Ethan dribbling a basketball on an outdoor court, wearing a knee strap

Ethan's story

Osgood took the game away. I wanted it back.

Portrait of Ethan wearing his Division 1 representative cricket cap

Div 1 school basketball · Div 1 rep cricket · Junior basketball coach

Meet Ethan

I was 12 when Osgood started getting in the way of the sports I loved.

I'm Ethan.

Sport has always been a massive part of my life.

I play Division 1 school basketball, I've represented my school in basketball and cricket, and I've played Division 1 representative cricket for Manly.

Then Osgood started getting in the way.

I didn't want to just sit on the sidelines. I wanted to get back to basketball and cricket.

Every morning at breakfast I rated my knee from 0 to 10, so I could see how it had recovered overnight.

I started by doing my routine every day — foam rolling and seated quad holds — and keeping my sport light. Then I added stretching, glute work and Workouts, and built things up from there.

It wasn't a straight line. My pain went up and down early on. I played my first cricket match back in Week 4, and at the start of Week 7 I played my first full basketball game, then a full cricket game later that week.

I'm still growing, so I haven't stopped looking after my knee. On every day I train or play, I foam roll.

Going through Osgood taught me a lot about managing my knee, training and what my body could handle.

That experience is what inspired I Beat Osgood.

Ethan isn't a doctor or physio. He's an athlete who's been through it — and he demonstrates every exercise.

Off the court, too

More than a basketball player. A passion for helping others.

Ethan has always loved basketball. As a Division 1 school basketball player, he knows how much sport means to young athletes.

His passion goes beyond playing. Ethan coaches a junior basketball team and helps younger children with the fundamentals — shooting, footwork and ball skills — so they build confidence and find their own love of the game.

When Osgood-Schlatter stopped him playing fully, he found out first-hand how frustrating knee pain can be. Through his recovery he documented the exercises he did, tracked his pain and recorded his gradual return to basketball.

Now he wants to share that journey with other young athletes and their families — and help them feel more positive about their own.

Ethan's coaching is basketball coaching. He isn't a physiotherapist or medical professional — he's sharing his own experience.

Ethan holding a basketball with younger players at an indoor court — Sharing his love of basketball. Ethan enjoys coaching younger players, helping them develop their skills, confidence and passion for the game.

Ethan mid-air in his bowling delivery stride during a Division 1 representative cricket match

Div 1 rep cricket

Ethan's basketball team in a huddle during a game

Div 1 school basketball

Ethan holding a championship shield after his representative cricket team won

Competing again

Ethan's journey

From the sidelines
back to sport.

Weeks 1–201
Settle
Did my routine every day and kept sport light — some dribbling and shooting, then modified training and batting practice. My pain went up and down.
Week 302
Move
Added stretching and my first Workouts. Tested my running, kept shooting and batting — and had my birthday with friends.
Week 403
Strengthen
Played my first cricket match back — batting and fielding, but not bowling yet.
Week 504
Train
My first full week with every routine check at 0/10. Kept up basketball training and batting.
Week 605
Build & Load
Longer basketball sessions and more batting practice.
Week 706
Full Games
Played my first full basketball game since Osgood at the start of the week — a bit sore that night — then my first full cricket game later that week, bowling two overs. Kept up my strengthening with two Workouts.
Week 807
Stay in the Game
Back playing basketball and cricket — 0/10 all week. I'm still growing, so I keep foam rolling on every day I train or play.

Ethan bowling in a Division 1 junior representative cricket match

I never stopped doing
what I loved.

I adjusted how I trained, listened to my knee and kept working towards getting back into full games.

By Week 7, I was competing again.

Basketball. Cricket.

— Ethan

That was Ethan's individual experience. Every athlete and every knee is different.

From Ethan's handwritten logs

My eight-week journey.

Ethan rated his knee every day — at breakfast, then before and after his after-school routine. It wasn't a straight line — his pain went up and down for the first few weeks before he gradually built back to full games.

Week 1 · Settle

Daily routine every day. Gentle activity only — some basketball dribbling and shooting. Pain went up and down.

Green zone 0–3 Red zone 4–10

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

These are Ethan's personal pain records from his eight-week journey in 2025. They show his individual experience and are not a prediction of how another athlete will progress.

