Good Luck this Holiday Season!

Many girls basketball teams across the land will be playing in games during the holiday season! I wanted to wish you all the best of luck and hope you all play each game aa if it were your last! Enjoy time with family, friends, teammates and coaches! Ill be keeping track of high school girls basketball, NCAA basketball abd of course the NBA .

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Coach Sykes

sheCANball Apparel Coming Soon!

Do you know a young girl who has truly shown the potential to be a great basketball player?  Do you know a star MVP player on your team who has showcased leadership qualities both on the court and off the court? Do you know a player who should be rewarded for improving a certain skill? Do you know a player who should be recognized as a player?  Our New Apparel Line is the perfect gift for ANY basketball player.

We're excited to share our new Apparel for sheCANball. These Apparel items will feature our sheCANball logo with a basketball emphasis for Basketball season! Our Apparel store will Launch soon! We will release the date during our next blog! Be on the look out for a secret code word for a special deal on our Apparel.

sheCANball T-shirts, Hoodies, Crew Necks, Tank Tops and more are perfect gifts for

Young girl basketball players, junior high school players, girl high school basketball players, Womens Leagues basketball players,  Most improved awards, Most Valuable Player Awards, Player of the Week Awards, All Team Awards, Participation Prizes, Tournament Prizes, League Prizes, Championship Prizes, Christmas Gifts, Birthday Gifts, Graduation Gifts, Encouragement Gifts, Holiday Gifts and many more reasons to give a girl a shirt that shows the world that sheCANball. It's fun and exciting to give!

Im excited and cant wait till the next time... keep ballin girl, the games not over yet! Coach Sykes sheCANball.com

It's Basketball Season!

It's officially Basketball Season! Teams across the land are now able to practice, train, and play scrimmages or pre-season games and regular season games. The NBA has set the tone as the WNBA starts in May, yet Junior High Schools,  High Schools, Junior Colleges, Universities and most Euro leagues begin in the fall. It's an exciting time of year as many have gone through the steps of getting to this point. Whether it was condition, trying out, working on mistakes, building grades or simply making it to the next round the season is here and if you made it, Great! If not don''t quit keep practicing and try again next year.

Okay so you have turned in your physical, you have officially made the team, you have a minimum of a 2.0 gpa, and you can now focus on a new venture. OFFICIAL PRACTICE. Practice now has a different tone. You are learning plays, new drills, and learning game situations. You probably have played some 5 on 5 before but now you are learning the coaches way of leading your team to winning some games, if not all.

This is the time you find out where you fit on the team and how the coaching staff will utilize you. This is the time where you ask questions, step up and be involved in drills, go hard, and work towards getting a chance to play in a game this season. This is the time that coaches look at your attitude, your improvement and your skill development for your position. Here are a few tips that will help you get on the court this season.

1. Practice like you're in a real game. You want to go hard in practice so that playing in a game is simple not matter the competition level. If you are lazy in practice it will show in your games and the struggles you may run into. If you set your mind to play like your playing against the toughest teams or players you will not only make yourself better but your teammates better as well.

2. First in Last Out. Begin coming to practice earlier and be on the floor shooting, warming up, stretching, jump roping etc to get. You don't want to rush into practice without warming up, working on things on your own and just getting the mindset early to have a great practice.  The same with rushing in, you don't want to be the first person rushing out the door. Stay a while longer, shoot around some more, go over in your head or even with your coach or teammates what you just learned in practice. There is nothing better than extra practice and If all your doing is running home to watch some tv then you need to rethink your commitment to becoming a better athlete.

3. Have leader qualities. If you showcase qualities of being a leader your coaching staff and teammates will recognize that and will be in your best interest to have you on the court because you are a motivator, work hard, and push your teammates to be better. Please take note that I am not trying to get you to be "better"than anyone or "bossy". I mean reminding your teammates to not talk while the coach is talking, or clapping for all your teammates, saying "Great Job ladies"and being a vocal presence on the court. Work hard in all the drills, hustle, hustle hustle ( Coaches really love hustlers! )

4. Have FUN!! Through this all you want to enjoy the game. Have fun! Give your teammates high fives, smile, be happy even while losing encourage your teammates to keep trying down to the last second. People will recognize our enthusiasm and support for your team.

These tips are just a few ways to get your coaching staff and teammates to notice your excitement for the game and it will become contagious. It's time to play ball and you can work your positive magic and enjoy this beautiful game of basketball.

Have a comment? Leave one below!
Im excited and cant wait till the next time... keep ballin girl, the games not over yet! Coach Sykes sheCANball.com

Staying healthy

Hey ladies! I wanted to give a few tips about staying healthy when it comes to playing a sport, ANY sport. Here are a few great tips to staying in shape all year long!

