How I Approach The 'Heel Toe' Technique (2019)

[@OwenAlec]

Do you have a request for a video?

[@dieselnautburkey4677]

Can you do a video on your pedals? Spring tension, why the heel plate removal, etc.

[@OwenAlec]

@@dieselnautburkey4677 Hi! Apologies for the late reply, must have slipped through the notifications! I did a review of the pedals in another video, where I talk briefly about the spring tension and heel plate removal. You can watch that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pF66ZH6VirqhfKc Hope this helps!

[@dieselnautburkey4677]

@@OwenAlec cool, thank you!

[@Drummer885K3vinRios]

Wonderful mate, loved it

[@BlaacHollow]

1:50 the bridge and ball of the foot. Nobody ever mentions this in the other videos. This is so important to understand.

[@mnby82]

Goddamn dude. Finally. I watched numerous videos and nobody explained what part of the foot actually hits the pedal for the heel portion of it. your video makes everything else with the technique make sense. Thank you.

[@OwenAlec]

I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 🙂

[@jjadaddy]

Excellent explanation my friend. I use to use this method when I was a young lad like yourself, not really knowing the theory behind it. I've begun playing again, and trying to refine it, along with slide technique. Heel toe def comes more naturally for me. The trick for me with heel toe is the spacing of the 2 hits. Getting them close and tight consistently, is the challenge. Thanks, again.

[@gammat.c.4916]

Still after all this years. This is the best video explanation 🖤

[@itsgmani]

This is the first explanation that worked for me!!!

[@krosisdrunmer123]

What i like the most about this technique is when you do use it for double pedal, It has a really nice Triplet sorta sound and feel

[@ihatedrugs2246]

Its the only way to achieve double strokes

[@reezlaw]

No offence but if it has that feel but you meant to do 16th notes you're probably doing it wrong

[@owen0566]

I had it, then I lost it, now I have it again 😎

[@OwenAlec]

Hahah I have the same issue sometimes, just got to power through and get the muscle memory built up! 😅

[@owen0566]

@@OwenAlec thanks man 🙏

[@omniammar]

Dude how? Hahaha

[@owen0566]

@@omniammar dude I practiced so much, I practiced heel toe more than I did homework.

[@justinwillms17]

I was going nuts not being able to hit the pedal with my actual heel… thanks for this 😂

[@Pure_KodiakWILD_Power]

That kick pedal mod, THAT'S what Ive been thinking of doing.....

[@mindhunter6606]

Gonna start my heel toe technique journey today.

[@OwenAlec]

Keep me updated on your progress 😊

[@mindhunter6606]

@@OwenAlec will do good sir. Thank you for your video

[@shyguy2075]

Raise your hand if you can't do this at all. Just me? Damn.

[@OwenAlec]

I really struggled in the beginning... Keep at it and you'll get it! Let me know how you get on :)

[@ultraphobic69]

No mate, not just you. Seems to evade me this technique. I've tried and tried

[@bigstef2010]

Thx so much ! I finally understand this dam technique !!!!

[@OwenAlec]

Glad it helped!

[@courtcomposer]

That my friend clears up my problem. Thanx so much!

[@OwenAlec]

Glad I could help 😊

[@RelentlessRhythms]

Great video.I just started using this technique about a year ago.I am still working at it.

[@OwenAlec]

Thanks dude, you'll have to keep me updated on your progress 👍

[@Elguaposkate]

Very nice! Nice shoes too.

[@OwenAlec]

Thanks 😅

[@shane49933]

Best tutorial yet Owen :)

[@Sixfootdig]

Awesome video! I am about 2 weeks in practicing this technique and it is tough

[@OwenAlec]

Nice one! Definitely keep me updated on your progress 😊

[@Sixfootdig]

@@OwenAlec I am doing OK, having trouble going quick. I can consistently do heel to r, l, r, l but then I can't seem to use it to go any faster than heel up. Any advice?

[@OwenAlec]

It's a slow process but I promise, if you keep at it, work on precision and control, then the speed will come

[@jphifer2848]

Well done!

[@Simon53188]

High spring tension is a key to making it work too.

[@OwenAlec]

From my personal experience, I found that having it too high (i.e. maxed out), fatigued my muscles too fast, but I loosened them a little and they felt really good. Definitely worth trying a range of tensions to find what’s best for you.

