Abstract:
An exercise apparatus including at least a first trapezoidally shaped portion, and a second trapezoidially shaped portion. In one embodiment, a plurality of trapezoidally shaped portions are provided. The trapezoidally shaped portions are arranged with respect to one another. The portions can be used to form curves or straight lines. Excercises are conducted by stepping into or on the trapezoidally shaped portions.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/058,570, filed on 1 Oct. 2014, and which application is incorporated herein by reference. A claim of priority is made. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    Various embodiments described herein relate to an exercise apparatus and a method for using the same. More specifically, the exercise apparatus relates to a training device used to drill football players such as grids used for agility training. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Athletes frequently will perform various drills to try and improve their physical performance. In many cases the drills used do not directly involve the sport for which the athlete is training. For example, many football trainers will spend time lifting weights to increase strength, but no one lifts weights during an actual football game. It is well known that many athletes will perform better when they develop certain skills. It is also true that specific drills can be utilized to develop particular skills and capabilities. 
         [0004]    Many athletes will use various drills to improve fundamental motion skills. One type of implement which can be used is an exercise ladder. Many different exercise ladders are available, and they can be used in a wide variety of drills to improve the agility, speed, coordination, balance, quickness and other traits of an athlete. In some cases, several tires can be set in a line, and an athlete will run through the tires while stepping in the middle hole as they progress. Alternatively, exercise ladders can be laid on a playing surface and the athlete will perform various drills while moving through the ladder. 
         [0005]    Generally, exercise ladders are one or two squares wide. These exercise ladders can be many squares long and they appear somewhat like a standard ladder with rungs lying on the ground. Exercise ladders can lie flat on the ground where they merely serve to mark a particular pattern on the playing surface, or alternatively they can be suspended at some distance above the ground. Frequently, when the exercise ladders are suspended the athlete, will be performing drills which encourage lifting the foot before each foot placement. 
         [0006]    There are a great many different types of drills which are possible with a simple exercise ladder device. Many of the drills aid an athlete to develop quick motion of the feet, improve coordination, and shorten start time. This can make an athlete quicker and more agile on their feet. For many sports, an athlete may try to increase the speed of the starting motion in any direction from where they are standing. The athlete may desire to begin moving quickly straight behind them or straight forward, or to the left or right, or anywhere in between. The athlete desires a quick start in any possible direction. 
         [0007]    One of the best ways to improve performance is to practice the desired motion. Practicing starting in every possible direction can aid an athlete in gaining a quicker start, regardless of the direction in which the athlete will be moving, in many sports, agility and quickness training is one aspect of an overall training program. It is not uncommon for exercise ladders to be used for agility and quickness training for a portion of a practice period, and then other drills and practice techniques are used for the rest of the practice period. 
         [0008]    Most of the patterns result in front to back motion of the feet or side to side motion of the feet. Such drills are somewhat limiting in the amount of benefit produced by the drill. Most of the ladders come in two forms. One form of ladder is a rope that lays on the ground or is slightly elevated from the ground. The rope is tied to form a ladder. Another form of ladder are squares of material. The squares are laid on a floor or on a field in a desired pattern. Several companies vary the shape from a square of material to octagonally-shaped material or hexagonally-shaped material. The squares, octagons, or hexagons include openings of sufficient size so a foot can be placed in the shape. Still, the various shapes are ladders that drill forward, backward, and side to side motions. 
