How to Double-Kick Fast on Drums

If you are into rock drumming, then learning the double kick is a must. You may have heard of Mark Portnoy of Dream Thater or Neal Pert of Rush. Or maybe you just love the thunderous sound of blasting bass drums. Whatever the reason, learning to increase your double-kick speed is a matter of technique and training.

Instructions

1. Work out your leg muscles by lifting weights, bike riding or any lower extremity exercise that targets the ankles. In order to maintain your speed throughout a session, your legs should be in tip-top shape. Lars Ulrich was considering becoming a tennis pro at one point.

2. Position yourself with your knees directly over your feet. Playing with the legs slanted (in or out) forces the drummer to use weaker muscles and increases your risk of hip and groin injury.

3. Play along with a metronome and find your top speed by pushing yourself until you lose control. Dial it down about 5 BPM and sit at this speed for about 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes are up, gradually pick up the speed until you are over your previous limit.

4. Learn from the masters. Mark Portnoy, Neal Pert and Lars Ulrich are just a few examples of drummers to sample. Listen how they use the double kick creatively with precision and diversity rather than just blasting out beats to impress.

5. Try out different methods of playing. Play with the heels up (using the ball of the foot) or heels down (using the ankle) and see which method feels most comfortable to you.

6. Adjust the tension in your pedals to give them spring, making them easier to hit quickly.

7. Learn the heel-toe technique. With your foot flat on the ground, raise your toes as you lift it straight up. With the foot still in this position, bring your foot down onto the pedal and roll your foot forward until your toes raise your heel off the ground. Raise the foot again, this time bringing it down onto the toes. Repeat the rolling technique until it becomes second nature.