[@Simon53188]

@OwenAlec yeah mate, I went second notch from the top of my demon drives and it works well. I like getting my heel onto the pedal too to get a louder stroke. Playing and electric kit compared to and acoustic feels loads different too.

[@KamalBensra]

Thank you for the awesome video. You’re great!!! I have a question. Is the heel toe technique bad for the knees?

[@OwenAlec]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it. I haven’t had any issues with my knees and I haven’t heard anyone mention it before, so I’d say no but perhaps keep an eye on it if you’re concerned about it

[@KamalBensra]

@@OwenAlec alright, then maybe I’m over thinking it. Thank you so much for your reply!

[@TheFacelessTwo]

Hello Owen. I actually decided to finally conquer this heel toe technique after years and years. I started about a week ago and I'm slowly getting there. Since I'm also using DW9000 I figured I'd ask - did removing the heel-plate make any difference to you, or is it just a personal preference? I saw Jared Falk's demonstration, which proves you can play it on any pedal in any gear, but I also saw John Longstreth describing his approach and he had a pedal with the hinge at the very back. I just feel that might have helped in utilizing that rocking motion.

[@OwenAlec]

Hey dude, congrats on taking the plunge, it's a really useful tool to have in your arsenal! The heel plate was more down to personal preference but I think it definitely helps get more leverage. Keep me updated on your progress! :)

[@MusicwithPaolo]

Brilliant thank you!

[@OwenAlec]

You're most welcome ☺

[@blank_end28]

Ofc time and skills are on account but the quality of the pedal plays a good part too, with that said im changing it

[@OwenAlec]

Decent gear will help make things a bit easier, for sure, but the technique is crucial 👍

[@ryankelly5524]

That sounds awesome!

[@OwenAlec]

Cheers dude!

[@randallross420]

would having longboard pedals make a difference in approaching the technique?

[@OwenAlec]

Only a small difference really, the technique itself should work on shortboards and longboards, I just found that longboards worked better for me

[@steveorchiton8733]

I really need to spend some time on this!

[@OwenAlec]

As do I! Still got a lot of practice to do haha

[@Jerseydaves]

Thanks 👍

[@OwenAlec]

You're most welcome, glad you found the video useful 🙂

[@arnoldestebansabbaghusuga4351]

excelent video

[@OwenAlec]

Thanks! :)

[@bioburden]

When introducing the left foot, do you do heel-toe (right) then heel-toe (left) or heel, heel, toe, toe (right, left, right, left)? Thanks.

[@OwenAlec]

I do H-T (Right) then H-T (Left)... although I would be curious to try the other way, see how that feels! Good question!

[@mariosief2]

hi! a bit late on the topic but I've never achieve to make this pattern like RR LL double strokes yet, instead I'm using the same technic but I'm going RLRL or H(R) H(L) then T(R) and T(L), like Wanja's do, the heel toe single strokes, a really nice flow and for me, a way more natural movement with the feets and the brain coordination haha, give it a try perhaps, cheers bros

[@bioburden]

@@mariosief2 you should share a video of it. I tried this, but tbh, I'm faster with single strokes.

[@Fripsify]

@@mariosief2 can you speed it up to 200 bpm ? If you do i ll give it a try !

[@Nefville]

Question: I'm playing heel toe with my actual heel but I am able to control it very well. What I've noticed is that I can get well spaced and timed doubles playing normal but also when playing fairly slow. Do you know of anyone that does this or am I way off here? How slow can you play HT? I'm finding it super useful when I'm tired and don't want to put in a ton of effort in to long double bass parts. It just seems too easy to be right, have you ever seen this?

[@OwenAlec]

Do whatever works for you, dude! If you're getting good results then keep at it! As long as it's not causing and strains or pains then there's no issue. I do struggle when I get to lower tempos but then I just switch to the slide technique.

[@GuerraDrums]

Did you removed the back plate, My pedal it’s an 9002 but not XF, will work if I remove it too? Makes easy to work With the Heeltoe?

[@OwenAlec]

As far as I know, they should be basically the same overall design, so yes, it should work but let me know if you run into any issues and I'll do my best to help 😊

[@destructionman1]

Hey friends, what do yall recommend for the spring tension for heel-toe? Tight? Loose? Thx!

