Abstract:
The invention is a method and device for training athletes to stay low. The device utilizes a series of belts, adjustable straps and foot ankle braces removably attached to each other via magnet connections so that when an athlete rises too far from the court, the straps disengage from the foot-ankle braces at the magnetic connection alerting both the athlete and the coach that the player is no longer staying low and has risen upward. The device facilitates several drills that teach the athletes to stay low during predefined sporting conditions.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a Non-Provisional Utility application that claims the benefit of U.S. Application 61/531,771 filed Sep. 19, 2011. 
     
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
       [0002]    Not applicable 
       REFERENCED OR INCORPORATED MATERIAL 
       [0003]    Not applicable. 
       FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention relates to the field of athletic training. More specifically, it relates to a device and to a method to aid athletes and their coaches/trainers in teaching and coaching players to “stay low” during practice drills so that during games they will “stay low” as required. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    Basketball, a uniquely American sport, was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. The sport of basketball caught on rapidly and flourished in high school, college, and professional levels around the country as early as the 1910&#39;s with the first national collegiate tournaments held in the 1930&#39;s. Since its introduction, the sport of basketball has continued to evolve as have training methods aimed at honing the technique and skill of players. 
         [0006]    Many sports such volleyball, dodgeball, baseball, football, tennis, soccer, ice hockey, fencing, aerobics, and, most notably, basketball require players at various points in the game to “stay low” in order to excel. Staying low is posture whereby both feet are positioned on the court (or other playing surface depending on the sport) and the player&#39;s knees are bent at a position just over or just under 90 degrees. 
         [0007]    As stated above, basketball is a sport wherein players need to “stay low” at various points in the game in order to achieve effective game play. Staying low is important on defense and is the foundation of the defensive stance. Staying low aids in making the player quicker and that much more difficult for an offensive player to get by. In addition to the defensive stance where a player remains low with feet planted, defenders also must remain low during defensive sliding. Defensive sliding is the movement whereby the defensive player stays low while moving such that the distance from the top of the players head to the court remains constant as the player moves. In some situations, the defensive player will slide, remaining low, while following and tracking the movements of the offensive player. 
         [0008]    Staying low can also be important when playing offense. When a player dribbles a basketball, the act of staying low can make it more difficult for a defender to steal the ball. 
         [0009]    Basketball is also a sport that requires cardio fitness as players are constantly running up and down the court. Such rigorous exercise can fatigue a player to the extent that players don&#39;t “stay low” as their coaches desire. Rather than staying low, fatigued players stand up during the course of play thereby making them slower and less efficient. Whether staying low on defense or staying low while ball handling, staying low as required throughout the course of a game is of critical importance in the sport of basketball. 
         [0010]    Because staying low is of such importance, coaches over the years since basketball was invented have devised drills that attempt to teach players to stay low. However, these drills have severe limitations as a coach can&#39;t keep an eye on every player all of the time during practice in order to insure that each and every player is staying low. Many times players don&#39;t even realize that they are not staying low and simply stand or rise briefly because of fatigue. Thus, the problem remains that, despite practice drills to teach players to stay low, many players still have trouble performing the critical function of staying low during games. Thus, there exists a need for a device and a method to ensure players stay low as required by their coaches during practices. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0011]    It is the object of the present invention to provide a device and a method that facilitates players staying low during practice and drills so that they will remain low during game play. 
         [0012]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device and a method that alerts both the player and the coach when a player is not staying low. 
         [0013]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that is lightweight and efficient to manufacture. 
         [0014]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that does not hinder the movement of a player. 
         [0015]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that may be easily donned and removed by a player. 
         [0016]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device that is adaptable to players of different heights and is adaptable to different angles to which the knee is bent while a player is staying low. 
         [0017]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device and a method that is adaptable to both offensive and defensive training. 
         [0018]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device and a method that is adaptable to a plurality of players. 
         [0019]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device and a method that is adaptable to a player mirroring the actions of a second player. 
         [0020]    To these ends, the present invention contemplates a lightweight, non cumbersome device that may be worn by a player during practice. The device, when worn, requires the player to stay low or else immediately signal to the player and the coach that the player is not staying low. The invention also contemplates a method of using the device in order to train players to stay low. 
