The Best Stretch or Drummers

I frequently get asked what stretches drummers should do. This isn’t a question I like to answer because stretches aren’t one-size-fits-all. The stretches that will benefit you the best depend on how your body is shaped and how you use it – especially your posture. That being said, there is one stretch I end up recommending above all others:  what this statue at the right is doing. 

I saw this statue at the Andover Educators conference in Columbus, GA, and it immediately reminded me of this stretch. I usually call this “The Titanic”, as is it basically the iconic scene from the movie.  

The idea is to stick your chest out, chin up and arms back – just like how you see in the statue. Well, the hips should be forward, not back.  The reason that I recommend this stretch so much is that it is a great way to counter-stretch drummer’s posture (see another post about that here).

Because so many drummers curl in towards the drum set, this stretch helps to uncurl. Of course, if you do this stretch, don’t overdo it. Stretching itself can be dangerous and ironically lead to injury, so just do what feels good. And this stretch will probably feel great. 

It isn’t for everybody, though. Those who walk around with military posture (chest out, shoulders back) probably don’t need this stretch. For them, I’m more likely to recommend forward curls, chin down, with your arms crossed in front of you, each hand touching the opposite shoulder.  

Another one I end up recommending a lot is shoulder rolls. Any form of poor posture is going to close up the shoulders, reducing the amount of space the shoulders have to work. Shoulder rolls are a way to start opening up the space and get blood moving around the way it should.

You might be surprised that I’m not recommending hand stretches. Those are great, but most of the tension and power comes from your core muscles, and your posture probably plays a much more important role overall in your playing that your hand technique. So if I had to choose one, that would be it.