Santics soccer / fitness journal

[santic121]

24/04/13
Had training tonight and did a fairly solid hit out. played some small sided games and finished with some shooting practice, was a good hit out.

25/04/13
Was a public holiday here in australia. i didnt do much, just had a couple of beers and went fishing.

26/04/13
Didnt do much today as it bucketed down. tried to do as much uni work as i could and just took it easy

27/04/13
Not feeling the best, have a bit of a cold but nothing to bad. just worked and did a little bit of uni work.

28/04/13
Game day; played goal keeper in our reserve grade team. played well and made a couple of good saves including one pearler, we ended up taking some chances and won 3-0. first grade was a different story, i was starting as the center back and after 40mins took a nasty head clash to the back of my head. had blurred vision and a massive head ache and unfortunately couldn't continue. Was pretty disappointed as it was the second head clash in three weeks, we ended up losing 4-0 as well which made it even worse.

29/04/13
Worked today and still had a thumping head ache, was a pretty crap day.

30/04/13
Feeling a bit better, had remnants of the headache but it was mostly gone. Trained tonight, did a huge amount of running, was a great hit out and got the boys breathing heavy. we finished with some crossing / shooting practice. was a tough but good session.

1/05/13
Went for a small run to loosen up before work, and that was about it.

02/05/13
Smashed out a massive amount of uni work which means i have the weekend free which is always awesome. Had training tonight as well which was pretty good. did a small amount of fitness work and finished with small sided games playing possession and rotating teams against each other. i played extremly well today and was very happy with it.

03/05/13
Had a half day at uni and then a half day fishing. was enjoyable and relaxing

04/05/13
Game Day; Was the goalkeeper in reserve grade again. our defence was a bit soft this time out and unfortunatly we conceded a couple of soft goals that i couldnt do anything about. Managed to make one good save but it was to little to late as we lost 3-1. I then slotted straight into the defence in first grade, we started well and scored a goal to go up 1-0. unfortunatly just before half time, a duffed clearance from myself bounced into one of their guys and then straight to their attacker who slotted it home. it was 1-1 and a keenly contested match but unfortunately for us, a brain fart from our midfielder handed the ball to their striker who beat our keeper in a 1 on 1. was a dissappointing result but a fantastic effort from all of the boys as we played some great football in patches.

05/05/13
Woke up incredibly sore today, have a couple nice welts on my shin and knees, as well as a nice bruise on my big toe. in a fair bit of pain, luckily its just impact soreness and nothing major. did some recovery stretching and soaked in the bath for awhile which seemed to help. hopefully tomorrow i feel better.

[santic121]

06/05/13
didnt do much today, was still very sore and struggling with some impact injuries

07/05/13
Had training tonight and played pretty well. we played some small sided games and knocked the ball around well. was a tough physical session but a good hit out.

08/05/13
didnt do a lot today, still struggling with some injuries. my left and right leg are struggling

09/05/13
had training and felt ok today. still a bit a stiff but knocked the ball around well.

10/05/13
just had uni work today, was pretty cruisy

11/05/13
Had the day off today, did some work for uni and went fishing for awhile, caught a couple decent fish and was a good day.

12/05/13
Game day! started the game playing in the backline. was playing ok but conceded a sort of softish goal, but wasnt much we could do about it. after another 10 mins of creating chances our center mid went off with a hamstring strain and i was moved into the middle of the park. i played well and 10mins into the second half we scored a goal to level it 1-1. with 20 to go i attempted a bicycle kick from 18 yards out that hit the cross bar. extremely disappointed it didn't go in. Our replacement center back then went off and i was shuffled back into the back line. and we held firm, created chances but unfortunately couldnt grasp the winner and had a 1-1 draw. was a good game and i played well.

[santic121]

13-18/05/13
Had two training sessions that consisted of mostly small sided possession games and a bit of agility sprint work.