         [0009]    Some of the shapes are made from light plastics. One disadvantage of light plastic ladder elements is that they are easily knocked out of a pattern. This can happen especially if an athlete misplaces a foot during a drill and strikes the light plastic ladder element. A further disadvantage of these ladder elements is that many times the element is kicked or otherwise moved and, because of the light weight, the plastic element rapidly accelerates and knocks out other “squares” in the pattern originally laid out. In some instances, one square bumps into one or more other “squares’ and sends them flying much like a cue ball hitting the racked balls at the start of a game of billiards. The “squares” go every which way. The drill has to be stopped while the squares are gathered and replaced into the pattern. This effect may be worse when the “squares” are actually hexagons or octagons since less material along a side is in contact with adjacent hexagons or octagons. With less material acting on the sides of the squares, the hexagons and octagons will be more likely to become displaced and more likely to knock out other ladder elements in a set pattern. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a top view of trapezoidally-shaped ladder element, according to an embodiment. 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a ladder element, according to an example embodiment. 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a kit that can be used to form an exercise ladder, according to an example embodiment. 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of another kit that can be used to form an exercise ladder, according to an example embodiment. 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an exercise ladder formed from trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements, according to an example embodiment. 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an exercise ladder formed from trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements, according to an example embodiment. 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a hurdle that can be used with the trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements, according to an embodiment. 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a top schematic view of a number of patterns made with the trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements, according to an embodiment. 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a number of shaped ladder elements placed side by side to form a curve, according to an embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    In the following paper, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the concepts underlying the described embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the underlying concepts. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a top view of trapezoidally-shaped ladder element  100 , according to an embodiment.  FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a ladder element  100 , according to an example embodiment. Now referring to both  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the trapezoidally-shaped ladder element  100  will be further detailed. The trapezoidally-shaped ladder element  100  includes a long base  110  and a short base  112 . The long base  110  is parallel to the short base  112 . The long base  110  is longer than the short base  112 . The trapezoidally-shaped ladder element  100  also includes a first side or lateral leg  120  and a second side or lateral leg  122 . In the embodiment shown, the first side or lateral leg  120  and a second side or lateral leg  122  are substantially equal in length. This is an isosceles trapezoid. The trapezoidally-shaped ladder element  100  need not be an isosceles trapezoid. It is fully contemplated that a trapezoidally-shaped ladder element  100  could have a first side or leg which is unequal to a second side or leg. This could be advantageous as this would increase the shapes that could be formed when at least two or more trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements  100  are placed together. 
         [0022]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the trapezoidally-shaped ladder element  100  is formed of a flexible material, such as rubber or similar material. The flexible material allows a ladder ( 500  or  600 , shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) to be formed over varying terrain. Each of the ladder elements  100  is formed as an independent piece. In other words, one ladder element  100  does not interlock or connect to the adjacent ladder element  100 . This allows one or move individual ladder elements to be kicked or moved out of place without affecting other ladder elements. If an athlete or other person using the training device would happen to contact an individual ladder element  100 , the individual ladder element and possibly some units adjacent thereto would just move. This could easily be fixed by a coach or other person. Since all the units forming the ladder are not interconnected, only a few of the ladder elements to move when one or more trapezoidally-shaped element  100  are displaced inadvertently. The ladder elements  100  that moved or were kicked out of position, can be picked up and placed to a desired position within a ladder formed. Thus, a formed ladder can be fixed quickly so that others can continue on with the drill or drills with minimal interruption. It should be noted that this is an advantage since there may be limited time on the field or in a practice facility. In that case, it is vitally important to keep the athletes moving so that all can be drilled on the skill. Less time will be wasted when compared to other systems which are all tied together. 
         [0023]    In one embodiment, the rubber material ranges in thickness from about 4 mm to about 10 mm. In another embodiment, the rubber material ranges in thickness from about 5.5 mm to about 8.5 mm 10 mm. In still another embodiment, the rubber material ranges in thickness from about 6.5 mm to about 7.5 mm 10 mm. In yet another embodiment, the rubber material is about 7 mm. The material is generally 12 mm to 40 mm in width. In other embodiments, the material is 20 to 30 mm wide. In still another embodiment, the width is around 25 to 26 mm. In another embodiment the width of the legs and bases is in the range of half of the ranges set forth above. The width could be anywhere from 13 to 19 mm. A trapezoid sized so that an athelete&#39;s foot fits within the trapezoid then has a weight so that it is light enough to move around and position easily into various patterns, and light enough so that a number of the trapezoidally ladder elements can be moved at once, such as in a gym bag or other equipment bag. The ladder so dimensioned is also high enough so that if contacted with the foot, the athlete will know that the foot placement was off. Advantageously, the ladder so dimensioned is heavy enough so that it will generally move slightly when contacted but will not move at rapid speed and dislodge a multitude of other pieces. When a trapezoidally shaped ladder element is moved, many less pieces will be effected and the piece or pieces can be repositioned with ease. In one embodiment, the the trapezoidally shaped ladder element weighs 1.2 lbs. In other embodiments, the the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements can weigh between 0.8 lbs to 1.8 lbs. Of course, this depends on the material used and the actual dimensions of the piece. This allows a trainer to carry 15 the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements easily as they would weigh between 12 lbs and 27 lbs. 
