Does using different weight sticks help with speed?

[Be The Tortoise]

I have found (for myself) that it doen't, however I have talked to some WFD champs who swear by it. Has anyone else had any luck?

I'm around 920 strokes a minute so I'm so so. I feel sticking with one size stik helps your muscles and tendons fine tune themselves to the forces that that stick produces. If you keep changing out sticks wouldn't it be like driving a different car eveyday? Sure yo can drive it but not subconciously like so many of us do in our cars and with our sticks. Wouldn't sticking with a particular stick allow the mind to go into auto pilot so you could focus on making small adjustments while at high speeds?

Not knocking people with a difference of opinion. I'm just opening the door for convo.[b]

[WFD Teamster]

Good topic! 920? Were you at this year's WFD World Finals? There's a video of WFD Champ Matt Smith using the Power Wrist Builder weighted stick and thread at viewtopic.php?f=6&t=19

[Be The Tortoise]

No I wasn't there. I wish I had been but school got in the way.

Yes I have seen matt's video and that was one of the reasons I posted the question. I no doubt believe they help him (i mean come on the guys hands are like humingbird wings) but I havent had much success. I'm sure he will chime in and hopefully others will as well.

[WFD Teamster]

Congrats, 902 is up there, the winner this year was only like high 900's, almost 1000.
Me too! I wonder what if any the weighted sticks help build his left thumb? I have heard him called Matt 'the claw' Smith, referring to his powerful left thumb technique.

[Be The Tortoise]

Yes the winner this year was Joey Moujalli. His score was 995 which isn't bad AT ALL. He is usually hitting 1070 and I see him blowing his record and possibly others out of the water next year. Deffinately one of the most scientific competitiors around as far as techniques go.

920 is good but I am aiming at a thousand and that will be my limit. I have to hand it to Mangini, art verdi, smith, grosset and moujalli, those guys have, are and will be pushing the limits, but I just want to be over a thousand. Once I can do that I can pretty much play any buddy rich song up to par and that is my goal. Id like to be able to play west side story and not blip on the single stroke roll part lol

[WFD Teamster]

I see our newest member is Daniel Rice. Welcome Daniel! Of course Daniel is also one of those WFD contestants predicted/expected to take a win at WFD and possiblt break a record or two.

Welcome to the forum Daniel.

[mattsmith]

Good point 'Be The Tortoise'
Yes, I dont mind jumping in here and chime in with some words of wisdom. That a good point Tortoise about using different sticks being like driving a different car. Thats something I watch out for as well.
But in regards to your concern, I found that as long as I don't practice with aluminum or brass sticks 'all day everyday', then I dont have a problem going back down to my normal sized sticks that I would use for drum-set. Im only using aluminum stick for maybe 30 min a day. Not too much.
Oh and about the comment on that nickname lol Yeah, Johnny Rabb knighted me that name at the 2006 summer NAMM the day I won. I never thought about it until he said it. It really does look like a crabs claw lol

[danielrice]

[mattsmith]

well daniel if any can break 1132 im sure your the man for it. If you do ill be happy to let you take it. That is until maybe...you actually do it. Then ill really know how i feel about it lol
But really Daniel, keep us posted on any good screa tjat come around!!

[tomgrosset]

I experimented with different weights before. I used heavier sticks like 5Bs (if I remember) to build my technique but I would do my runs with much lighter sticks. It seemed to make quite a difference in my execution and with my score.

[JoeyM]

Hey guys,
Great thread, Jay I miss you buddy. I recent filmed some high speed footage if me (to be uploaded soon) and we found that differents stick sizes/weights did affect things positively and negatively. The lighter smaller sticks (5A or 3A) I was scoring 178-180 on 10 seconds, great but control was being sacrifices and the sticks over bounced, with the heavier sticks (5B or 2Bs) I was scoring 171-174, speed was sacrificed here BUT! Control wa gained over stick height and speed consostency. So after all this, I devised a disciplined work out program that I do every night and that's ALL I DO for the night.
So here it is (matt smith influenced this too btw):
1.20 minute warm up, slow singles 
2.Triplets at 130-150 BPM
3.16th at 120-140. BPM
4. 2x one minute runs with power wrist builders
5. 2x two minute runs with promark 2B
6. 1 minute run with 3A or 5A sticks 
7. 30 second run 
8. 15 second run
9. 10 second run
10.60 second run

Remember try this and only do what in the program. I'm st 1610 in 90 seconds and 1990 at 2 minutes. This program helped me immensely. Good luck, YouTube vids soon.

Joey "thunder" Moujalli.