A welding system, comprising: a wire feeding mechanism having a wire drive mechanism which advances a welding wire and retracts said welding wire during a welding operation, where said advancement of said welding wire has a plurality of positive wire feed speed pulses and said retraction of said welding wire has a plurality of negative wire feed speed pulses, a wire feed speed detection circuit which detects a wire feed speed of said welding wire during said welding operation, and a controller (115, 145) coupled to said wire feeding mechanism and said wire feed speed detection circuit which determines an average wire feed speed for said welding operation based on said detected wire feed speed from said wire feed speed detection circuit, and where said controller (115, 145) compares said detection average wire feed speed with a desired average wire feed speed value, characterized in each of said positive wire feed speed pulses having a first pulse parameter and each of said negative wire feed speed pulses having a second pulse parameter, said controller changing at least one of said first and second pulse parameters based on a comparison of said determined average wire feed speed and said desired wire feed speed value, wherein said welding operation has each of a welding arc voltage and a welding current and each of said welding arc voltage and said welding current are regulated independently from changing of said first or second pulse parameter, wherein arc voltage and current feedback and control is entirely separate from wire feed speed control, so that the wire feed speed is not directly regulated based on arc voltage and/or current feedback, and the arc voltage and/or current is not directly controlled based on a detected wire feed speed, and wherein said controller (115, 145) changes said at least one of said first parameter and said second parameter when said determined average wire feed speed is within a first range of said desired average wire feed speed, wherein said controller (115, 145) changes both of said first parameter and said second parameter when said determined average wire feed speed is not within said first range. a wire feeding mechanism having a wire drive mechanism which advances a welding wire and retracts said welding wire during a welding operation, where said advancement of said welding wire has a plurality of positive wire feed speed pulses and said retraction of said welding wire has a plurality of negative wire feed speed pulses, a wire feed speed detection circuit which detects a wire feed speed of said welding wire during said welding operation, and a controller (115, 145) coupled to said wire feeding mechanism and said wire feed speed detection circuit which determines an average wire feed speed for said welding operation based on said detected wire feed speed from said wire feed speed detection circuit, and where said controller (115, 145) compares said detection average wire feed speed with a desired average wire feed speed value, characterized in each of said positive wire feed speed pulses having a first pulse parameter and each of said negative wire feed speed pulses having a second pulse parameter, said controller changing at least one of said first and second pulse parameters based on a comparison of said determined average wire feed speed and said desired wire feed speed value, wherein said welding operation has each of a welding arc voltage and a welding current and each of said welding arc voltage and said welding current are regulated independently from changing of said first or second pulse parameter, wherein arc voltage and current feedback and control is entirely separate from wire feed speed control, so that the wire feed speed is not directly regulated based on arc voltage and/or current feedback, and the arc voltage and/or current is not directly controlled based on a detected wire feed speed, and wherein said controller (115, 145) changes said at least one of said first parameter and said second parameter when said determined average wire feed speed is within a first range of said desired average wire feed speed, wherein said controller (115, 145) changes both of said first parameter and said second parameter when said determined average wire feed speed is not within said first range.