One of the main points to consider for the way you position your legs has been included in my post about 'Seat Height and Positioning in Relation to Drum Kit and Limb Positioning'. This refers to what the angle of your knees should be when your feet are on the pedals, which is 90 degrees or a little more, most commonly, 90 to a 100 degrees. Another aspect to remember for leg placement is to always keep your legs directed straight up/straight down, depending on what way you look at it, as in keep the bottom half of your legs (below the knee) vertical, along the angle line perpendicular to the length of the pedal, instead of moving from side to side, so that your knee always sits directly over the pedal, or at least, over an invisible line leading straight out from the bottom of the pedal, in your direction. Also, remember not to turn your feet from side to side from the ankle joint, or to turn them so that they face inwards or outwards, creating an angular slope to the bottom of your feet, in the direction of your side or to an invisible spot in between your feet. So, overall, keep the angles of the ankle joint in these ways/directions to an absolute minimum. On top of this, try to keep your feet as centred on the pedals as possible, so that the middle of your foot is roughly on the middle of the pedal, in terms of moving your feet from side to side on the pedals, but not up and down the pedals, that is a different matter.
Arm position varies a lot when playing drums, to be able to reach the various components of your kit. Although you may have to stretch out your arms quite far in some circumstances, you should always try to keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible, as long as it is not uncomfortable to do so. You should try to avoid pushing any part of your arms out backwards past your sides too, or even close to the invisible horizontal and vertical plane that your back sits on. You will know when your arms are too close to this and generally, in any sort of an uncomfortable position, because you will start to feel tension in your muscles, particularly in the muscles below your neck, around the top of your back, around the shoulder blades. This is unwanted tension, that could lead to injury, so this needs to be avoided. Another consideration to make, is that what style of hand grip you use affects the muscles all the way up your arms, past your shoulders, to the neck. With this in mind, you should change your style of grip in relation to the positioning of your arms. This may mean finding one grip that suits all of your arm positions, or changing your grip whilst playing, as your arm position changes. You will know what hand grips suit what arm positions, because sitting normally, holding the drumstick, your muscles will feel comfortable and relaxed using hand grips that work properly and which are healthy for you, in the various arm positions you use. You will also know what hand grips don't suit what arm positions, because in testing these grips and positions, like in the way previously specified, you will feel uncomfortable, unwanted tension in your muscles. Everyone is different, and so, this will work differently for everyone, but generally, the further your arms extend outwards, in the direction of your back, the more likely it is that french grip would then be the most appropriate grip to use.
Arm position varies a lot when playing drums, to be able to reach the various components of your kit. Although you may have to stretch out your arms quite far in some circumstances, you should always try to keep your elbows as close to your sides as possible, as long as it is not uncomfortable to do so. You should try to avoid pushing any part of your arms out backwards past your sides too, or even close to the invisible horizontal and vertical plane that your back sits on. You will know when your arms are too close to this and generally, in any sort of an uncomfortable position, because you will start to feel tension in your muscles, particularly in the muscles below your neck, around the top of your back, around the shoulder blades. This is unwanted tension, that could lead to injury, so this needs to be avoided. Another consideration to make, is that what style of hand grip you use affects the muscles all the way up your arms, past your shoulders, to the neck. With this in mind, you should change your style of grip in relation to the positioning of your arms. This may mean finding one grip that suits all of your arm positions, or changing your grip whilst playing, as your arm position changes. You will know what hand grips suit what arm positions, because sitting normally, holding the drumstick, your muscles will feel comfortable and relaxed using hand grips that work properly and which are healthy for you, in the various arm positions you use. You will also know what hand grips don't suit what arm positions, because in testing these grips and positions, like in the way previously specified, you will feel uncomfortable, unwanted tension in your muscles. Everyone is different, and so, this will work differently for everyone, but generally, the further your arms extend outwards, in the direction of your back, the more likely it is that french grip would then be the most appropriate grip to use.
No comments:
Post a Comment