[@OwenAlec]

It’s mostly down to personal preference, however I would suggest more of a tight spring tension. Trial and error.

[@ハンマーリリー]

ヤバい！I want to be able to do it as soon as possible. It's been 6 months now！

[@OwenAlec]

Keep at it, you'll get there! 💪

[@thelukegallagher]

Thanks dude!

[@OwenAlec]

You’re welcome! 😊

[@illuviium]

I never knew That part of the reason some of these people can pedal really fast is because of two things. They use either double base pedals or that the basic action of releasing your foot off the pedal quickly makes it so that the pedal springs force the hammer to make a hit whilst you’re already in the swing motion to make another hit. I had NOOOOOOO fucking idea that’s how people went so fast. I used to think they would literally kick their feet that fast. An action I’ve always tried to do but never could

[@OwenAlec]

There's several ways of playing fast kick drum runs, some people (like me) have to do the heel-toe technique and do double stroke rolls. Others use the swivel technique or the slide etc... but others can just brute force it and play really fast single stroke rolls because they're super-human! Kind of like Gene Hoglan and Luke Holland haha

[@JoeJBuddha]

What I used to power my VW bug up the hill at a stop sign.

[@OwenAlec]

Jabba Dabba.....

[@sommie666]

I just can’t do this lol. Every video i watch on heel teo is like ”Right guys lets try it on the floor first. Good! Now here is an example of me doing it in 320bpm! Keep grinding!” :D

[@sommie666]

On a serious note to, aiming with the right part of the foot made a noticable difference.

[@OwenAlec]

It can be a daunting challenge in the beginning because there’s a lot of information to consider. I might look at doing an updated video soon, if there was something specific you’d like me to in depth with?

[@nickkuykendall9080]

@@OwenAlec you could probably make an overly in depth guide to this going over as much as possible. Talking about throne height/distance, leg angle, knee to ankle angle, what muscles you use, pedal settings and so on. At the moment I’m currently struggling with balance as I feel my throne is too soft for my body. I can’t seem to dial in sitting / leg angles (distance between pedals as well). It’s unbelievably easy to get overwhelmed while playing. Okay on a side note. From what I understand you’re meant to lift up your leg with your hip flexor on the second stroke. The first is somewhat of a pressing motion (heel to floor) then lift and roll in a sense for the second. I’m trying to figure out how my body’s meant to feel while playing right now. Am I meant to be slightly hovering on the throne barely touching the pedals? I’m not sure if you sell lessons or would be able to talk in a one on one lesson. Let me know and maybe we can work it out write up an approach for the community. Thanks for the help! Keep ‘em comin

[@bgnoggin]

I noticed you removed the heal plate. I have DW 5000,, older set. Wear Size 13. I'm looking into bigger foot boards, (hence new peddles). Seems to me, I should be able to do this with my 5000, I may remove the heal plate and try it before spending the $$$ on a new peddles. I do it, but seems like I'm crunching my toes up front on the cam and chain, and not consistent. Unless I'm doing it wrong.

[@OwenAlec]

Move your foot a little further back and try to use the extra space/leverage made at the bottom end by digging your heel in for the first stroke. Hope this helps

[@andrewwebb624]

I feel pedal technique is really frustrating to learn because everyone's feet vary a loooot like depending on the size of your feet the mechanics change significantly it's pretty difficult, does anyone have tips for larger feet?

[@OwenAlec]

I completely agree, everyone is different, but the beauty of the heel-toe technique is that everyone can learn/adapt it to suit them. I never thought I'd be able to do it when I first started but with practice, it became a lot easier 😊 I hope you can crack it, please do let me know how you get on!

[@andrewwebb624]

@@OwenAlec agreed! I like heel toe where my heel never actually touches the back of the peda, I use more like the back arch of my foot but the same concepts, I do struggle to go fast fast though, I'm stuck at a wall of just fast but not quite where I want it

[@edubatera72]

Get a long board pedal without plate … head tension a little tighter than usual and spring tension too for faster rebound … that’s all!!!! Some great pedals for heeltoe Pearl demonator Pearl demondrive Axis longboards Trick longboards Ddrum quicksilver Tama Dynasynch Tama Speed cobras

[@Fripsify]

Size don't matter, adjust your foot on your footboard. You can use this technique from top to bottom of the board. Best pedals for heel toe, speed cobras ( mine ) awesome for the price point, pearl demonator chains or demon drive ( light AF under your foot ) nad if you have crazy money to spend axis longboard.

