I really do hate it when it begins to rain. Not only does it cause ground closures all over the place, but it means that you and I can’t go down to the park to practice our ball skills and accuracy. This past week it has rained, long and hard, causing all the fields in my area to close and has left me useless. I have actually lost sleep over not being able to go to training all week. Where you live, this might not be the case, so maybe I should do a repeat post in my summer, your winter So what do you do when you are rendered useless by the rain?

Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures

And if you’re desperate to practice your skills infront of a goal, then go right ahead and play in the pouring rain. I have done this many times, but this course of action comes with a warning. Be properly equipped and dressed for the occasion. That means a really warm tracksuit and hood/beanie to cover your head. Use some really crappy boots that you might have laying around because they will get drenched and really dirty. You also run the risk of catching a cold. This seems extreme, but those who are serious about becoming the best will train, rain, hail or shine.

Option Number Two

You stay inside and work on your strength. I have spoken about the importance of strength training before and the balance that you need to have with weights and training. The idea of balance between strength and technique still applies here, but when you have no choice but to work out, then do it. This means that if you’re not out in the wet training, you are inside doing the following exercises:

• Push-ups (Clapping ones if possible)
• Sit-ups/Crunches
• Squats/Leap Frogs
• Stretches
• Leg Elevations

There are more, but these are the fundamentals. You can find details on how to do these exercises on the web. Finally you can always work on your ball control via juggling on the spot. However, you really do need to be careful and considerate to the other people that you share the house with, whether it be parents, brothers, sisters or room mates. And you also need to be wise to the possibility of breaking something.

What’s The Moral Of The Post?

Always be doing something which benefits your game! Never just sit around doing nothing with your time, unless of course you’ve decided recovery is in order for injuries or tiredness you may have. So I want to reiterate to always be doing something to benefit your game because you don’t have a say in the weather, someone/thing else does and until they decide to stop the rain, you do what you have to do