Eating Healthy- I''m sure you have heard this all over the television, in magazines and on the internet. Yes its true, eating a good serving of fruits and veggies is essential to having a healthy diet. Good carbs are great to have as well especially 2-4 hours before practice and a game. Eating foods like pasta will help boost your energy naturally! Fruits are always great, but remember to eat fruits on an empty stomach so that you can absorb all of the nutrients, other wise burgers and other fatty foods will just make those fruits sit on top and you wont get the good stuff.  Please be weary that NOT eating enough or Eating too much will most certainly affect your ability to play hard and focus. So eat right and always DRINK PLENTY OF WATER OR Sports drinks!

Exercise- Although playing a sport is great exercise by its self, running , push ups, sit ups and even weight work outs will keep you strong and healthy as well. Be sure to consult a doctor and often times a trainer before you go off and do these great work outs. You certainly don't want to hurt yourself and want to make sure your body can handle all of the pressure that extra working out can put on your body.

Stretching- A good stretch is key to preventing injuries. When you stretch your muscles you make them long and flexible, so when you make certain moves on the court your body will be able to handle the different angles that your bones and muscles may go in. Women are prone to having tears in their knees more often than men because of the structure of a woman's hips and body in general. So please be sure to get a good stretch in for approximately 12-15 seconds for each stretching move. Always warm up before you stretch and be sure to stretch after practice, after you work out and after a game. You will ease the tightness that your muscles will make when you stretch and will prevent soreness later on down the line.

Yoga- Yoga is a great way to stay healthy both for your body and your mind. Some may think that yoga is easy but its not as easy as it looks. If you are able to take some yoga classes I encourage you to do so. You may also look online for some beginner yoga moves that will stretch muscles that you never knew you had. Again stretching is essential for the prevention of injuries!





Swimming - Swimming is one exercise / sport that works out every single muscle in your body, from your lungs, to your legs to your brain. Swimming is also great for the prevention or healing of injuries as it has less stress on the body versus running on concrete or working out in the gym. There are many athletes that choose swimming over other types of exercises, and they do it daily for a few hours. If you have access to a pool and can swim 10 -20 laps a day you will be in great shape after some time.

                                                                          Join a gym- If you are able to join a gym and get training from an expert then I suggest that you do.It may be a bit costly but it is well worth it to have someone who is trained to show you the proper way to lift weights and give you advice on other ways to strengths your body and prepare you for some hard core playing. You can join name brand gyms such as 24-hour fitness or LA fitness or you can go to your local YMCA or find other small gyms in your area. Its always best to have access to fitness equipment and of course consult a doctor before going to any gym.  You can even get a good workout from video games such as Wii fit or Kinect games on XBox 360. Staying active will do the trick!

Preventing injuries- Injuries happen, from a tweaked ankle to a torn acl. Sometimes injuries just can't be avoided. For instance if you fall on top of someone or are elbowed in the face and suffer from a busted lip.. Just member to play hard but play safe. No one can take your hustle away from you, but it you can try to stay away from running into other players or jumping into chairs or stepping on someones shoes then try your hardest to play safe. If you do wind up becoming injured please consult a physician IMMEDIATELY! Always follow your recovery program and rest as often as possible. When you are able to get back up and work out, be sure to take your time and dont over strain your injury. Not recovering 100% can lead to even worse injuries and CAN stop the healing process and keep you off the court longer than you want.

These are just a few tips, I suggest you research more on great ways to stay healthy. Of course staying away from drugs, tobacco, alcohol and fried or some fatty foods will be your first step.

Pingates
www.HyperSmash.com

My Coach is Picking on Me!

Have you ever had the notion that your coach was picking on you, yelled at you more than your other teammates, had to run extra for no apparent reason or picked you out of the bunch to demonstrate but it makes you feel like they are attacking you? Well I have a secret, they aren't.

If a coach is paying extra attention to you, it is highly likely that they see something in you that you don't. They also want to make you a coachable player, meaning you most likely have a certain type of attitude towards the team, coach or even yourself that reflects that you don't have the time or capacity to listen  to or believe in anyone. Most coaches used to be players and they know what it takes to make it to the next level. They generally want to push you to your maximum limit and train you to be prepared for the best. 

I remember a time when I despised my coach. I felt like she always want to make an example out of me, or make me feel like I was being punished for not being as good as my teammates. After time, alot more ups and downs with not only my coaching staff, teammates but myself as well, I began to understand that my coach was only trying to get me to stop being so negative, clear my head and focus on basketball, especially when I am on the court.

A poor attitude will definitely get you extra attention and often times its not going to be good attention. If you focus that negative attitude into positive and keep your head up after a missed shot, or run the extra suicide because your coach knows you CAN! Never limit yourself, always know that you WILL get better, especially after lots and lots of practice. Here are a few things to remember.

• Your attitude = your attention - a positive attitude will bring positive attention
• Everyone misses shots- Never get down on yourself for that ever!
• Hustle changes your game-  Every coach appreciates a player who hustles. 
• Focus on listening and learning-  Trust me, YOU DO NOT KNOW EVERYTHING. Listen and learn.