For maximum composure, stay poised on the balls of your feet.
A solid foundation will also keep you from getting run over in an out-of-control pit. Stand your ground!
This is the “warm up” phase of the show. The real headbanging will begin a few songs into the set once everybody cuts loose. The head nod is a good move to go back to if you start to get tired or dizzy.
It may help to headbang along to the bass line if the drum beat is too fast to keep up with. Watch out for the person in front of you to avoid knockin’ noggins while you’re getting radical.
Headbanging at this velocity can quickly leave you exhausted and disoriented, so be sure to take a few moments to rest between songs. High-speed headbanging is most often performed at death metal, thrash, crust, and hardcore punk shows. It may look out of place at a doom, sludge, or industrial set.
To avoid putting your neck in an unsafe position, make sure you swing your head down a little rather than straight across. Be careful not to jerk your head too hard in either direction. This is a good way to pull something.
Finish off your windmill with a quick head shake to reorient yourself before returning to a normal back-and-forth motion. Windmilling should be used somewhat sparingly to break up regular headbanging. Pulling it out too often can make you look more like a go-go dancer than a grindcore devotee.
Coordinate your headbanging carefully with your other movements. Otherwise, you may just look like you’re throwing a temper tantrum or trying to get away from an angry bee. Watch out for flying fists, elbows, and other body parts in the pit. Things can get pretty hairy in there!
Horns are often used to celebrate after a face-melting solo or signal appreciation to the band between songs.
A simple, effective neck stretch that you can perform anywhere is to lower your chin to your chest and use both hands to pull down lightly on the back of your head. Hold the stretch 10-20 seconds, then release. [8] X Research source If you don’t limber up properly, you could find yourself in a world of hurt the following morning.
Relying too much on your neck and head makes you more likely to accidentally hurt yourself, or at least leave with a splitting headache. [9] X Research source
Pick a direction for the “upswing” and keep it consistent—think of it as doing a very subtle windmill. Switch up your technique every now and then to avoid putting undue stress on the same parts of your neck.
If you feel the need to keep whipping away, relax your movements during the slower parts of the song, then speed back up when you’re ready to annihilate.
Between the volume of the music and the constant head movement, it may be hard to keep your balance for the first few moments after you stop headbanging.
Be prepared to feel a little stiff for a few days if you’re new to headbanging. There’s really no way to avoid it, since your body isn’t used to having so much stress placed on these muscles. A warm bath is also a good way to loosen up after a night of raging in the pit.
