Use a grip that allows a natural hold on the stick, rather than a tight grasp. Lay the stick on the drum. Grasp the stick with the top of your hand parallel to the top of the drum, turning your wrist slightly. Place your thumb comfortably along the lower edge and the middle finger along the top. Rest your index finger in between. The other fingers should barely rest on the stick and be used to direct the stick as you play. Keep the palm of your hand near the back of the stick to allow your wrist to move and control the stick, rather than your fingers.
Use your wrist and arm to strike the drum. While holding the stick as mentioned above, pretend you are knocking hard on a door. Turn the wrist to strike the drum, allowing your arm to provide energy and strength. This gives you a louder sound without causing discomfort during extended playing. Keep your arm and wrist relaxed and allow the stick to rebound from the drum naturally. The stick does not need to be pulled away from the drum, conserving your energy for striking. With a comfortable grip, the stick will be ready for the next strike. This strike creates continuous accents with full resonance.
Using the technique for creating accents, practice playing taps, which are similar. Taps use the same striking motion, but instead of waiting for the stick to come back fully, you should hold the stick lower to the drum. This makes it convenient and easy to quickly strike again. When the stick is lower and in an up position after rebounding from a previous stoke, the wrist and arm are still used to produce a full, quality sound that will resonate.
Doubles are created in either a slow or a fast tempo, each requiring different wrist movement. For a slow tempo, you use two separate and distinct turns of the wrist. Increase the tempo by applying more pressure on the stick, using wrist and arm strength to quickly hit the drum again. Maintain a consistent strike in the doubles. The second strike should sound the same as the first, with no emphasis, or pulsing, on the first note. Practice increasing the tempo by turning your wrist more quickly. With practice, your tempo will increase into full rolls.
A few other considerations when working on drumline hand techniques include using a metronome to establish precise tempo. The metronome allows you to play along with a sound as you practice the strokes and increasing or decreasing your tempo. Also, watch your hand movements and posture in a mirror to check visually for awkward positions that may not feel uncomfortable initially. This helps avoid problems with your wrists and elbows later. Practice maintaining a consistent grip and control of the stick before attempting to master any specific strikes.