How to play a rebound stroke/free stroke on the drums (this changed my drumming btw)

Intro: 0:00
What is a free stroke? - 0:25
Why is it important? - 1:22
How to play a free stroke - 4:40
Directions for the exercise - 11:20
Exercise - 14:43
The rebound stroke (aka free stroke) absolutely changed my drumming (in large part thanks to Bill Bachman and his Extreme Hands Makeover). Being able to develop a fulcrum that was loose enough to let the stick move around freely but firm enough to keep it from falling to the floor was huge. Being able to throw the stick down, let it hit the drum, and bounce back up on its own momentum, also huge. Those things allowed me to free up the use of my fingers so they could play this stick, which in turn unlocked all sorts of fun things, like much beefier double strokes.
Bottom line is, spending time with the rebound stroke is incredibly important. I can't say that enough. In this video we talk in depth about what you should be thinking about when you play the rebound stroke, and I include an exercise at the very end that will help you get started.
Btw, yes I know what a palm is :) At 6:18 I say palm but I meant to say the back of your hand :)
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[@claygilchrist632]

This instantly helped my double stroke rolls.

[@tempoleaguedrums]

YES! 🙌🏼

[@z_y.o.u]

your teaching is effective because your attitude is chill and welcoming. you’re cool man thanks.

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Massive compliment, thanks Zach! I’m really glad you’re getting value out of the videos. All the best 🙏🏻

[@CatarinaSi]

I think this is the first drumming teaching video that I've watched until the end, very good :)

[@tempoleaguedrums]

So glad to hear it! Just released the next one in that series. It’s all about alternating strokes once you have the free stroke down.

[@ericharding92]

Really good video on this. And with outa million edits! Live of the floor

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Thank you! 🙏🏻

[@michaelkonopka9607]

Thanks for doing the exercise long enough so I could really see what you’re doing. Thank you.

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Absolutely, so glad that was helpful

[@BornShalom]

jesus dude, i've watched so many videos about this and this is the first one that truly helped me understand. thank you

[@tempoleaguedrums]

So glad it helped you understand, thanks for checking out the channel!

[@lizstrangesavage2061]

The basketball analogy was very effective! Just learning this. Thanks!

[@lizstrangesavage2061]

Btw, would appreciate opinions on Vic Firth 5As vs. other brands? I bought Pro Mark forward 5A at Guitar Center when I decided to start drumming knowing bare minimum about sticks. Thanks.

[@tempoleaguedrums]

You bet! That one comes straight from Bill Bachman, great analogy indeed

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Pro Mark is a good brand too. As long as the stick is comfortable in your hand size wise you’re good. If you’re just starting out I’d say experiment with a few sizes and brands to find what you like

[@nidhihegde3648]

Thank you so much! I have started drumming and really feel the need to learn this.

[@tempoleaguedrums]

You’re welcome! Congrats on joining the drum family, wish you all the best

[@donted12345]

Best KZbin instructor i ran across, I’ve been playing drums since 12 but never learned actual technique so I couldn’t play everything that i have in my head .. Im taking notes and understanding now 🔥appreciate you big time

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Made my day to read this. That’s amazing to hear, keep it up! You’ve totally got this and I’m excited for the progress you’re gonna make!

[@MissYunichan]

Just started learning how to play drums. I'm not very confident yet but your videos are very helpful. You're very calm and very precise when explaining/showing each movement. It's easy to get it ! So a big thank you to you, from France :)

[@tempoleaguedrums]

That’s amazing to hear! Thank you for the kind words. Keep at it, you’ll notice improvement and your confidence will grow as you consistently practice.

[@td4068]

Great Video. That helped me understanding a lot what a Free Stroke does and how to use it!

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Awesome! Glad I could help

[@ryangolden5865]

It blows my mind how people can do even the single stroke roll so quickly. I’m a brand new drummer been playing a couple days on my dad’s kit. I know single strokes and the rebound is really important so it’s something I want to get down early and practice often. This really explains things well and the practice starts out at a slow enough speed for me. I really struggle going past 60 for rebounds and rolls. I’m going self taught/video lessons so it can be hard for me to identify little issues. Do you have a place to submit videos if we ever want someone to look at our technique real quick?

