture issues, as it strains the leg muscle, resulting in poor posture.

Requires Strength: Although it would require less effort, your legs' muscles overall need to be strong to effectively utilize this technique.

 

Floating Foot Technique

The floating foot technique involves keeping your foot slightly above the pedal while playing. You use minimal pressure to control the beater’s rebound.

 

Pros

Quick Response: The floating technique helps in faster and more precise store-making.The reason is that there is less lack of contact, and minimal pressure is applied to control the beater's rebound.

Less Effort: Due to the beater’s rebound, you don't have to put in a lot of physical effort while playing the kick drum pedal

Cons

Control Difficulty: As there is less pressure applied to controlling the beater rebound, the control is a bit difficult to achieve 

Requires Precision: This techniques require practice to be prepared to precisely use and master this technique.

 

Heel Up Technique

Image sourced from Reddit 

The heel-up technique involves the raising of the heel of the foot off the ground while playing. This technique helps in making a powerful stroke in comparison to the other ones

 

Pros

Powerful Hits: The heel-up technique helps generate more force, leading to impactful strokes

Suits Aggressive Style: The up technique is suitable for the aggressive style of plays with impactful strokes

Cons

Fatigue: The heel up posture for a longer time frame leads to fatigue as it becomes more tiring for the muscle of the foot.

Less Control: The heel-up technique makes you lose on the control element in comparison to the heel down 

 

Heel Down Technique

  Image sourced from Reddit

The heel-down technique involves keeping the heel down on the ground while you are playing, and it offers you better control over your play. 

 

Pros

Control and Consistency: The heel-down technique, in contrast to the heel-up technique, provides more control and consistency in the strokes.

Reduced Fatigue: Compared to the heel-up technique, the heel-down technique is less tiring, leading to lesser fatigue

Cons

Limited Power: The heel down technique is unable to produce powerful strokes in comparison to the heel up technique

Speed Constraints: you can't use this technique on faster tempos as you can use the heel-up technique.

 

Alternate Foot Technique

The alternate foot technique involves alternating the foot while you are playing from the left to the right foot. This technique is mostly used in the double pedal setup.

 

Pros

Coordination Improvement: This technique enhances the coordination between both feet and the overall rhythm of the kick drum pedal play.

Versatile Playing: This technique is useful when you have to play complex patterns, thus making your playing more versatile.

Cons

Requires Practice: Dedication is required to master this technique and use it effectively. You must practice a lot to achieve smoothness and consistency.

Setup Complexity: The setup is a bit complex, which makes it difficult to understand, and you need to be careful when making adjustments.

Here is a customer review from our client Matthew Murphy about the kick drum pedal from Geekstands.

 

Feels great, plays great

I got this pedal with a really beat-up Borg drum kit that I bought from another owner. Cymbals were like pie tins, shells were like tree trunks, eventually it all went to goodwill...except for this pedal. Eight years ago I would've guessed that a $50 pedal would soon be in the trash, but it's still kicking as smooth and light as it was. On the other hand, it is a $50 pedal, and I'm likely missing out on what better pedals feel like, but as it stands now I really, honestly see no reason to upgrade. If it's not different than how it was eight years ago, I give it two thumbs up.

Here is a youtube video in case you want to learn an underrated foot technique

Here is a comparison table differentiating these kick drum pedals on the basis of different factors.

Type	Durability	Weight	Noise Level	Maintenance	Price Range
Chain Drive	High (sturdy construction)	Moderate to heavy	Moderate (can be noisy)	Low (occasional lubrication)	Generally affordable
Belt Drive	Moderate (less rugged)	Lightweight	Low (quieter operation)	Moderate (belt replacement needed)	Mid-range
Direct Drive	Very High (robust and reliable)	Heavy (more solid construction)	Low (very quiet)	Low (minimal maintenance)	Higher-end

Why Choose Geekstand for Kick Drum Pedals

Geekstands offers its customers kick drum pedals with newish designs made up of quality materials.These kick drum pedals are loved due to exciting features offered by us to the customers.

These features make our clients happy and that's why we often receive a bunch of different positive reviews about our products. These positive reviews keep us motivated to deliver such quality products and also the customer to purchase these quality products.

In case you are looking for kick drum pedals, it is not worth it to wait, Just go grab yours now!