         [0021]    As will be described in greater detail below, in the preferred embodiment, the invention utilizes a waist belt, worn by a player, removably coupled via an adjustable strap to ankle braces worn on each of a player&#39;s ankles. The strap is adjusted respective of the height of the player and the desired degree of knee bent required to stay low. When a player stands or otherwise moves beyond the stay low position, the strap separates from the ankle brace thereby signaling to the player and to the coach that the player moved from the stay low position. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of the invention attached to an athlete. 
           [0023]      FIG. 2  is a rear perspective view of the invention attached to an athlete. 
           [0024]      FIG. 3  is a top view of the invention highlighting the magnetic connection. 
           [0025]      FIG. 4  is a top view of the invention highlighting the closeable hook and hoop connections. 
           [0026]      FIG. 5  is a top view of the invention highlighting the connections of the pair of straps. 
           [0027]      FIG. 6  is a top view of the invention highlighting the upward facing magnet. 
           [0028]      FIG. 7  is a side perspective view of the invention attached to an athlete. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0029]    It is to be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art that the present discussion is a description of exemplary embodiments only and is not intended as limiting the broader aspects of the present invention. The following example is provided to further illustrate the invention and is not to be construed to unduly limit the scope of the invention. 
         [0030]    The present invention is a method and device for training athletes to stay low. The device is to be worn during training and practice drills so that a player/athlete ( 50 ) will remain low during game play. The device comprises a waist belt ( 10 ), a pair of straps ( 20 ), a right foot ankle brace ( 30 ), and a left foot ankle brace ( 40 ). It is contemplated that a player wears the waist belt ( 10 ) around his waist ( 50 ), the right foot ankle brace ( 30 ) around his right ankle ( 54 ), and the left foot ankle brace ( 40 ) around his left ankle ( 55 ). The player then removably attaches one of the pair of straps ( 20 ) to the waist belt ( 10 ) and to the right foot ankle brace ( 30 ). The player ( 50 ) then removably attaches the other of the pair of straps ( 20 ) to the waist belt ( 10 ) and to the left foot ankle brace ( 40 ). The device, in an alternate embodiment, also comprises a two part tether ( 60 ) that removably attaches to the waist belts ( 20 ) of two players, each wearing the device. Each of these elements will be further described below. 
         [0031]    The waist belt ( 10 ) comprises a rectangular piece of fabric that can be wrapped around the waist ( 51 ) of a player ( 50 ). The rectangular piece of fabric comprises a left end ( 15 ), a right end ( 16 ), a top ( 13 ), and a bottom ( 14 ). The waist belt ( 10 ) is secured by hook and loop fasteners ( 12 ) affixed at each end of said rectangular piece of fabric such that when wrapped around the waist ( 51 ) of a player ( 50 ) the hook and loop fasteners ( 12 ) meet to removably secure the waist belt ( 10 ) in place. The waist belt ( 10 ) is made to be adjustable to many different size waists such that the hook and loop ( 12 ) portions meet at differing points given a particular waist size. 
         [0032]    The waist belt ( 10 ) further comprises a plurality of attachment hoops ( 11 ) for the attachment of the straps ( 20 ). The attachment hoops ( 11 ) further comprise one or more left attachment hoops and one or more right attachment hoops. In one embodiment, there are three left attachment hoops and three right attachment hoops. In another embodiment, there is one left attachment hoop and one right attachment hoop. The attachment hoops are preferably made from metal and are fixedly attached to said rectangular piece of fabric in a line parallel to the bottom ( 14 ) of said rectangular piece of fabric at a point closer to the bottom than to the top of said rectangular piece of fabric. The left attachment hoops are positioned closer to the left end of the rectangular piece of fabric than to the right (when positioned around the waist of a player) and the right attachment hoops are positioned closer to the right end of the rectangular piece of fabric than to the left (when positioned around the waist of a player). 
         [0033]    In the embodiment that also includes the two part tether ( 60 ), the waist belt ( 10 ) further includes one or more tether attachment hoops ( 61 ) fixedly attached to the rectangular piece of fabric at a point near there center of the rectangular piece of fabric (when positioned around the waist of a player). 