[@lobbyrobby]

Hold up. So that first stroke is actually happening because when you do the heel down motion and let pressure off the footboard the spring tension is bouncing the footboard off the ball of your foot? That's what it looks like to me. I started learning the drums a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday I was trying this heel toe thing. I feel like I'm actually doing it but it felt weird because my heel isn't necessarily creating the stroke so that's why I'm confused. Thank you Edit: I went to my kit to try it. I'm definitely not doing it haha. When I drop my heel I'm still using the ball of my foot to bury the beater again. Then to get that next stroke I'm lifting my toes again and doing another stroke. However this method is helping me time 2 quick 1/16 notes better than before. I'm assuming you're using high spring tension to do this? And I should add I'm using the cheapest pedal Tama makes. I have a speed cobra 910 coming in a couple of days 🤘

[@itsgmani]

I would call this Technique “the moonwalk”

[@randomyoutuber9476]

What are those beaters mate? Thanks in advance for the reply :)

[@OwenAlec]

They're Low Boy Custom Lightweight Beaters, highly recommend checking them out 😊

[@trogwarrior5908]

what spring tension do you recommend? i currently mine fairly loose

[@OwenAlec]

It's definitely worth trying out a few different tensions to see what works best for you. I'm on a medium-tight tension, so not quite full but still giving a decent amount of resistance and bounce back. Hope this helps 😊

[@trogwarrior5908]

@@OwenAlec thanks for the reply appreciate it 🙂

[@OwenAlec]

No worries, if you have any other questions, feel free to drop me a message

[@oscarrusso3432]

Nice vid. And also How long did it take you to get to that speed

[@OwenAlec]

Hey, glad you enjoyed the video! Once you get used to the motion of the technique, the speed comes pretty quick, its the stamina that needs the most amount of practice! Let me know how you get on!

[@oscarrusso3432]

OwenAlec will do for sure man you should do more tutorials I’ve watched a lot on doubles with the feet and this has been easiest to work with 👍 🙂

[@OwenAlec]

Cheers dude! I have some more tutorials coming out over the next few weeks but if there's anything specific you'd like me to go over, just let me know.

[@oscarrusso3432]

OwenAlec I’m just trying improve my speed with feet and hands. If you got any tips for hand speed that would be a cool topic. How do the dw pedals feel.

[@OwenAlec]

I'll see what I can put together :) The DW's feel great, very smooth, easy to adjust and the build quality is amazing!

[@DrumGalaxy]

I'd like to know how you got those damn screws loose to remove the heel plate. Same goes for the screw at the top of the footboard, I'm trying to install a strap. Stupid design with the Phillips head screws in my opinion. The current 9000 is lousy for heel toe but great for regular doubles. The Pearl Eliminators are just the opposite.

[@OwenAlec]

Power tools... although I tried many different sized bits to get the best fit before using it, as to not damage anything.

[@DrumGalaxy]

@@OwenAlec An impact wrench by any chance? I'm actually going to try and install a longboard from ACD Unlimited. This guy has some very cool pedal mods. Inventor of the Darwin pedal. On the web.

[@OwenAlec]

For sure, I've heard really good stuff from ACD, in fact, I might try his Double Pedal Drive Shaft, supposed to make the pedals SUPER even

[@DrumGalaxy]

@@OwenAlec You are correct, Sir. He's got a KZbin channel and videos on his website that demonstrate them. I've already got the longboard for the Eliminator but I only need an adapter plate at the heel to finish the job. And forget the original screws I'm having him recommend something better.

[@DrumGalaxy]

@@OwenAlec Just thought I would chime in with some newsworthy news today. Just bought a Tama Speed Cobra HP910LN single pedal that arrived today. Game over! This pedal does it all for me. Regular doubles, heel toe. Great feel! Longboard. Independent footboard and beater angle adjustments. I'm returning the 9000. Tama was $229 plus tax. Couldn't be happier.

