Welcome back! Let’s apply the drill from last week and actually strike the drum.
My chu daiko are from http://www.katotaiko.com/
Focus: Form, Timing
Watch For:
1. When you raise your arm to strike, lift it at a steady pace, using all of the time you have to get to the top.
2. Remember to initiate movement from the elbow.
Today’s drill’s explanation is quite simple, but can bring tremendous improvements to basic form if done consistently and mindfully. I personally find it most useful to do this for a long period of time, past the point of exhaustion, in order to train my body to still look nice when inside it feels like I can’t lift my arm even one more time. Great for endurance!
Lift your arm for 4 counts (1, 2, 3, 4) and strike the drum on the following 1. Repeat this, always striking on beat 1, alternating hands. Be sure to follow a straight path up and down, paying particular attention to the arm and bachi at your highest point. Do your arms look different? Figure out what’s different and adjust to make them identical.
Then, just repeat! 15-20 minutes should do it.
Here’s an example:
Extra:
I thought it’d be helpful to show you which stance I use, but couldn’t figure out how to record it quite well…. Here’s my attempt.