Thanks ric

Great lesson Rick! Relaxation is such a key. It's the key for everything drumming.

To help relaxation while playing, breathing in rhythm was taught to me years ago. In and out slowly to the beat count. Breathe In slow for 4 or longer 8 counts, on a 4/4 chart, exhale same while practicing. Breathing is rarely emphasized in drumming as is in a brass or woodwind instrument. Counting the pedal beater rebound is interesting. I use a similar foot pedal adjustment, except I start with a loose spring at the null position of the upper spring attach cam. Adjust to where the spring is in relax tension just before it transitions to the back stroke. Then tension it slightly to take up any slop. Play and repeat to get the most float and response you can be comfortable with. Experiment with different springs if you can’t find the best response for your foot and leg dynamics. It’s smart to use the same pedals in your kits as much as you play and practice. As we all see, foot pedals can fall prey to hyper marketing. The theory of some magical mechanical mechanisms can make you play better is really just the choice of infinite adjustable geometry. Beater position, foot pedal height tension, etc. It can hinder you as much as help, if you have a physical constraint it may help. Keep it simple. That Iron Cobra model you have is a winner. I have some older modified Camco’s ( added alum base plate, DW cam bearings) with original nylon strap drive, still functional. They have great feel. The laws of physics always apply; less mass, less resistance to movement. Basic pedals, if quiet and adjusted correctly for you, will serve anyone well. I need to pickup your book. I suck at bass drum double patterns. I would benefit from a written exercise plan like this. Appreciate you.

Nice

Happpy new year ric you have bless 🙌 us with your talent

Upper body tension = my worst enemy. You are so right- it's an epidemic. Heck, we live in tense times, and everybody feels it. Music is the cure! 😁

Thank you 😊

Do you have a video where you discuss the bass drum heads, beater and tuning you use?

I counted the number of times I said "Jesus!" when you were playing...10...I would swear I heard Jesus reply "I know, this Cat has paid some serious dues"

Thank you Rick. That's very useful. Just one question - when your leg's lying down loosely on the kick board is its weight pressing it down so the beater touches the batter. Just trying to align starting point/position - my leg look to be quite heavy or I'd need to increase spring tension as this is the case for me - or I need to learn to control my body to have beater off all the time (when leg's relaxing).

Great stuff as always, any thoughts on seat hight and your distance from the pedal?

Excellent exercises Master Rick. Is there a specific book for bass drum practice? A small suggestion Master, if you could add texts in Spanish it would be ideal, so you would have more visits in Latin America. Greetings once again Allan Loaiza from Lima - Peru. thank you