Finally discovered the root of all my hand technique problems

[schist]

I developed a jump in my left forearm somewhere along the way, creating a sort of 'gyrating' motion in my wrist, rather than a straight up-and-down motion like in my right hand. Which, of course, led to the sticks flying about in my left hand, due to not being able to hit in a straight line (for want of a better description). So, as it turns out, all those long hours spent trying to strengthen my left hand fulcrum were, for the most part, wasted in the end, seeing as it wasn't really the problem :(

That said though (and it'll probably be the last thing I ask relating to hand technique), does anyone know of any good exercises one can do to help reprogram the up-and-down motion back into my left wrist? Currently I'm considering sitting down for about 20 minutes each day just hitting the pad with a straight up-and-down motion to a click (quarter notes at 100BPM or thereabouts), trying to erase any excessive forearm movement, but if anyone has any other suggestions, feel free to post ...

[Gunnarsen]

i'd try to connect this exercise to some kind of making music. just sitting around and hitting the pad for 20 minutes sounds rather boring to me.
check out some simple songs you can drum along to and observe your hand motion.

[Ethan01]

When I play matched I notice this in my left hand too... what I do is have my left hand mimic the stroke my right hand is doing (since the right is straight up-down). Just do combined singles, like a same volume flam at the same time. Increase the speed as you get comfortable, and keep your eye on your left to make sure it doesn't do a rounding motion.

I noticed switching between german->french grips slowly on both hands effective too, as you want the general up-down strike for any grip you employ on your left. Also, this might be a function of the tilt of your snare (and other drums). When playing matched, make sure the drum is symmetrical as you look at it, not tilted left or right. As you comfortably hit the other drums with both hands, they should strike at the same angle.