[@gigihondrums]

Still on learning progress 🤘😵🤘

[@OwenAlec]

Same here! Best of luck dude, let me know how you get on! 👍

[@gigihondrums]

@@OwenAlec but still don't know, how it sounded when using triggers I still don't have triggers 😂

[@OwenAlec]

I'm not sure, I've never used triggers haha Although I'm thinking about giving them a go at some point 😅

[@gigihondrums]

@@OwenAlec ahh i see You using heel-toe at some point on the song ? I mean, not for full song like death metal or something (?) If i'm not wrong 😂

[@thupdendrumming4729]

Hello ... i started this technique in an e- kit ... it all went smooth and i felt comfortable playing at faster tempos but when i switched to acoustic kit.. the technique felt out of place as i could not get the hits even and as well as the power felt lesser.... Any suggestions on the tightness of the bass drumhead and pedal spring tensions????? Reply frm you would be great ... thank you 🙂🙂

[@OwenAlec]

Well it sounds like you've done the bulk of the hard work, getting the technique down! Of course, moving from an electric kit to an acoustic kit will feel quite different. The best thing I can suggest is to try various different drumhead and pedal spring tensions to see what feels best for you. Personally, I have a medium tuned kick head and just less than fully tightened pedal springs. Either way, it's going to take some time to get used to it and develop the muscle memory BUT lots of practice WILL yield results! Best of luck and let me know how you get on 😊

[@thupdendrumming4729]

@@OwenAlec thank u for the suggestion... will definitely try to fiddle with the spring tensions....thank you once again ...🙂🙂. Do check out my page as well ..✌✌

[@samurejo3291]

I noticed when i was playing double strokes with a bass drum that wasn't setup the way i would have liked on a gig... It failed to be accurate and tight but i started to practice the swivel technique which changed everything but if this is the technique for you... use it but play tight

[@valteraugusto6617]

I'm here for the accent.

[@noodledalight5]

Wait so you did heel-toe for double pedal too?

[@OwenAlec]

Yeah, it's a really useful tool to have in your arsenal 😊

[@fiberrabit8229]

I have a question, is there a way to make the strokes more powerful? I’ve been getting the right foot to double but it’s pretty quiet. Does it get more powerful with time or is there a better way? I just don’t know if I’m not doing it right or not

[@OwenAlec]

Power will come with time but try to focus more on getting the technique consistent and fluid first, then build Power and speed 💪 The more control you have over the technique/movements, the easier everything else will fall into place

[@fiberrabit8229]

@@OwenAlec hey Owen! Glad to hear back from you, thank you so much for the info I really appreciate it, that cleared allot up. Also this video was extremely helpful and was very informative and all the visuals were really helpful to. Thanks allot and keep up the great work!

[@OwenAlec]

I'm glad you got something out of it, best of luck and be sure to update me on your progress!

[@10millionsubsnovideochalle9]

What spring tension?

[@raulramod4514]

CHINGON COMPA GRACIAS POR TU VIDEO, 9.999 LIKES.

[@pietromahalyas7579]

Can i use heel toe just for singles?

[@OwenAlec]

I suppose you could... although it might not be the most effective way to do singles

[@nergal2741]

How hard do you have the spring tension?

[@OwenAlec]

For this video I had the tension pretty high, however since then, I've loosened them off a touch but that's just down to personal preference, I'd always recommend trying different tensions to see what's most comfortable for you :)

[@nergal2741]

@@OwenAlec thanks ! would you say it's a different world playing with bare feet as opposed to shoes? Having an e-kit in my room i kinda don't want to put shoes on just for drumming.

[@OwenAlec]

If you're doing the technique correctly, it shouldn't make too much of a difference. However if you do decide to use shoes at any point, it will feel odd until you get used to it. Always best to practice both if you can 😊

[@nergal2741]

@@OwenAlec thanks i'll try both. until now, it just felt a bit "difficult" to perform, since the toes bend much easier being bare footed and it feels like i need to worker harder to perform the rocking motion, but i'll see if i can get used to it, would be fantastic. Thanks for the tips !

[@OwenAlec]

My pleasure, be sure to let me know how you get on 😊