         [0024]    This is in contrast to a ladder formed of interconnected elements where contacting the ladder can ruin all or a majority of the ladder. Exercise systems that are interconnected so that the ladder is essentially one unit, require a much longer time to reposition. In addition, a ladder of light pieces in a pattern may fly apart if one is contacted. In either case, when many of the pieces of a ladder are bumped out of place more time is needed to reposition the pieces. This wastes time and prolongs the waiting time for an athlete to get back to the drill. 
         [0025]    In one embodiment, the trapezoid is formed with a first base that is 20″ long and a second base that is 13″ long. The legs or lateral sides of the trapezoid are also each 20″ long. Characterized in another way, the trapezoid is an isosocles trapezoid with sides equal in length. Some describe this as a 3-sides equal trapezoid. The first base can be in the range of 10″ to 16″, the second base can be in the range of 16″ to 24″ long. Of course the legs would have a similar range in this embodiment. The trapezoidally shaped ladder element does not have to be an isosocles trapezoid. In addition, it is contemplated that the dimensions can be varied such that the three sides are not necessarily equal. The two important factors are that the opening in the ladder element has to be sufficiently large to receive a users shoe or portion of a shoe. In addition, the shape must have a large enough angle so that the curve formed from laying a number of the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements forms a curve having a desired radius. If the radius is too long, the curve will be too gentle to be effective. If the radius of the curve formed is too short, the benefits are also limited. The advantage to the athlete is learning how to twist and accelerate. Ladder drills are really a series of stops and accelerations. When passing through a curve, the athlete must stay down in an athletic position. The drills around curves teach athletes how to twist and accelerate while staying in the athletic position. The drills help to develop the muscles necessary for this acceleration. In addition, the drills can be done on both the inside of the curve formed and on the outside of the curve formed. The movements on the outside will be much faster. So the athlete may begin on the inside curve and progress to the outside curve. 
         [0026]    The radius of the curve formed by placing the shaped ladder pieces adjacent one another is related to the angles associated with the trapezoid. The angle between the long base and one of the legs of the trapezoid is in the range from 0.72 to 82 degrees, in one embodiment. In another embodiment, the angle between the long base and one of the legs of the trapezoid is in the range from 0.75 to 79 degrees. In yet another embodiment, the angle is in the range of 76.5 to 77.5 degrees. In still another embodiment, the angle is substantially 77 degrees. Angles in the above ranges for a curve that is within a range where all the athletic benefits are gained. This also is an angle that is about right in terms of the amount of space needed to make the various patterns. 
         [0027]      FIG. 3  is a schematic view of a kit  300  that can be used to form an exercise ladder (shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ), according to an example embodiment. The kit  300  shown in  FIG. 3  includes a number or plurality of trapezoidally shaped elements  100 . The kit  300  can be supplemented with other kits at a later time. As shown in this embodiment, all the trapezoidally shaped elements  100  or approximately the same size and have approximately the same angles between the sides. Furthermore, the trapezoidally shaped elements  100  are all isosceles trapezoids. It should be noted that in other kits trapezoidally shaped elements of different sizes can be included. In addition, it should be noted that irregular or non-isosceles trapezoid&#39;s can also be included in a kit, such as kit  300 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of another kit  400  (shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 ) that can be used to form an exercise ladder, according to an example embodiment. The kit  400  includes a plurality of trapezoidally shaped elements  100  as well as a plurality of rectangularly shaped elements  410 . As shown in this embodiment, all of the trapezoidally shaped elements  100  are similarly shaped. All of the trapezoidally shaped elements are also isosceles trapezoids. It should be noted that irregular trapezoidally shaped elements can also be included as well as trapezoidally shaped elements that are of different sizes. This would allow for more flexibility in forming ladders or exercise ladders. As noted above, the kit also includes rectangularly shaped elements  410 . As shown, all of the rectangularly shaped elements  410  are of the same size. It should be noted that in other kits the rectangularly shaped elements  410  can have different shapes. For example, the rectangles could be larger or smaller, the rectangles could be square, or the rectangles maybe elongated. 
