If you’ve been drumming for more than, say, a few weeks, chances are this question has popped into your head, or at least hovered there while your feet were tripping over a bass pattern. Hand speed vs. foot speed: which one really matters more? Should you drill those rudiments till your wrists ache, or get your kick technique tight enough for blast beats?
The short answer? It depends.
The longer answer? Let’s dive in, because there’s more nuance than you’d think, and how you choose to approach it can seriously affect your growth as a drummer.
The Real Reason Speed Matters
Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate: speed isn’t the goal. Yeah, that sounds weird in an article about speed, but it’s true. Speed is a tool. A resource. It’s there when you need it, like that extra gear in your car when you want to pass someone on the highway. But you don’t drive in fifth gear all the time, do you?
What matters is control, feel, and musicality. But once you’ve got those? Speed unlocks a whole new world. You can relax more. Express more. Pull off things that, right now, seem impossible. So no, it’s not just about being fast, it’s about what speed lets you do.
What Hand Speed Does For You
Your hands do the heavy lifting in most beats. From snare rolls to ghost notes, cymbal accents, flams, and fills: they’re busy. Like, constantly. And for most beginner or intermediate drummers, building hand speed means unlocking better timing, cleaner phrasing, and smoother transitions between ideas.
Have you ever tried to rip a file and just kind of crash and burn halfway through? Yeah. That’s where hand speed (paired with control) saves you.
The best way to build it? Pads and patience. Seriously, grab a practice pad, play your rudiments (singles, doubles, paradiddles), and work with a metronome. Don’t try to blast through it. Let your wrists do the work, not your arms, and stay relaxed. If your shoulders are tensing up or your grip is choking the sticks, you’re probably doing too much.
Eventually, you’ll start noticing things, your fills sound cleaner, your hands feel lighter, and fast grooves don’t wear you out as quickly.
What Foot Speed Brings to the Table
Here’s the thing most beginner drummers don’t realize until they’re deep into their practice: your feet are just as musical as your hands. If your kick and hi-hat work is sloppy, the whole groove falls apart. Doesn’t matter how slick your hands are.
Now, foot speed doesn’t just mean going fast. It means fast with control. Think double strokes on your kick pedal that land evenly. Think tight 16ths with your hi-hat foot that actually sit in the groove instead of tripping over themselves.
In genres like metal, fast punk, or prog, your feet aren’t optional, they’re front and center. And even in funk, gospel, or jazz, subtle foot control makes a huge difference.
You’ll want to get your basics down first: start slow, then gradually push BPM. Heel-down, heel-up, slide technique, even swivel if you’re feeling brave, it’s all valid. Just like your hands, your feet need reps. And don’t wait too long to start, trust me, unlearning bad foot habits is way harder than just doing it right early on.
So Which Should You Focus On First?
If you’re looking for the simplest advice, here it is: start with your hands. Unless you’re jumping headfirst into extreme metal or speed-punk, your hands are involved in everything from basic backbeats to ghost-note funk grooves. And until those are second nature, your feet will probably feel like they’re playing catch-up anyway.
Here’s a more specific breakdown:
Prioritize hand speed if you
- Play rock, funk, pop, jazz: any groove-focused genre
- Struggle with fills, flams, or ghost notes
- Haven’t built a solid rudiment foundation
- Tend to rush or drag while transitioning between patterns
Prioritize foot speed if you:
- Are you getting into metal, hardcore, punk, or fusion
- Already have decent stick control and want to balance it out
- Feel like your double kicks or hi-hat foot are holding your timing back
- Are you ready to start building full-limb coordination at faster tempos
What About Training Both at Once?
You could totally work on both hand and foot speed together, but let’s be honest, it can get overwhelming. If you’re serious about progress, the better move is usually to focus on one area at a time. Spend a couple of weeks hammering your hand speed, then switch it up and let your feet take the spotlight.
Try something like this:
- Week 1–2: Practice pad work—singles, doubles, accents, fast rudiments
- Week 3–4: Kick pedal drills—slow 8ths and 16ths, alternating feet, endurance
- Week 5: Combine both hands and feet together in full-limb coordination drills
That gives each area space to improve without overwhelming your brain or burning out your legs (or wrists).
How It All Comes Together
Have you ever seen a drummer who looks like they’re barely moving but the groove is just fire? That’s what control over both hand and foot speed does. You stop having to fight your body to play what you hear. Your hands flow. Your feet drive. Everything just clicks.
The trick is not to treat them like separate instruments—they’re not. You’re building a full-body engine, and speed in one part only matters if the rest can keep up. Work on transitions. Focus on flow. Try playing rudiments between your hands and feet. And don’t be afraid to slow it way down if it sounds messy.
Eventually, speed becomes second nature—not something you reach for, but something that’s just there when you need it.
Common Pitfalls That Can Kill Your Speed Gains
Let’s not sugarcoat it: speed training can go sideways fast. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Tensing up: This is the #1 killer. If you’re gripping your sticks or locking your ankles, you’re burning energy. Stay loose. Always.
- Ignoring timing: Speed without a metronome is just chaos. Get a time reference: any time reference and use it.
- Skipping warm-ups: You warm up before the gym, right? The same logic applies here. Get those muscles ready.
- Trying to go too fast too soon: If you can’t play it clean at 60 BPM, you won’t magically do it right at 120. Earn the speed.
- Focusing only on one limb forever: Balance is everything. Eventually, you have to bring both up together.
FAQs: Hand vs. Foot Speed
Should I worry about hand or foot speed first as a beginner?
Start with your hands. They’re used more, and solid hand technique lays the foundation for almost every groove, fill, and rudiment you’ll play. Feet come next—but don’t wait too long to introduce them.
Can you get fast just by playing songs?
To a point, sure. But isolated speed drills help you clean things up way faster. Songs are great for musicality, but drills are where the gains happen.
How often should I work on speed?
A few focused sessions a week are plenty. Don’t overdo it. Burnout and injury are real. Aim for consistency over intensity.
Is speed more important than groove?
Never. Groove is king. Speed just makes it more fun.
Focus Smart, Play Hard
So: hand speed vs. foot speed? It’s not about picking a side. It’s about knowing where you are in your journey and dialing in on the thing that’s holding you back. Build your hands, then get your feet in the game. Keep switching focus as you grow.
What matters most is playing clean, relaxed, and in time. If you’ve got that down, the speed will come. And when it does? You’ll be ready for it.
Want a speed tracker or practice planner to keep you on pace? I can help with that: just say the word.