I always tell my students to take the path of least resistance. I believe that tension in one area can permeate through your entire body if you have a tension-laden approach to drumming.<\/p>\n
Not only does bad technique make it more of an effort to play the drums, but it can hurt you as well – sometimes enough to stop you from playing altogether.<\/p>\n
I have seen these problems come up with various students through the years. These patterns make it clear that drummers are risking injury by continuing to play with bad posture or technique.<\/p>\n
The types of injuries from bad technique can range from your wrist and forearm all the way up to your shoulder. Tension is especially notorious for causing problems not only in the trouble area, but beyond that as well. Some drummers pinch the stick too hard, and others seem to have a disconnection between their fingers and the moving stick.<\/p>\n
A tense grip is usually responsible for technique-related injuries, but that\u2019s not always the case. You could harbor tension in your shoulders, which then affects your forearm or wrist. According to kinesiology professor Dr. Nadia Azar, the combination of repetition and force can cause injuries like tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcessive muscle tension reduces blood flow to the muscles. As a result, less oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the muscle and less waste is removed, which leads to fatigue. Positioning your joints away from their neutral\/resting position places additional stress on your tissues (such as pinching or overstretching) and puts your muscles at a mechanical disadvantage by reducing the amount of force they can produce, so they fatigue more quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
While repetition is unavoidable for drummers (take regular breaks while practicing to lower your risk of injury), you can prevent many problems by using less force. It\u2019s key to work on releasing the tension wherever it emanates from. I use specific exercises to bring about a high tuned awareness and slowly shift the body to give it a more relaxed approach.<\/p>\n