19/05/13
Game Day! Started the game playing at right back and played well defensively and created a few chances upfront. had a header cleared off the line which was disappointing. We continued playing well but unfortunately we couldn't get a goal and the match finished 0-0.

20-25/05/13
Just training and uni work. been very busy with uni and haven't had much spare time. Training has consisted of sprint work, and small sided possession games with a little bit of set piece work.

26/05/13
Game Day! Was a very disappointing day today as we lost 4-0. Had a couple of people out from our starting 11 and copped an injury to our other center back about 15mins into the game which put us on the back foot straight away. then we conceded four goals that where a mix of bad luck and wrong decisions. one that was lacking in effort and was just a pretty bad day.

27/05/13
Was very sore today, quite a few bruises on the legs and just quite stiff everywhere. had work and did some uni and that was about it.

28/05/13
Did about 6 hours of uni work then got called into work to do stock take prep. Then went to training and did a physical session of sprints and agility

29/05/13
Had stock take today at work. was a good 12 hour shift then went and did uni work.

30/05/13
had a small session today and a long chat to iron out everyone's problems and issues. then played a small sided game and everyone was buzzing with energy.

31/05/13
Finished my last assignment before exams so celebrated with a bit of fishing. caught four big breams and a rock cod in about 3 hours. was a great fishing session and something i really needed.

01/06/13
Game Day! Started the game a little shaky at the back, but consolidated it and started to play a lot better. we where playing some good football and had some great opportunities to take the lead but unfortunately yet again we couldn't find the back of the net and ground out another 0-0 draw. it has been very frustrating this year but hopefully we can turn it around and launch into the second half of the season playing good football and finally scoring goals.

[santic121]

02/06/13
Was just a rest day today, didnt do a lot, just some stretches and the like. not too stiff from the game but still feeling a bit fatigued

03/06/13
Today has consisted of working and uni.

04/06/13
Had training today, was a pretty poor turnout due to having a bit of rain. we did a small amount of fitness work and then included everyone and played a half field game. was good fun, but not overly serious.

05/06/13
Just work and uni today. that was pretty much it.

06/06/13
Went for an early morning fish and managed to bag three good sized bream for the freezer which was pretty good, spent a couple hours down there, came back and did some studying then headed to training. We had a team talk and discussed our plans for the weekend, then we headed out and did some shooting practice and defence simulations which was good fun. was played at a pretty high tempo and everyone was hurting at the end of it.

07/06/13
Didnt do a lot today, bit of uni work and that was about it.

08/06/13
Game Day! Todays game was a bit of a roller coaster for me. our midfield started badly and we couldnt really get hold of the ball in the first 20mins. i was yellow carded about 15mins into the game for chopping down a guy on halfway and committing a professional foul. we continued to struggle and they eventually scored after half an hour. our heads dropped for a second, but we picked ourselves up and started to play some good football. we strung some nice passes together and where eventually awarded a penalty for an intentional handball in the box. I stepped up and calmly slotted it to level the scores at 1-1. it was my first goal of the season and was quite happy to get it. We walked into the sheds at half time still level. Our caoch gave us a massive spray as we had been playing poorly and this seem to lift us in the second half. we got the better of the team and had a couple of half chances that again, just didnt fall our way. we had a late penalty claim denied and that pretty much summed up our day. the scores finished 1-1 and i think both teams where a bit dissappointed not to get the three points.

09/06/13
Have a very nice set of stud marks on my ankle which made walking around at work tough today. Iced it when i got home but its still quite tender

[santic121]

10/06/13
Pretty much spent the entire time studying for my end of semester exams.

11/06/13
Spent the morning studying, went for a brief 10km run and then watched the australian soccer match with the soccer boys, was a good team bonding session.