         [0029]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a hurdle  700  that can be used with the trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements  100 , according to an embodiment. The hurdle  700  includes a main body  710  that has a length about equal to or less than the length of the legs or lateral sides of the trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements  100 . The hurdle  700  also includes an anchor portion  720 . The anchor portion  720  is formed at an angle with respect to the plane of the main body  710  of the hurdle  700 . The anchor portion  720  and the main body can be formed so that the anchor portion  720  is at a fixed angle with respect to the main body  710 . In one embodiment, the fixed angle is substantially 90 degrees. In another embodiment, the anchor portion  720  and the main body  710  can be attached via a living hinge, especially if the hurdle is made from a plastic material. The hurdle can range in height from 1″ to 20″. In one embodiment the kit discussed above can have a single type of hurdle  700 . It is also contemplated that several hurdles having different heights could be included in a kit. The hurdles could be low, which would be 2-3″ high; medium, which would be 6_8″ high; and high, which would be 10-12″ high. Of course other different heights of hurdles could be placed in a kit. 
         [0030]    In operation, the anchor portion would be placed beneath one edge of the trapezoidally shaped portion, such as under one of the lateral legs or one of the bases. The portion of the ladder would hold the main body in an upright position for various drills where leg lifting to a desired height is desirable. Of course, some patterns have the lateral side of one ladder element abutting another lateral side of another ladder element. The hurdle  700  would be placed between the two trapezoidally shaped elements and the anchor portion  720  would be captured beneath one or the other of the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100 . The width of the anchor portion would be about equal to the width of one of the legs or bases of the trapezoidally shaped ladder element  100 . It could be wider as well. The anchor portion  720  should not be so wide that it would substantially occupy the open area of the trapezoidally shaped ladder element  100 . It is contemplated that the hurdle be made of a flexible plastic material that will yield when hit when the athlete fails to raise a foot high enough. Depending on the specific material selected for the hurdle  700 , the anchor portion  720  could present a slippery surface which could pose an unwanted safety hazard to the person being drilled. If the width is limited, the anchor portion  720  will be substantially covered by one of the legs or bases of the trapezoidally shaped element  100 . 
         [0031]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of an exercise ladder  500  formed from trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements  100 , according to an example embodiment. As shown, the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  can be arranged to form an S-shaped ladder  500 . The trapezoidally shaped ladder elements can be laid so that the elongated base of one element is substantially aligned with the short base of another trapezoidally shaped ladder element  100 . This can be continued for as long as a straight line ladder is desired. The trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  can be as positioned so that the short base of adjacent trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  are positioned proximate one another. When this is done, a curve or turn can be formed in the ladder element  100 . This is advantageous in that athletes or other people undergoing drills are taught to move around curves and the like. In addition, it is also an advantage as it introduces variety into an athlete&#39;s drill or exercise. 
         [0032]      FIG. 6  is a perspective view of an exercise ladder  600  formed from trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements  100 , according to an example embodiment. The exercise ladder  600  formed is in an hourglass shape. Again, to form curves the short bases  112  of the individual trapezoid units are placed next to each other to form a curved or non-straight portion of the exercise ladder  600 . Similarly the long base portions  110  of the individual trapezoid units  100  are also placed adjacent or next to one another to form the outside edge of the curve. Again, should be noted that the types of formations or patterns that can be formed using a trapezoidally shaped individual element  100  are essentially limitless. All sorts of curves can be employed in the formations. 
         [0033]      FIG. 8  is a top schematic view of a number of patterns made with the trapezoidally-shaped ladder elements  100 , according to other embodiments. Pattern  800  shows that a straight line can be made by placing the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  adjacent to one another with the lateral sides abutting one another. The trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  are laid so that the short base of one element is beside the long base of another element. Pattern  810  shows another straight line pattern in which the short base of one trapezoidally shaped ladder element  100  is positioned near or adjacent to the long base portion of another trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100 . Pattern  820  shows the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  positioned through about 270 degrees of a circle. The curve is formed by laying the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements with the legs or lateral sides of each touching an adjacent trapezoidally shaped ladder element  100 . The short bases are also positioned near one another. The above are some of the basic patterns. Many of the remaining patterns shown are combinations of the above. For example, the pattern  830  is formed with a straight portion  831  and a curved portion  832 . Pattern  840  shows a hopscotch pattern formed of five trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  that have corners of each element touching corners of the other elements. Pattern  850  has a first curved portion  851  that opens into a second curved portion  852 . Pattern  860  is a four square pattern having two trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  with the adjacent long bases of each trapezoidally shaped ladder elements touching one another. Two more trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  are laid out in a similar pattern and placed next to the first two trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  to form the four “square” pattern. The last two patterns  870 ,  880  have a straight portion such as that shown in pattern  800  and another straight portion such as that shown in pattern  810 . The two straight patterns are laid substantially perpendicular with one another. 