Week by week

Before Week 1
Before the program: a painful cricket trial
Before starting, Ethan played in a representative cricket trial. His knee pain reached about 5/10, and bowling and fielding were difficult.
Pain noted: About 5/10 during the trial
Week 1
Settle
Daily routine every day. Gentle activity only — some basketball dribbling and shooting. Pain went up and down.
Week 2
Settle
Modified basketball training, shooting and batting practice — still no full games.
Week 3
Move
Testing his running, shooting drills, batting practice — and a birthday with friends.
Milestone16 September 2025
Testing my running again
By Week 3, I was testing how my knee felt when I ran faster. This was one of the steps I took as I worked towards getting back to sport.
Original footage · 16 September 2025
Personal milestone21 September 2025
Back to having fun with friends
Mini golf, tenpin bowling and laser tag with friends for his birthday. The family recalls his knee stayed within his Green Zone (0–3).
“On 21 September, I celebrated my birthday with my friends. We played mini golf, tenpin bowling and laser tag. I was still working on my knee, but I was able to enjoy the day while staying within my green zone.”
Week 4
Strengthen
Backyard layups, a 4-on-4 at training — and his first cricket match back.
Milestone27 September 2025
My first cricket match back
On 27 September, I returned to cricket. I was able to bat and field, but I wasn't bowling yet. It felt great to be back on the field, even though I was still managing my knee.
A return to modified match participation — batting and fielding, no bowling. A separate note that day records 30 minutes of batting at about 2/10.
Week 5
Train
Basketball training and batting practice. His first full week with every routine check at 0/10.
Every reading — breakfast, before and after his routine — was 0 — that doesn't mean every sporting activity was pain-free.
Week 6
Build & Load
Longer basketball sessions and batting with his coach. Routine checks stayed at 0/10.
Week 7
Full Games
His first full basketball and cricket games since Osgood, plus cricket training and swimming — plus two strengthening Workouts.
Shown by day — the start date of this week's log sheet wasn't recorded.
MilestoneDay 1
Back to playing full basketball games
At the start of Week 7, I played my first full basketball game since Osgood. My knee wasn't completely symptom-free, and I still felt some pain that evening, but getting back on court was a huge milestone.
That day also included basketball training and PE at school.
MilestoneDay 6
First full cricket game
Ethan played his first full cricket game since Osgood — and he bowled two overs.
Week 8
Stay in the Game
By Week 8, Ethan was back playing basketball and cricket. His structured strengthening Workouts had finished, and he continued foam rolling and monitoring his knee. He recorded 0/10 at breakfast and before and after his routine throughout the week.
Milestone
Still growing, still foam rolling
Ethan's daily routine was foam rolling only. He's still growing, so he hasn't stopped: today he foam rolls on every day he trains or plays. Every athlete is different — whether to keep strengthening after returning to sport is an individual decision.
Every reading — breakfast, before and after his routine — was 0 — that doesn't mean every sporting activity was pain-free.

Dates are shown where Ethan's logs record them. Ethan's full training log — every session, how long it lasted and how his knee felt — is inside the program, week by week.

In Ethan's words

Keep going, every day.

“I persevered day to day. Sometimes I didn't want to do it, but my mum kept pushing me to do it every day — and that's why I beat Osgood.”

Inside the program, Ethan also explains how he tracked his pain and what foam rolling felt like at the start.

Ethan leaping in the outfield, holding the ball up high after taking a catch

Back in the field

Hands up.
Ball in.

This is what it's all about — being out there with your team, doing the thing you love.

Ethan taking a catch.

What Osgood looked like

“I know how frustrating this is. I've been there too.”

Ethan isn't a doctor or a physio, and he doesn't pretend to be. He's a young athlete who experienced Osgood-Schlatter firsthand — and he'll be your training partner throughout the I Beat Osgood program.

The program brings together established exercises commonly used in strength, mobility and sports rehabilitation, alongside Ethan's own experience of managing Osgood-Schlatter. His journey involved guidance from his physiotherapist, close monitoring by his parents and consistent tracking of his symptoms and sporting activities.

The Green Zone (0–3/10) reflects the pain-monitoring approach Ethan followed and is consistent with the written advice he received from his physiotherapist.