12/06/13
Spent today with my head in the books preparing for my first exam on friday, ready for it to be over with

13/06/13
Spent the morning and afternoon cramming as much information into my head as i could, then went and had training. it was raining earlier today and the ground was very soft underfoot. we played a small sided possesion game, and then added two goals + proper goalkeepers into the field. it was a 40x30 field and involved a lot of shooting and was pretty good fun. after that i jumped in with some of the younger guys and played a possession match with them. was a good session

[santic121]

14/06/13
Had a good day today, woke up around 10am had a big breakfast and did some last minute revision of my notes for my first exam. needed to get 50% to pass the course and walked out knowing i should easily get that which was a great relief. In the afternoon i had a couple of beers and went fishing in a new spot with my mate. didnt get any bites for a long time untill i finally hooked up to a monster jewfish, i battled the guy for 45minutes and was within metres of pulling him ashore when the unthinkable happened and my line snapped. was pretty gutted about losing him, but was a good battle none the less.

15/06/13
Game Day! Was goalkeeping for our third grade side again, we where playing on a very poor pitch which made it hard to play an decent football. i made a couple of easy saves in the first half, the second half started poorly when we conceded a penalty due to a poor referreing mistake. i guessed the right side and had the penalty covered until it took a massive bobble on the ground and bounced over my hand, was pretty dissappointed. we kept pressing in the game and i made a couple of great saves to keep us in it but eventually we lost 1-0 as we just couldnt score.
Had a bit of a break then kitted up for first grade, we where playing some good football until our other center backs pass got intercepted on route to the goalkeeper, their striker finished the chance and we went 1-0 down. we kept playing football and 10mins later we where given a penalty through a handball. I stepped up for the second time in two weeks and calmly slotted it to draw us level 1-1. with 5mins left in the half, some neat one touch passing put our left winger through on goal and dispatched the chance and we went into half time 2-1 up. two minutes into the second half and a poor pass from their center backs gave our striker a wonderful chance to go 3-1 up, unfortunatly we missed it. from there it was a series of just unfortunate events for us. We gave away a penalty for a stupid challenge in the box which they scored from, and two minutes later our defender was tripped from behind and fell on the ball. instead of giving us a free kick, the ref gave the other team a penalty as he said our defender had hand balled it in the box. they scored from this to go up 3-2. we had a couple more half chances that we just couldnt score from, and with ten minutes left i had to be substituted as i strained my hamstring. The game finished 3-2 and we again had to face another defeat

16/06/13
The hamstring kept me up for a large portion of the night, so i spent all day icing it and attending to my other wounds. Feeling very sore and tired today, have a swollen right ankle that is bruising up, my hamstring which hopefully wont keep me out next week and a couple other knocks on my body. This weeks focus will just be on rehabilitating my body and hopefully getting me right for the weekend

17/06/13
today was spent with my head in the books, and my leg on ice / compression bandages. wasnt a very fun day, but has been fairly productive.

[santic121]

18/06/13 - 24/06/13
Well its pretty much rained non stop down here. Hamstring has still been very sore and have had it compressed and on ice for the past 10 days. finished my last uni exam and have a couple weeks off which im really looking forward to. Havent really done anything besides studying.

25/06/13
The rain had held off long enough for us to get a training session in at the ground. it was my first session back, had a very thorough warm up and did most things around 50-60% can still feel a slight bit of strain when pushing a bit harder so i just took it easy. We did some technical stuff like one touch passing, side foot volleys, controlling with thighs and chest and then passing and some headers. after that we swapped to a small 4v4 game with tiny goals. was good to have a hit out but was also frustrating as i didnt want to stretch out to much. Was good to have a couple of miles in the legs though.

26/06/13
Today it flooded down, was working so it wasnt that depressing. Then went out with the boys and had a couple of beers as we watched the state of origin.