         [0034]    The trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  are a new game changing agility, mobility and exercise product. The trapezoidally shaped ladder elements are more than a replacement or improvement of a traditional or conventional ladder. It is a leap forward in functional agility, mobility and exercise application. The patterns that can be created provide drills and exercises that teach athletes how to move correctly. The fact that these can be easily set up to go around a curve or to form a curve drill or exercise the feet, knee and hips in a rotational sequence that straight ladders simply do not teach. Movements from these rotational motions and sequences are an athelete&#39;s safest, and most explosive. These motions are also the least understood and least drilled upon. The the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements offers athletes and trainers the best opportunity to develop, among other things, speed, explosiveness, deceleration, hip mobility, and athletic position. For example, an athlete must drop into a deeper athletic position when negotiating a pattern of the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements set up to form a curve. 
         [0035]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of a number of shaped ladder elements  100  placed side by side to form a curve  900 , according to an embodiment. The ladder elements  100  are open in the middle and are bound by a rubber or flexible boarder. The ladder elements have a long base and a short base dimensioned as set forth above. The legs of the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements  100  are placed next to or adjacent to the leg of another trapezoidally shaped element as shown in  FIG. 9 . The long bases are placed on one side and the short bases are place on the other side to form a curve having a plurality of shaped ladder elements. As can be seen, the shaped ladder elements  100  are formed of rubber and have a thickness of about 7 mm. There is an angle between the long base and the leg which is the same for an isosocles trapezoid. This also fixes the angle between the short base and the leg. The angle in the embodiment shown is approximately 77 degrees. A shaped ladder element with this angle makes a curve which provides a balance between the ability to provide the proper spacing for athletes to step in and out of the shaped ladder elements and the need for compactness. The angle discussed above can be varied, but it can also be seen that the size of the angle is related to the size or radius of the curve formed.  FIG. 9  shows that the legs of the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements abut one another to form a curve. 
         [0036]    In one embodiment, the the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements are made from  100 % recycled rubber. The the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements are configurable, durable and multi-purpose. They also work on virtually any surface, such as sand, grass, wood, tile, astroturf, and the like. An endless number of designs can be formed with the the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements. The designs can be tailored by trainers for different atheletic endeavors. A tennis player can be trained one way with a set of patterns and football running backs can be trained in other ways using the same set of the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements set in a different array of patterns. The trapezoidally shaped ladder elements can be used for functional development, strength building, or rehabilitation. The the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements also can replace other devices so a trainer can cut down on the number of training devices they need to use. For example, the the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements can be set to teach or drill directional function that replaces cones. The the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements work on strength through repetition. Patterns can be set up for the following: hip mobility, torsional strength, ACL injury prevention, shin splint prevention, proper foot placement, knee follows toes, athletic position training, and functional cardio. The trapezoidally shaped ladder elements can also be used to rehabilitate athletes after an injury. One example of the use of the trapezoidally shaped ladder elements is for ACL injury rehabilitation. 
         [0037]    It should be noted that the ladder elements discussed above are described as trapezoidally shaped. Polygons having legs that are at angles less than 90 degrees can be formed to have the same effect. For example, triangles can be formed with two of the interior angles being about 77 degrees. Another variation would be a polygon that included three sides of a trapezoid and had a substitute for the shorter base, such as two segments joined at a mid-point. Other polygons could also be within the scope of the invention. Different polygons that have long sides like the legs of the trapezoid that make an angle less than perpendicular would achieve a similar result. These are also contemplated by this invention. 
         [0038]    Although not shown, should be noted that straight sections or rectangular portions (such as  410  shown in  FIG. 4 ) can also be used or made part of a kit. In this way, long straight portions can be formed. In addition, it should be noted that the angle of the sides with respect to the base of the trapezoidally shaped units can be changed. In addition, the size of the trapezoidally shaped units can also be changed to accommodate different shoe sizes of athletes. In addition, different colors may be used to indicate different movements in drills. For example, most may be black and there may be a few read trapezoids. In the red trapezoids, maybe the athlete has to do a double tap of the foot or other dissimilar movement. 
         [0039]    The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the invention. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. 
         [0040]    The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents. 
         [0041]    While the embodiments have been described in terms of several particular embodiments, there are alterations, permutations, and equivalents, which fall within the scope of these general concepts. It should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present embodiments. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations, permutations, and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the described embodiments.