It's raining and you can't skate: 8 ways to keep getting better from home

It's five in the afternoon on a Sunday. You've been waiting for this all week and it's pouring down. Or you've rolled your ankle. Or the nearest park is forty minutes away and you've got no way of getting there today.

The reason doesn't matter. The feeling is the same: you've got all the motivation and nowhere to put it.

I'll say this upfront so you know who you're talking to: I run a fingerboard shop. So yes, one of the eight things on this list is mine. The other seven don't earn me a penny and they're here because they work.

Some links in this article are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy through them I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change what I recommend, or what I criticise.

1. Do the same tricks, just with your fingers

A fingerboard isn't a keyring. The tricks are exactly the same and they have the same names: ollie, shove-it, kickflip, tre flip, hardflip. And so does the mental side of it: understanding where the pop comes from, when you drag, the exact moment your foot (or finger) shoots up toward the nose.

That part of a trick — the part that lives in your head rather than your legs — is what goes rusty when you spend three weeks off the board. And it's the part you can keep alive on your living room table.

Let's be honest about what it doesn't do: a fingerboard won't build your legs, it won't train your balance and it doesn't replace skating. Nobody ever learned to skate with their fingers. What it does do is keep you in it, help you understand the geometry of each trick, and give you that small hit of “got it” when one finally comes out clean.

If you've never tried a real one — maple deck, metal trucks, wheels with actual bearings — don't judge it by the plastic thing you got when you were ten. They're nothing alike. These are the ones I'd build.

2. A balance board: the only thing that really fades

When you stop skating for a month, what you lose isn't strength. It's that microscopic ankle correction you make without thinking, the one that keeps you on the board. You come back feeling clumsy even though your legs are exactly the same.

A balance board (a deck on top of a roller) trains exactly that, and it fits under your bed. Fifteen minutes a day is enough: stand on it and keep both ends off the floor. At first you'll last about ten seconds.

The catch: it's mind-numbingly boring. There's no trick to land and no progress to film. Either you treat it as a routine or it ends up in a cupboard within a week. If you know you won't stick with it, save your fifty euros.

See the balance board on Amazon →

3. Workshop day: get your board back to new

Almost everyone skates on filthy bearings without realising, because the decline is so slow you just get used to it. A rainy day is the perfect day:

• Bearings: pull them out, pop the shields off, soak them in alcohol or solvent, dry them properly and add one drop of oil. You'll feel the difference on your first push.
• Trucks: check the kingpin and set the bushings to your weight. If you've been riding the factory setting for two years, try something else.
• Grip tape: if it's stopped gripping, replace it. It's the cheapest thing you can do and the most noticeable. Here's which one to buy.
• Hardware: tighten it. All of it. You'd be amazed how many boards rattle for this reason alone.

4. Three metres of hallway is plenty

You don't need a park to work on stationary flatground. Put an old towel under the board so it can't roll or scratch the floor, and practise:

• Stationary ollie. No movement, just the motion: pop, drag, pull the knees up, level out.
• Manual. Holding your balance on the back wheels. You can do it without moving an inch.
• Foot placement. Repeat where each foot goes until you don't have to look down.

One warning: your downstairs neighbours. If you live in a flat, the towel isn't optional.

5. Watch videos — properly

There's a huge difference between scrolling for half an hour and actually studying a trick.

Pick one single trick, the one that's been giving you trouble. Find three different slow-motion videos. And watch one thing only: where the back foot is at the moment of the pop. Then again, watching only the front foot. Then the shoulders.

In twenty minutes you'll understand something you've been doing wrong for six months without knowing it. And you haven't left the sofa.

6. Dig out your old clips and edit them

You've got two hundred videos on your phone that nobody has ever seen. A day stuck indoors is the day to cut them together.

And the most useful thing happens along the way: you see yourself. Nothing teaches you more than watching yourself fail on a loop. That's where you find out you're not dragging all the way, or that you're opening your shoulders too early.

If you fancy filming yourself better, I've written two articles on how to do it with just your phone without spending a fortune: the tripod and the fisheye lens.

7. Ankles

Most sprains come from weak ankles, not bad luck. And you can work on them in your living room with no equipment:

• Single-leg stand, thirty seconds. Once that's easy, do it with your eyes closed.
• Calf raises, three sets of twenty.
• Draw the alphabet in the air with your foot, sitting down.

Important: this is prevention. If you already have an injury, go to a physio instead of YouTube. A badly healed ankle will cost you more months off the board than any amount of rain.

8. Skate video games

I'll be straight with you: it will not make you a better skater. Not even slightly. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling you something.

But you'll learn the names of the tricks, you'll see lines you'd never have thought of, and above all you'll keep the itch alive until it clears up. Sometimes that's enough.

And no, don't go out and skate on wet ground

I know the temptation is real. But it'll cost you:

• Your bearings will rust. There's no going back. They start grinding and end up in the bin.
• The wood swells. Maple absorbs water, the plies separate and the deck loses its pop for good.
• The grip tape peels and stops gripping exactly when you need it most.

One rainy afternoon can cost you a whole board. It's not worth it.

Frequently asked questions

Does fingerboarding actually help you improve at skating?

For the mental side, yes: you understand the mechanics of each trick better and you memorise the sequence. For the physical side, no: it doesn't train your legs or your balance. It's a supplement, not a substitute.

How long does a skatepark take to dry after rain?

A concrete bowl with sun and a bit of wind is usually ready in two or three hours. In the shade or with high humidity it can take all day. Wooden parks take longer and shouldn't be rushed.

Can I save bearings that have got wet?

If you act the same day, sometimes: strip them, dry them thoroughly and re-grease them. If days have passed and they're grinding, the rust is inside and replacing them is the cheap option.

What can I do if I'm injured and can't put weight on it?

From this list: the fingerboard, watching videos properly, editing your clips and workshop day. None of those four require you to stand up.

So, to sum up: a day without skating doesn't have to be a wasted day. Pick one of the eight, give it an hour, and tomorrow you go back out with a little more than you had.

See you on the board. The big one or the small one.