27/06/13
Woke up feeling pretty good today, unfortunately it was still raining heavily and training was cancelled around lunch time so i headed to the gym. Got in a decent upper body workout but didnt do anything my legs. The hamstring strain is feeling a lot better and i would say im back to 90% but still havent tested it out and didnt want to put any extra pressure on it at the gym. Routine was as follows
BP 60kg 5x5
bentover rows 55kg 3x8
OHP DB 20kg per hand 3x8
wide grip pull ups 3x8
dips 3x8
and finished with a bit of core work. was a good hit out but i have lost so much strength not being at the gym for a long time. need to start implementing some upper body work into my routines.

28/06/13
The weather had stopped raining for an hour and a mate and i decided to take the canoe out. had it strapped to the car and 1km from the water when the heavens decided to open again. we waited in the car for 15mins to see if it would slow down but it only got heavier. so we called it a day and headed home pretty disappointed. Hopefully we can go do some fishing over the weekend but its looking like doom and gloom all the way through till wednesday

[Musketdude]

Since your into soccer training, just wanted to let you know that I always check out this website before I buy any products relating to Soccer Training. The reviews seem to go into detail, and I like some of the free fitness tips on there. I especially like the review that’s on Epic Soccer Training, since the owner explains all the modules in length and detail mycornerz.com/home , which is great if you’re thinking of getting a Soccer training system.

[santic121]

29/07/13
Today it rained, that was about it

30/07/13
Today it rained, soccer was called off and i did some stretching for my hamstring

1/07/13
Worked and stared at the rain

2/07/13
First day not raining in while, had a slow 5km jog, hamstring still very tender

3/07/13
Woke up with my hamstring incredibly tight, put ice on it and lazed around

4/07/13
It felt a bit better today, but not by much.

5/07/13
went for a slow jog and the hamstring pulled up pretty well, still a 50/50 about whether ill play on the weekend.

06/07/13
Had work and went for a fish, caught a couple little bream but nothing worth keeping

07/07/13
Game day today, kitted up and warmed up fairly well, could feel it getting tighter and 15mins in to the game had to be subbed due to not being able to generate any power. really annoyed that its taking as long as it is, will be seeing a physio hopefully on tuesday or wednesday.

[santic121]

08/07/13 - 15/07/13
Basically just did rehab for my hamstring, only strained rather then a tear which was some good news.

16/07/13
Had a light training session and the leg felt good, speed is back up to 75-80% and could generate some power. still icing it after every session but its feeling a lot better

17/07/13
Rehab and building strength in my leg. consists of stretches and very light weight movements.

18/07/13
Had a training session today and am back up to 90% speed. feeling pretty good and will be able to play on the weekend.

19/07/13
stretching and icing my hamstring in preperation for tomorrow.

20/07/13
Game day! i played in midfield today and was quite lost at times. i knocked the ball around fairly well but we didnt really create anything in the attacking third. had a shot that hit the post and that was the closest our team came to scoring. The leg felt great however and the injury is pretty much completely gone.

21/07/13
Woke up at 4am and drove down to the snow with my girlfriend for the week. hit the slopes around 1pm and had got back into skiing, was my first time skiing for five years but it didnt take long before i was parallel skiing again.

22/07/13
Had heaps of snow fall in the last 24 hours and we made the most of it today. went high and hit pockets of fresh powder all day.

23/07/13
Had another 15cm of snow overnight so we got out there early and had a blast smashing through the powder. Legs feeling great and love spending some quality time with the girlfriend.

24/07/13
Hit the slopes for the first half of the day then headed to a small terrain park for some jumps and boxes. Was great fun.

25/07/13
Did the same as yesterday, made the most out of the groomed runs in the morning then headed to the terrain park. landed my first 180 and 180 grab which i was very happy about. landed my first rail as well which was awesome.

26/07/13
had a half day at the snow. hit up a couple of jumps and a couple of long runs as well. both our bodies are getting quite sore after skiing for 6days straight.