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Hey! Glad this helped. I don’t really have anything like that right now but Bill Bachman does online lessons. I’d also be happy to take a look if you want to send it to [e-mail]

[@TheCatGoesRawrMusik]

Thank you very much for the good explanation

[@tempoleaguedrums]

You bet, thanks for checking out the channel!

[@matthewbritt8498]

Thank you for this. Been playing for a long time and it’s getting to the point where this is stuff I HAVE TO address lol

[@tempoleaguedrums]

That was 100% me, really pumped to hear the video helped! You’ll seriously open so many doors focusing on these basics

[@SuperDoubleTake]

Very well explained. Thank you.

[@tempoleaguedrums]

🙏🏻

[@nidhihegde3648]

Thank you very much for the tutorial 👍

[@tempoleaguedrums]

You’re welcome!

[@jean-baptiste9230]

Woah, thank you, i am enlightened!

[@tempoleaguedrums]

That’s what I’m talking about! That’s why I do these videos, thanks so much for checking it out 🙏🏻

[@Studi0betaal]

Thnx for sharing

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Sure thing, thanks for watching!

[@milomirsimonovic576]

great

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Thank you!

[@XClassClownX424]

Mr leauge my fingers seem to work in very strange ways...i think anyway, i may be overthinking and throwing practice to the wind and instead is questioning is something wrong right away but ive watched a few videos but i seem to have gotten a tiny tiny bit faster but my back 3 fingers seem to be a little offset when gripping the stick with my thumb and the first crease in my finger...that place specially btw Any specific tips for me?

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Mr League, haha that’s awesome. I’d love to help here, can you email me a picture or a video of what you’re describing? [e-mail]

[@danielwetzel7777]

Any ideas what this concept looks like for your left hand in traditional grip?

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Check out Bill Bachman’s extreme hands makeover, and watch the traditional grip videos!

[@vincentsantarelli6915]

thanks

[@tempoleaguedrums]

You got it!

[@vincentsantarelli6915]

The actual hold on the stick keeps opening and closing as if trying to find the correct tension.Should it be constant?

[@tempoleaguedrums]

@@vincentsantarelli6915 when you’re just starting out the stick is going to slide all over the place. That’s normal. Stick with it and you will be able to maintain a light pressure at your fulcrum to keep the stick in place but also not too hard so it can’t move up and down in the free stroke motion. Feel free to send me a video at [e-mail] and I can see your specific issue.

[@fjoiewafno]

Hello! I can do the technique okay on a practice pad but when I try to apply it to my actual drums the stick does not bounce back up in the same way. Am I doing something wrong or is this only meant to be a drill I do on the practice pad?

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Great question! The more slack the head has in it the harder it will be for the stick to bounce back. So if you’re doing this on your floor tom, it won’t bounce back past vertical. Even a snare head with a slack tuning could be hard. But my snare head is moderately tight and it bounces back to me similar to the pad when doing this exercise.

[@drumkick2315]

Great

[@tempoleaguedrums]

🤜 🤛

[@drumkick2315]

@@tempoleaguedrums It is interesting: I have regular drum lessons. I went to a different drum teacher to learn more about drum rolls. And I watched several videos on KZbin on this matter. I learned something different every time.

[@drumkick2315]

This rebound thing is really a game changer, I totally agree

[@calebyurasek4972]

Are you going to give any credit to Bill Bachman and his Extreme Hands Makeover for these same exact ideas and exercises or no? Stealing other people’s ideas for your own gain and benefit isn’t cool.

[@tempoleaguedrums]

Hey Caleb, thanks for the comment. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bill Bachman and his Extreme Hands Makeover were essential for my drum progress. But you're not wrong, I should do more to call that out. Having said that though, I'm just trying to package up what I've learned from different sources, not just Bill, and present it in my own teaching style.