Flat Ground Drills to Improve Your MTB Skills (Even With Just 30 Minutes)
When most riders think about improving their mountain bike skills, they picture trail days, bike parks, or long rides in the hills. But some of the most effective skill development can happen on flat ground—right outside your house.
Flat ground drills are an easy way to fit regular practice into a busy schedule. Even if you’ve only got 30 minutes, you can work on fundamental movements that directly transfer to real trail riding. All you need is your bike, shoes, and a helmet—and there’s no mud to clean up afterwards.
Below are some of my favourite flat ground drills that I use regularly in coaching. Each one targets a specific skill that will make you smoother, faster, and more confident on the trails.
Parallel Flat Hops
I use flat hops to teach the fundamental skills needed for jumping, but they’re useful far beyond that.
Once you’ve got the basics, flat hops can be progressed into a powerful movement that allows you to move both wheels from one line to another without steering—using only your body position and timing.
Ever found yourself stuck in a rut or off-line through a section of trail? This skill will help you escape quickly and confidently. It’s also incredibly useful for setting up a higher line into a corner or repositioning the bike when space is limited.
Pumping Turns
Learning how to generate speed through pumping is an essential mountain bike skill. Most riders understand pumping on rollers or straight sections, but pumping through turns is much harder—and arguably even more valuable.
Pumping a turn teaches you how to drive the bike into the ground at the right moment, creating speed and grip without pedalling. It also helps you commit to the corner and stay balanced through tighter turns where hesitation can cost you momentum.
Master this, and corners start to feel faster, smoother, and more controlled.
Endo Turns
The endo turn has a very specific use when descending technical trails. In enduro-style riding, pivoting on the front wheel can be the difference between cleaning a tight switchback and dabbing a foot.
When there isn’t enough space to roll both wheels around a corner, an endo turn allows you to rotate the bike efficiently and stay on line.
Beyond its practical use on the trail, this drill is excellent for building confidence in shifting your weight forward in a precise and controlled way—something many riders struggle with but desperately need on steeper terrain.
Rear Wheel Pivots
Rear wheel pivots are one of the more challenging flat ground drills, but they pay off massively when it comes to cornering.
Good cornering isn’t just about leaning the bike—it’s about positioning it accurately before you even start the turn. Rear wheel pivots help you learn how to open up a corner by placing the bike exactly where you want it on entry.
They’re also brilliant for improving balance, coordination, and overall bike control, making them well worth the effort.
Why Flat Ground Practice Works
Flat ground drills strip riding back to its essentials. Without trail features or speed to rely on, you’re forced to focus on body position, balance, and timing—the foundations of good mountain biking.
Practised regularly, these drills will make you more adaptable on the trails, more confident in technical sections, and more efficient with your energy.
So next time you’re short on time or the trails are a mess, don’t skip the ride. Head to a flat space, work through a few drills, and keep building your skills.
If you want help learning or progressing these techniques, Rideabout coaching sessions are designed to break skills down and help you apply them where it really counts—on the trail.