27/07/13
Today i rested, my calves are quite tight but the rest of my body is feeling pretty good. looking forward to soccer tomorrow

28/07/13
Game day! Woke up feeling pretty good, still a little bit sore from skiing but other then that i was great. we started the game out really well and created quite a few great chances, we hit the post three times and where on top of them before they scored a scrappy goal when our keeper made a silly mistake. we continued to play good football and created another couple great chances, however we hit the post two more times before they scored on the counter and the game finished 2-0. Was very dissappointing to lose the match, especially when they had two shots to our dozen or so. but that has been how our season has been going. Body is feeling very run down but no injuries which is a bonus after the past 3 months.

29/07/13
My body feels absolutely wrecked today, i have zero energy and just feel lethargic. Its also my first day back at uni for the second semester which is great :-/ nothing is injured but just allover soreness. will do some stretching in the evening and get the foam roller out to try and alleviate some discomfort.

[ferrarotti]

Football is a sport of fitness.

[santic121]

30/07/13
feeling a lot better, had a light training session as a lot of us are nursing bruises and little niggles. did some ball work and close control and that was about it.

31/07/13
Went to the gym and did a light weight upper body work out to start building a strength foundation for over the summer.

1/08/13
Had training today and it was a good physical hit out. started with some close quarter control, moved to some speed work mixed with interval training and finished with some attacking formations and build up play. was something different and pretty fun.

02/08/13
Just worked today and chilled out after it. not much to write about.

03/08/13
Went canoe fishing for 6 hours. paddled around 12km, caught a couple of keepers which went straight onto the frying pan when we got home.

04/08/13
Game Day! today we played a 4-4-2 formation and we started the game very well, we knocked the ball around and created multiple chances. however as is our form this season, we just couldn't find the back of the net. we hit the crossbar on three separate occasions. we saw out the game well defensively with them not really having a notable chance, but we just couldn't muster anything in attack and we had another 0-0 draw.

05/08/13
Feeling pretty good, not notably sore so went for a 7km jog in the morning and hit the books for the rest of the day.

06/08/13
Our reserve grade team was playing a catchup match tonight and they where short on numbers, so i filled in and sat on the bench. i got on for the last 15minutes and had a bit of a run around but didnt really have to do anything. so when that finished i knocked out a late night run which was around 8km. wasnt a very good time, but was nice to turn the legs over.

07/08/13
worked today and did some stretches and that was it.

08/08/13
It has bucketed down with rain here all day and training was called off. we went down to the ground and had a chat about what we needed to do on the weekend and had a laugh with the boys.

09/08/13
got very very drunk today at a mates party. was a crazy night and will hurt tomorrow.

10/08/13
Head isnt feeling too bad so went out canoe fishing with my mate, covered close to 10km and caught a couple nice sized fish for dinner.

11/08/13
Game day! Finally we got our first win of the season with only three rounds left. We created many chances this game and defended courageously, with 5minutes left to go in the game, our left back whipped in a great cross and our substitute striker finished with a header. we dominated the game and should have won 4-0 but we will take the victory, had a few beers afterwards to celebrate.

12/08/13
Pretty sore today, got a couple of nice bruises but otherwise feeling good. hit the books in the morning and then went for an afternoon fish on the beach, caught a couple smaller rock cods but nothing worth taking home which was disappointing, but was nice to stretch the legs and have a chat with a good mate.

[santic121]

13/08/13 - 2/09/13
Tays have been moving very quickly with uni in full swing. been hitting the books hard and havent had much time for anything else. still training for soccer every tuesday / thursday and playing every sunday but thats about it. looking forward to some downtime in the next week and then start to ramp up my training / uni even more.

[santic121]

3/09/13-14/09/13 - For some reason i have been qualified to play for our third grade team in the semi finals. this came as a pretty big shock as i was set to enjoy some time recovering from little niggles then start hitting the weights. but it is also great fun playing with these guys and we play some good football in patches. We won our first game in the home and away semi final series 1-0. i had a pretty good game at the back and enjoyed it. however i wasn't there for the following weekend as i had planned and booked a weekend away with the girlfriend. fortunatly the boys came through in penalties 4-3. so we are headed to the grand final. Training has consisted of shooting drills and small sided games. not much fitness work has taken place as we want everyone to be injury free. Looking forward to the grand final and hopefully avenging last seasons defeats.

