Technique priority

FWIW, the technique I was taught....

It's a one handed clap....while holding the stick. You work your wrists and fingers but mainly your fingers. My teacher taught that the opening of the hand was the technique goal, and that was the main motion. (One handed clap) No elbows and really no arm movements except to move around the kit. I'm assuming matched grip.

There's many paths to the waterfall, this is just one that may or may not work for you.

I've tried this, and numerous things recently. I rotate the techniques I practice daily, to get a feel for activating the fingers and then using them in different grips.
 
I’ve strengthened my wrists/single strokes by refining my wrist-snap movement. It can be loud or soft sounding but the snap still builds wrist control and I can loosen my grip afterwards with more control.
My left hand wants to do the”egg beater” stroke so wrist control is paramount. My index finger pushing the stick sideways doesn’t help. Ring and pinky fingers do the snap.
 
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My working on fingers is fighting against aging and my fingers just not dancing with the Devil as they use to. My wrists are my strength now-use to be my grip. But my fingers working well just depends on the day. I've been watching Rick Dior's videos and working on fingers again. I can hear the difference on the drums using the fingers and love the sound-but I just can't keep them working. My right hand fingers tend to work better than left. But my ankles have had little movement for decades till more recent years working on rudiments with both feet and I flattened out (heel lower down) my heel up (use to be way up-it's more bouncy lower down) my ankles have way more dexterity. I'm hoping if I keep at it that it will help with arthritic stiffness. All my Doc friends tell me suck it up and keep moving it helps. Yeah I know but my problem isn't pain just they are stiff and don't move as well. I'm like the tin man and need lubrication lol.
 
My working on fingers is fighting against aging and my fingers just not dancing with the Devil as they use to. My wrists are my strength now-use to be my grip. But my fingers working well just depends on the day. I've been watching Rick Dior's videos and working on fingers again. I can hear the difference on the drums using the fingers and love the sound-but I just can't keep them working. My right hand fingers tend to work better than left. But my ankles have had little movement for decades till more recent years working on rudiments with both feet and I flattened out (heel lower down) my heel up (use to be way up-it's more bouncy lower down) my ankles have way more dexterity. I'm hoping if I keep at it that it will help with arthritic stiffness. All my Doc friends tell me suck it up and keep moving it helps. Yeah I know but my problem isn't pain just they are stiff and don't move as well. I'm like the tin man and need lubrication lol.
I feel for you. I'm late 60s, and creaky as hell. I do stretches, get acupuncture, take advil. I find that I have to put in an hour to warm up. I start really slow and gentle. I don't even try to play anything outside of making contact with the sticks and pedals. If anything begins to stiffen up, I stop for a minute, then go slower. I don't believe in technique "systems" but do draw on some of the Gruber/Spivak things to keep loose. It's slow and tedious, but I eventually get to where I'm pretty spry. Then the real practice begins.
 
I'm working on my left hand wrist currently. It needs to be more mobile so I can match the stick heights while doing fills and blast beats. I stretch before practice and work on bouncing the stick while doing a stone killer/blast beat endurance practice (Adding two bpm per session on blast beats).

I have to practice the free stroke "drop and catch" too. I'm basically a beginner at basic techniques. It's okay, I'm slowly progressing, but I get confused about what I'm actually supposed to be working on.

I think about playing metal music and start thinking that fingers are more important, THE priority in my playing. Maybe I'm overthinking things.

I’m getting confused just reading this thread and I’ve been playing for decades - there’s so much information out there it is hard to know where to start!

As a right handed drummer, the single best thing I’ve ever been taught for my left hand is to play hi-hat/ride pattern with my left hand as well as right from the early days. We underestimate how much hand development and subtlety of technique we gain just keep 8ths on the hat for years. It doesn’t have to be fancy music. Play through the greatest hits of AC/DC or Rolling Stones (just examples of bands with plenty of mid-tempo unflashy drumming) and your left hand will be getting a fantastic wrist and finger workout as it works out how to make the music groove like the right hand does.
 
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I’m getting confused just reading this thread and I’ve been playing for decades - there’s so much information out there it is hard to know where to start!

As a right handed drummer, the single best thing I’ve ever been taught for my left hand is to play hi-hat/ride pattern with my left hand as well as right from the early days. We underestimate how much hand development and subtlety of technique we gain just keep 8ths on the hat for years. It doesn’t have to be fancy music. Play through the greatest hits of AC/DC or Rolling Stones (just examples of bands with plenty of mid-tempo unflashy drumming) and your left hand will be getting a fantastic wrist and finger workout as it works out how to make the music groove like the right hand does.

That actually makes tons of sense.
 
As a right handed drummer, the single best thing I’ve ever been taught for my left hand is to play hi-hat/ride pattern with my left hand as well as right from the early days. We underestimate how much hand development and subtlety of technique we gain just keep 8ths on the hat for years. It doesn’t have to be fancy music. Play through the greatest hits of AC/DC or Rolling Stones (just examples of bands with plenty of mid-tempo unflashy drumming) and your left hand will be getting a fantastic wrist and finger workout as it works out how to make the music groove like the right hand does.
If I could go back to when I was first learning and make only one change, I think it'd be this one.
 
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