Practice the 20% That Changes 80% of Your Playing.
Stop chasing random internet licks, out-of-context exercises, and whatever the algorithm shows you next. Get step-by-step learning methods through the skills that truly transform your drumming, plus 4x annual personal feedback from ME, and the best drum community in the universe.
Take a Tour of The 8020 Academy Hub
There Has Never Been More Drum Information.
That's the problem.
Every time you open Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok, somebody has a new lick, rudiment, coordination challenge, practice hack, or “essential” concept you apparently need to learn.
And most of it is probably useful.
But useful isn't the same as useful for you, right now.
So you save another clip. Try another exercise. Start another practice routine. Then abandon it when the feed shows you something newer.
You're learning constantly—but your playing doesn't change at the same rate.
That usually happens for three reasons.
The BIG Problem — Learning By FOMO
The Feed Has Replaced Your Curriculum
The algorithm is designed to show you whatever makes you click next. It has no idea what you already know, where the holes are in your playing, or which skill would create the biggest improvement right now. So your drum education becomes a collection of unrelated ideas instead of a clear path.
Novelty Feels Like Progress
Learning the beginning of something new is exciting. Staying with one skill long enough to make it sound good is slower, less glamorous, and much more valuable. Without a clear path, it's easy to mistake consuming new ideas for actually developing your playing.
A Video Can't Hear You
Even when you choose the right material, you can still focus on the wrong detail. Maybe the sticking is correct but the sound is wrong. Maybe the pattern is accurate but the time is unstable. Maybe you're practicing the right concept at the wrong difficulty. A course can show you what to do. It can't always tell you what you are missing.
So what's the answer?
The Answer Isn't More Content.
It's a better filter, a usable sequence, and a feedback loop — which is what the 8020 Academy is built to provide.
Less Material. Better Curated. Learned in the Right Order.
The 8020 method means focusing on the small number of skills most likely to change how you actually sound—and connecting them to real playing as early as possible.
Not just practicing away at the same rudiments you've been doing for years—not that there's anything wrong with rudiments when correctly applied.
And not endlessly scrolling the next lick on Instagram or TikTok either.
It means starting with a musical imperative—what do you want to be able to DO…
…then working back from that to target the SPECIFIC exercises to produce that result.
And constructing “games” to improvise with those ideas as early as possible.
Choose The High-Leverage Skill
Start with the thing most likely to improve your playing—not simply the newest or most difficult thing you've encountered.
Make It Usable
Break the skill into a small, playable kernel and immediately connect it to grooves, fills, solos, or improvisation.
Get Feedback & Keep Stacking
Find out what is working, fix what isn't, and add the next layer only when it supports the one beneath it.
What that means is fewer exercises. But the RIGHT exercises. And improvisation games to make that vocabulary your own.
The 8020 Academy
The easiest way to study with me — $1,338 worth of my courses, 4× yearly personal video feedback, and the best community in the universe.
The 8020 Academy brings together my complete self-guided course library, every future self-guided course I release, four personal video reviews per year, and the 8020 community. It's the easiest way to go deeper into my teaching without joining a full private coaching program.
If my videos have helped you hear, practice, or think about drumming differently, this is where the complete system lives.
Six Complete Courses. One 8020 Point of View.
Each course solves a different problem, but they all follow the same principle: focus on what matters most, learn it in usable pieces, and connect it to real playing.
The Groove Course
Stop “trying harder” to groove. Sharpen your ear for when a groove is locking in or not, so it becomes automatic.
The Jazz Course
Get jam-session ready — not someone who sounds like they're playing exercises out of a book, but someone who can comp and solo for real.
The Solo Course
Improvise solos that sound composed and practiced — except you're coming up with them off the top of your head.
The Practice Course
The exact system used to make more progress in one focused hour than half a day of unfocused practice ever produced.
The Performance Course
Conquer performance anxiety by changing the root assumption that causes it — that you have to sound better than you do.
The Coaching Course
Follow the same 3-to-6-month roadmaps I use to help drummers move from “meh” to confident — with Standard and Jazz tracks included.
You Don't Need Another Giant Course Library.
You Need A Teacher Whose Judgment You Trust.
There are plenty of excellent drum teachers and courses online.
The reason to join the 8020 Academy isn't that nobody else teaches these subjects. It's that my way of filtering, sequencing, and explaining the instrument already makes sense to you.
If my videos have repeatedly helped you notice something you couldn't hear before—or made a complicated idea suddenly feel obvious—the Academy lets you study inside that point of view instead of encountering it one video at a time.
And this isn't a one-off course launch I plan to abandon six months from now.
The Academy is the long-term home for my self-guided teaching.
The library will keep growing. The learning paths will keep improving. The community and body of member results will become more useful with time.
But even the right material can't watch you play. That's why membership includes four personal video reviews from me every year—including your first one immediately after joining.
A Place To Find Your Fellow Drum Nerds
Join serious, curious drummers who speak the same language, on our community Discord. Although the Academy, in this incarnation, is relatively new, my coaching students of the past 3 years have been fostering a thriving community. I think it's the best drum community in the universe. Get advice on something you're struggling with, ask advice on a gig, or simply come to hang out and absorb the daily chatter. Coaching-only channels are reserved for private students—everything else is open to you.
Included with membershipBecause A Course Can't Hear You
Send me a video of your playing—up to five minutes—and I'll tell you what's already working, what's holding the result back, and which detail deserves your attention next. You get four personal video reviews each year, beginning immediately after you join.
Included — 4× a yearOne Year Inside the Complete 8020 Learning Environment
You could buy individual courses as new problems arise—or join once and have the entire 8020 system waiting when you need it.
Hey, I'm Nate.
I started The 8020 Drummer around one question: “What should a drummer practice if they want the biggest possible change in how they actually sound?” Everything I teach grows out of that question. The Academy is the long-term home for the courses, feedback, and community I've built around the answer—and I personally review every member video myself.
Join this week and lock in $199/year — the same rate on renewal, for as long as you're a member. Cancel anytime.
FAQ
What exactly do I get when I join?
All six current 8020 courses (Groove, Jazz, Solo, Practice, Performance, Coaching), every future self-guided course at no extra cost, access to the private 8020 Discord (excluding coaching-only channels), and 4 personal video reviews from me each year.
Why pay for this when there are so many free drum videos?
YouTube is where I share individual ideas. The Academy is where those ideas become complete learning paths—with direct feedback and a clear place to continue when the video ends. Free content can introduce a concept. The Academy is designed to help you actually build with it.
Will I be overwhelmed by six courses?
No. You do not need to take everything at once. Choose the problem that matters most right now and follow that course from beginning to end. The member homepage will help you identify the best starting path based on what you want to improve.
Does membership include every course?
Membership includes all current and future self-guided 8020 courses. Private coaching curricula, coaching-only resources, and the Breakthrough curriculum are not included.
How do the personal video reviews work?
You submit a video of your playing — 5 minutes or less — and I send back personal feedback on it. You get 4 reviews a year, starting right after you join.
What if it's not right for me?
You're covered by a 90-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. If it's not for you, just ask for a refund.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes — you can cancel anytime. Your membership renews annually at $199/year (the regular price is $249/year), so joining this week locks in the lower rate for as long as you stay a member.
Is this different from 1:1 coaching?
Yes — this is self-directed access to the course library plus periodic feedback, not ongoing personal coaching. If you want weekly hands-on coaching instead, check out 1:1 Coaching.
Give Your Practice a Home.
Spend the next year following one coherent approach instead of chasing whatever appears in your feed next. Join the 8020 Academy today and submit your first video for personal feedback immediately.