[santic121]

We won the grand final on penalties 4-2. a great result for the boys and everyone was incredibly happy with the performance.
A week later i was playing a pick up game of soccer and tore the top of my calf muscle and some damage to the knee. fortunately the knee wasnt too badly damaged and i didnt need any surgery. However i have been told i cant do any strenuous activities on my leg for 6-8 weeks. I have been going to the gym and been doing upper body, but it is frustrating being injured.

Hoping to go for my first run on the 19/11/13, ill be taking it easy till then and cannot wait for this injury to be over so i can get some miles in the legs and be ready for pre season.

[santic121]

Went to the gym and did upper body again today
BP 72.5kg 5x5
OHP 20kg per hand 3x8
WG/PU 3x8
Dips 3x8
60kg bent over rows 3x8
Was a decent session and was pretty happy with how i was moving. i went and then did 10mins of cardio on a bike. the knee and calf felt good and there isn't any soreness today under the knee / top of the calf so thats a really good sign. ill hopefully go again on saturday and do some weights and hopefully knock out half an hour on the bike to start my legs up again.

Feeling a bit nervous about the 19th as it will be the first kick of a soccer ball i have had in 2 months. i just hope my leg feels good afterwards and i can finally start putting this injury behind me.

[santic121]

18/11/13
My calf is starting to feel a lot better and even managed to do some lightweight lower body stuff at the gym today which was great
BP 75kg 5x5
OHP 20kg 3x8
WG/PU 3x8
Dips 3x8
DL 60kg 3x5
Cleans 60kg 3x5

Felt pretty good and did a little bit of cardio as well.

19/11/13
The rain has been smashing down and the light kick around has been changed to next week which properly suits me better. So i went to the gym today and did a cardio session on the bike. Still havent done any km's running, but the lower impact of the bike feels a lot better on the calf. did 40mins today, apparently burnt 500 calories. was a good effort and was sweating a lot at the end of it.

[santic121]

20/11/13
Hit up the gym today and got in a pretty good session, leg is still feeling strong so i upped my leg workout up a little bit. Today was a PULL day
Cleans 55kg 2x5 60kg 3x5
DL 60kg 1x5, 70kg 1x5, 80kg 1x5, 90kg 1x5, 100kg 1x3, 110kg 1x3
Bentover rows 60kg 3x8
WG/PU 3x8
Seated rows 60kg 3x8

Was a good session and glad to see im getting a bit of strength back into my legs.

21/11/13
quite sore today and had a big three days at the gym so i took a rest day. My calf is still feeling strong, but behind the knee has been a little bit of a niggle.

[santic121]

had been getting stronger in the legs, was doing some running and feeling a lot better. however on the 3 / 12 / 13 i got into a bad tackle at soccer and tore my MCL luckily that was the only damage done to my knee. it does mean however that i cant do any training for 6 weeks, pretty shattered about that, going to ease back into it and hope to put this injury behind me as quickly as possible.

[santic121]

6/12/13
Can almost put the majority of my weight on my leg, still having to hop everywhere and im getting real tired of it. hoping to be able to walk slowly tomorrow. will do some rehab exercises in the pool this afternoon and hope that it helps.

[TheNino17]

what would you suggest to get better ball control and to beat a defender?

[santic121]

what would you suggest to get better ball control and to beat a defender?

For better ball control, doing simple dribbling techniques will help a lot. set up a small dribble course and practice different moves and techniques, slowly up the pace as you get better.

