Cool Rods, Hot Rods, or any number of other such animals.

Sound off rubber head covers, and normal sticks.

A few years back , i think it was tama or pearl , they had rubber tip's that slip right over wood or nylon tips . they were a 2 in one , practice pad and sound reducer . i'm not sure if the product is still availible or discontinued .

The best way to build your chops is to practice on a pillow.Mister T

The only problem with pillow practice is that you aren't using rebound so your practice is missing a component. It does build strength but probably shouldn't be all of your practice time.

Is this full drum kit practice? Or can it be done on a practice pad? If full drum kit read on:

Instead of changing sticks you can work on the other side of the equation. You can change the heads to mesh heads (I think Pearl makes them) or put Sound Off or similar pads on your ordinary heads. A few companies sell those these days including Sabian. Beware there were once some cheap brands which had no bounce and take you back to pillow-like practice. The Sound Off (or similar) are also available for cymbals. The rebound isn't perfect but it makes a pillow look --- well --- soft. Excited

I've never found Hot Rods (or similar) similar enough to drum sticks to be exactly the same muscle learning in practice, but they will also get you part way. You can make something yourself with a bit of gaffers tape and a bundle of those wooden skewer sticks you get to make shish-kabob on the BBQ. Just don't use the pointy ends on the head. x-mas3

An example of the mesh heads on YouTube.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gvmke3vU3o[/ame]

Google is your friend to find out more about them.

While you`re refine`n your stick skills, why not refine your motions as well ?

Sit at the kit they way you normally would, but put on a blindfold and don`t cheat !!

thanks for all the suggestions. i like sittin at my kit to practice mostly, sometimes ill bang around on a practice pad. i think ive saw those hot rods.... like a plastic stick split 4ways? those are what ill get i supose. but i did find some clear sticks this guy sold me for 5 bux. dont know what they're called, or who makes em. but they're somethin like hard rubber, they turn the volume down more than i thought. same feel and everything as a wood stick... just maybe not as much rebound.