Are these drummers bouncing it on the hihat, playing 1/8 notes? This is a viable way to add some spice to your groove, but it takes practice to do it in time. Some drummers do bounce there left leg without lifting their hihat up. If it works for them there's nothing wrong with it.

It's kinda a bad habit.  I have to watch myself so I don't do it- and believe me, I watch myself for that...

I usually mark time on the quarters here and there when I'm riding...but when I'm on the hat I try to concentrate on the right stick, making it groove and making sure that the kick and snare are locked in (when playing rock)

I try to keep time in my heart and head, body follows along here and there- everybody has there own way, some are better than other.  It's not really something you can explain over the net.

Now I'm working on a tune that has a section of 11/4...8 bars of it and there is a bunch of crazy drummin' in it.  I have decided to mark strict time on my jam block with the left foot and use the other limbs for jamming.  It is slowly coming together.  I wish I could play something a little hipper than 1/4 notes, but I'm not that good on my Giant STep Twin Effects pedal yet.  Maybe someday.  I thought about an osti, but I havn't figured one out that would work in the tune and that I could solo over.

I've been concentrating on developing my left foot hihat work. I'm incorporating the heel/toe rocking method as well as practicing and playing with my left heel down and up. I think the left leg bounce (heel up) is useful - if controlled. And there for me is the rub.
If you're just jamming along, bouncing on the hihat, that left foot may or may not be pumping out straight 8th notes. One of my goals is to be able to transition to the technique that works best for the tempo you are playing at: Heel up, heel down or heel/toe. I've made up some exercizes that I try to do every day to improve this.

My goal is to produce time with my left foot that is so good that my right hand can do something else instead of keeping 8th note time. I'm also trying to combine snare ghosting with left foot hihat notes to get a "bed" of time going underneath my other limbs.

The next move will be to buy some Mastersound or Sound Edge hihats which will give the left foot activity a higher profile sonically.

This is similar in concept to what I've heard David Garibaldi talk about. He considers his hihat and ghosted snare notes to be the same sound and uses them accordingly.
Granted this won't work in high volume situations but I'm already bearing fruit in some time patterns that I use.
So...gotta keep that bounce o' mine grooving and consistent!


Jim

Occasionally I do a heel up bounce with my left leg.  It's not so much movement as to cause any noticeable energy loss.  I do it for no other reason than to help me keep time.

Tom

I bounce my heel on the hi-hat, a lot actually, I find it DOES help to keep time. I mainly doing it when riding on the cymbal.  I would play either quarter notes, for slower tempos, or eigth notes for the faster ones.

When i drum my left leg is constantly bouncing 8th notes unless i'm using it for something else.  I find 8th notes make the beat sound too rushed, but quarter notes sound really good, the only way i could think of to bounce quarter notes when i'm paying attention to it, is to bounce all 8th, but alternate from ground to hat.