Juggling the ball gets you better at ball control as you get used to how different parts of your body respond to the pressure you place on it. Alternatively find a wall, kick the ball at it and control the rebound, mix it up with different heights. then when you are proficient at it, try a one touch turn with the control.

As for the beating the defender, it will depend on how fast and strong you are. if you clearly out match him, just put the ball into space and run past him / muscle him off the ball. if it is a bit closer, get some close control dribbling, make him put his leg in for a challenge, tap the ball to the side away from him and then accelerate as he is off balance. There are step overs and other moves you can do to help him get off balance and commit to the wrong direction, then you need to capitalize on the half a second of space.

[santic121]

Been a little bit over three weeks since my MCL injury, recovery isn't going as quick as i had hoped. still cant fully extend my knee and while i can weight bear fully on it, it is still causing quite a bit of discomfort and pain if i move it a certain direction. Hoping the time off over christmas where i wont be working or doing any sort of strenuous movement on it will help it a lot.

The ball of my right foot has become bruised because its taking all of the weight which makes walking even more fun.

Despite all this im trying to stay positive. I am coaching third grade next year which im really looking forward to, its a bit of an honour to be asked, especially at my age and the fact that i will be playing first grade as well. im looking forward to the challenge and its helped keep my mind off of my injury.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great christmas and New years. Ill update this again around the 4th / 5th of January when i will start doing upper body in the gym again.

[ROKR14]

What are your goals, soccer-related? Do you play recreationally only or are you looking at trying out for a bigger league?

[santic121]

What are your goals, soccer-related? Do you play recreationally only or are you looking at trying out for a bigger league?

Further down the road i would like to try my hand at a full time professional contract over in England. However with Uni i wont be able to attempt that till im around 27 years old.
At the moment i am playing casually, i guess you could classify semi professional as i am getting paid to play, but its not a significant amount. I would also love to get into coaching once i have retired, its something i enjoy. the management side really does appeal to me and something i would like to do in the future.

As for now, i am still in recovery mode with my knee. can fully extend it which is a bonus, but cant do anything else, still walking with a noticable limp and starting rehab exercises on it in a few days time.

[santic121]

Well im 5 weeks into my MCL injury on my knee, another three and i can hopefully start running again.

This week has consisted of finally getting back into the gym and doing some upper body training. i have also started doing swimming for my knee.

Next week i start up on the bike and hopefully begin to build some strength in my knee. Looking forward to running again and cant wait for this injury to be over.

I am also coaching this year and have started training the boys, i will be coaching the third grade and is a challenge im really looking forward to.

[santic121]

recovery is going slow but well i suppose, knee is feeling stronger and i have been to the gym a bit for some upper body exercises. jumped on the bike at the gym for the first time and did a light 30min ride, the knee felt ok afterwards, so hopefully that continues.

Been doing a bit of swimming, its been going ok and the leg feels stronger each time i hop out. just have to keep putting the time in and let it heal. its incredibly frustrating but hopefully it comes back at 100% before the season starts in 3 months and i dont miss a game. until then there isn't a lot more i can do then focusing on my recovery.

[santic121]

Well recovery is going well, have started doing a few km's on the bike which is good. knee is feeling stronger and walking has become a lot easier.

Still quite a way to go but good to finally start seeing some progress

[santic121]

Big bump and update since i havent posted here for quite some time. Quick update on where my recovery and rehab is at.

My knee is around 70% i have started training with the boys at soccer and am starting to put some strength into it again, i have made a few tackles and can kick the ball ok on it, haven't put any large pressures on it yet, but its progressing.

After my knee became pretty much fine to run on with some strapping to support it, i completed a half marathon. It was my first run in 20 weeks and was done in a terrible time of 2:33:00 I am just glad that i managed to complete it.

I am hoping to play my first game of the season in about 3-4 weeks time. need to do a bit more work on the knee to build up my confidence in moving in shorter directions and making tackles, but i am hoping to start firing at close to 100% again shortly.

Ill start doing updates again every several days.