The flat foot technique is a hybrid between the heel-up and the heel-down technique. It’s especially useful for playing fast single strokes with your feet. In this free drum lesson, Sean Lang goes over the flat foot technique with an in-depth analysis of its mechanics. He also teaches some cool ways of practicing the flat foot technique when you’re not behind a drum set.
If you’d like to learn some exercises for developing the flat foot technique, check part #2 of the free drum lesson “Bass Drum Speed Techniques“. Once you’re able to play a clean sounding single stroke roll with the flat foot technique, move on to the free drum lesson “Double Bass Drum Beats“. Take a couple of exercises from that free drum lesson and play the foot patterns at half the speed using heel-up or heel-down every other measure. The measures in between are to be played at full speed with the flat foot technique. This is a great way of practicing the transitions between the different foot techniques, but playing the exercises from the live drum lesson on the flat foot technique will be even better.
If you’d like to further your knowledge on foot technique check the “Bass Drum Boot Camp“. There, you’ll be introduced to foot techniques that the world’s fastest drummers use to achieve maximum speed, power, and control.
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hey, sean i am a hell up player. i just got new double bass drums and i’ve set them properly with proper string tension.
i am recently practcing jared’s beginner single pedel speed lessons with both feet. the problem is when i try to go fast with my double bass pedals i end up being sloppy and the beaters hit the bass drum at the same time. in short a lack of cordination. i’ve searched you tube but couldn’t find a good exercise. would you guys please make a video on how to exercise with particularly double bass for speed, control and endurance?
i have a huge gig comming up in two months, and your lesson can really help me. i really want to be able to play some death metal and heavy metal.
Thanks so much Sean. The flat foot technique has changed my life in drumming.
The best way I’ve found to learn this technique is to just twitch your ankles as fast as you can while trying to your heel as low as possible. It doesn’t have to be even or clean. You will probably notice that your left foot doesn’t even make contact half the time and when it does it ends up hitting at the same time as your right but just keep twitching. You will begin to build the muscles and then you will notice that you can get the strokes even for progressively longer periods of time until you have decent enough control of the twitch motion to speed it up/slow it down.
Before watching this video, my max BPM was around 130 for maybe 30 seconds. After around 2 weeks of learning flatfoot via twitch control exercises, I am able to hold around 180BPM for longer and longer periods of time. If you are, like I was, to a point where you were ready to quit trying double bass because you sucked for years, give my practice rudiment a try with Sean’s excellent technique and just see how fast you progress.
Thanks for the video, Sean! Excellent explanation. I finally have hope that I can get to where I want with the bass drum.
hey Sean i just wanna ask you , how fast can you go with a single pedal using the flat foot technique ?
what would be a good exercise to develope this technique??
I wanted to ask how long it took you to develop this technique to the level you’re at now?
hello.please help me.i practice double bass drum every day 3hours.but i cant save energy fr play doublebassdrum.i practice single strock and doublestrock and paadidle.i practice for 3years,but icant play 140bpm with ankle.please advice me.
hello.please help me.i practice double bassdrum for 3years.i practice 3hours at everyday:single strock,double strock,paradidle.tri pa let.but i cant save my energy for play double bassdrum for 1minute in 130bpm.i cant use my ankle for play double basdrum.please advice me.PLEASE.
I really like this website BUT… this lesson..
First this is NOT flat foot at all… go watch Derek Roddy’s clinic video..
And I’d be a little concern about the power and control with this technique… I don’t sse myself playing something like Bleed from Meshuggah using this :/
I think it’d be better if we play flat foot using ankle muscles instead of dominantly using the shin muscles, especially when playing on fast tempos.
Because according to my drumming experience, when I take a chair to sit down to, and just play some air-drumming, I can feel my shin so tired when playing double bass moves with dominantly using my shin muscles.
But by the way, it’s a nice lesson still. And I appreciate what you’ve done, especially by giving away such lessons to others is one thing others would be very grateful of. Thanks!
How would you tune your bass drumhead for max speed or comfort while doing this technique? I noticed your heads were quite “sloppy” or whatever you’d call it 😛
It would be nice if you showed more on how to to it without axis longboards.
I’m happy to get an opportunity of this lesson i know it will help me a lot. when this has happened i will alert you also.
thanks am grateful.