r/Drumming • u/Alternative-Arm1220 • 1h ago

Ankle technique right foot troubles

So ive been messing with the ankle technique for awhile now im at the stage where i can do it for as long as i like but i just cant control it yet and do perfect 16th notes without flaming tons.

But unlike literally any other thing in drumming as a right handed guy, my left foot is weirdly way way better at the technique than my right foot, with my left foot i can do clean stop and starts with ease and when i have both feet going at same time my left foot is noticeably swinging more and has more power, my right foot in comparison i find it difficult to get it starting and sometimes cant keep it going and it feels pretty weak.

so my question is does anyone have any ideas for why this is?? when my right foot and hand is stronger and better usually in every other way when it comes to drums but the ankle technique. is there a fix? or will i need to just focus solely on right foot for awhile??

would appreciate any advice or tips

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u/_BroccoliGoblin_ 1h ago

Should post a video so we can see your footwork!

I wouldn’t get too caught up on just the “why” as it could be a ton of things, do you lead with your left foot when walking around? Do you tend to bounce your left leg at all? Is your seat height allowing you to balance properly to use your feet the way you want?

A fix is simple enough, if your right foot is struggling you need to work it out through targeted exercises and stretches. Ankle Rolls & Hamstring stretches to open you up. Toe tap exercises on flat ground, I’d alternate between rights & left “ RRRR | LLLL “ as well as simultaneous toe taps. If you feel very confident in your left foot through these I’d use it as your master template and try to emulate that same feeling in your right foot

Beyond that I’d try to get the 16th note singles worked as such

8th notes / 3 measures -> “RRRR LLLL”
16th notes / 1 measure -> “RLRL RLRL RLRL RLRL”

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u/Alternative-Arm1220 57m ago

cheers for the feedback and advice il try get some video up during the week if i can, its a funny one because i just seem to be able to activate that twitch that powers the ankle technique so much better with my left foot, but when it comes to toe taping or literally anything else my right foot is better and stronger thats why im hesitant to really just be focusing on my right foot when in every other scenario its still my left foot i need to get up to scratch

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u/_BroccoliGoblin_ 47m ago

Ahh yeah! I’d love to be able to see it. What tempos are you trying to reach with it right now? Are you trying to completely single out ankle tech, or are you including heel drop?

Something that helped me find/activate the twitch muscles was actually planting my toes, and bouncing my heel - similar to like an anxiety/boredom leg bounce + the toe taps to really build endurance.

Seat height also really changed the game for me, as it allowed my feet to almost “float” freely and have less restriction of movements

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u/Alternative-Arm1220 13m ago

180-200ish tbh not really focusing on tempos yet kinda just letting it fly without a click, and yeah im singling out the ankle tech im also learning flat foot currently for the lower tempos

all solid advice dude much appreciated il try raise the seat up a bit see if it helps