Hi there,
It's been a quiet month here, following an ankle injury I picked up on 30th June. I turned it and over-stretched it at the same time, causing a possible torn ligament. So it's been a lot of rest, ice, compression and elevation for me (R.I.C.E.) since then.
So we took the opportunity to take a break from social media and focus on my recovery and getting fully fit again. That time has nearly come now, so I'm looking forward to getting back on the pitch soon!
After my injury I just had 3 more days left at school as we were finishing 2 weeks early, so that helped with my recovery, but did mean all the activities we had planned for the next 8 weeks have had to be cancelled or put on hold. On my last day of school we did a socially distanced sports day - I took part in a hopping race on my good foot !
I had my first proper haircut back at the barbers, following my Dad's previous grade 4 all-over job which my mum hated!
I've played a lot of Fortnite and I've been live streaming every Friday on my other YouTube channel, HenryTMC. Go check it out if you haven't already.
After the initial rest period, I started doing some gentle spinning on the spin bike which my mum bought when the gyms closed. This has come in very handy as it's kept my cardio fitness up and kept strength in my ankle whilst I haven't been able to run or even walk very far. I've also been doing some strengthening exercises using a stretch band which we found on YouTube. These have been excellent to keep strength in my ankle again, whilst not using it. Injuries mean the area around it can become weak if you're not able to use it. So it's important to tray and find an exercise which doesn't cause you pain but is keeping the area mobile and muscles/ligaments working. If not when you start training again, it can cause other injuries were the muscles/ligaments are weak.
The Premier League came to and end and Spurs limped to a 6th place finish. Our form wasn't too bad after the re-start but we lost too much ground early on in the season. The main aim was to qualify for European football to keep our best players, attract other top players and keep good revenue coming into the club for future investment and pay off our shiny new stadium ! However I won't be buying the new goalkeeper kit at £105 !!
I've been to get fitted for my new School uniform, bought the equipment I need for secondary school and had my eyes re-tested. They have improved, so my new glasses are almost clear ! They nearly didn't give my new ones as they said my prescription is so tiny. Hopefully in another year, that will be the case and I won't need to wear them any more.
I've been continuing with my old SAT book Maths & English tests to keep my mind sharp whilst not being at school. I've been out for a few bike rides and re-started some golf, just walking 3 or 4 holes whilst my ankle was still a bit painful. I've also played crazy golf a few times which is great fun. I went to an Aqua Splash venue this week with a couple of friends which was awesome, you must try it! See my instagram for some pictures from there.
My football team have re-started training which I've attended every week even though I wan't taking part at first. I've been increasing my goalkeeper work weekly and am about 80% fit now. I can jump, dive, block, etc. but I just need to regain my running speed. My team has a friendly on Sunday which I could play in but whilst I'm not 100% fi, it's not worth the risk of re-injury. I have a goalkeeper session booked for next Tuesday which I hope to complete, then training Thursday and another friendly on Sunday 9th which I aim to play in. It's a slow process but I've still been able to work on my catching, throwing, etc.
I'll be posting more on social media once I'm fully fit, but may well be less than before. I really want to focus on my goalkeeping development now in this U12 season and my first year at Grammar School.
See you soon,
Henry ⚽️👐🏼