         [0034]    The right foot ankle brace ( 30 ) and the left foot ankle brace ( 40 ) are mirror images of each other. Each comprises a foot retainer ( 31 &amp; 41 ), a leg retainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ), and an upward facing magnet ( 33 &amp; 43 ), said foot retainer ( 31 &amp; 41 ) being fixedly attached to said leg retainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ), said upward facing magnet ( 34 &amp; 44 ) being fixedly attached to said leg retainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ). The leg retainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ) further comprises a rectangular piece of fabric that wraps around the leg ( 52 ) of the player at the point where the leg ( 52 ) meets the ankle ( 54 &amp; 55 )). The leg retainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ) attaches to the leg ( 52 ) using hook and loop fasteners in much the same way the waist belt ( 10 ) attaches to the waist ( 51 ) of the player. The foot retainer ( 41 &amp; 31 ) is a loop of fabric, preferably nylon, that extends downward towards the court on each side of the player&#39;s ( 50 ) foot from the leg retainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ) such that it extends below the heal of the player ( 50 ) thus transversely encircling the foot ( 56 ). 
         [0035]    The upward facing magnet ( 33 &amp; 43 ) of the foot ankle braces ( 30 &amp; 40 ) serves as a means to quickly and easily sever the connection between the foot ankle brace ( 30 &amp; 40 ) and the straps ( 20 ) as a player moves from staying low to an upward position. The upward facing magnets ( 33 &amp; 34 ) of the foot ankle braces ( 30 &amp; 40 ) further comprise a magnet bracket and a permanent magnet. The magnet bracket is fixedly attached to the leg retainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ) and serves to position the magnet in an upward direction. The permanent magnet is a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. 
         [0036]    The pair of straps ( 20 ) serves to connect the waist belt ( 10 ) to the left foot ankle brace ( 40 ) and right foot ankle brace ( 30 ). Each one of said pair of straps ( 20 ) further comprises a closable hook ( 21 ), a downward facing magnet ( 22 ), a triglide strap adjuster ( 23 ), and an adjustable nylon fabric strap. The closable hook ( 21 ) is located at an upper end of said strap and serves to removably connect the strap ( 20 ) to the respective left or right attachment hoop ( 11 ). The closable hook ( 21 ) is designed to engage the attachment hoop ( 11 ) and only become disengaged when the player ( 50 ) purposefully disconnects the hook ( 21 ). 
         [0037]    The downward facing magnet ( 22 ) is designed to engage the upward facing magnet ( 33 &amp; 43 ) of the of the foot ankle braces ( 30 &amp; 40 ). For instance, if one of said pair of straps ( 20 ) is attached via the closable hook ( 21 ) to the left attachment hoop ( 40 ), then the player ( 50 ) would attach the downward facing magnet ( 22 ) of one of the pair of straps ( 20 ) to the upward facing magnet ( 43 ) of the left foot ankle brace ( 40 ). Likewise, if one of said pair of straps ( 20 ) is attached via the closable hook ( 21 ) to the right attachment hoop ( 11 ), then the player would attach the downward facing magnet ( 21 ) of the other of said pair of straps ( 20 ) to the upward facing magnet ( 33 ) of the right foot ankle brace ( 30 ). Further, the downward facing magnets ( 22 ) of the straps ( 20 ) should be opposite in polarity from the upward facing magnets ( 33 &amp; 43 ) of the foot ankle braces ( 30 &amp; 40 ). 
         [0038]    The adjustable nylon fabric strap is a narrow strip of fabric that serves to connect the downward facing magnet ( 22 ) with the closable hook ( 21 ). The strap ( 20 ) is adjustable both for accommodating players of differing heights and for allowing differing degrees of bend in the knees ( 53 ) of the player ( 50 ) for staying low as required. The strap has numbers or other length indicia ( 24 ) printed on one side to indicate the desired length adjustment. The triglide strap ( 23 ) adjuster is common in the art of straps and allows for adjustment of the length of the adjustable nylon fabric strap. 
         [0039]    The two part tether ( 60 ) serves to connect two different players together, with each player wearing a waist belt ( 10 ), pair of straps ( 20 ), and left ( 40 ) and right ( 30 ) foot ankle braces. The two part tether ( 60 ) is very similar in construction to the pair of straps ( 20 ) with the exception that the magnet of one part of the two part tether is opposite in polarity from the magnet of the other part of the two part tether. Thus each part of the two part tether comprises a closable hook, an outward facing magnet, a triglide strap adjuster, and an adjustable nylon fabric strap. The closable hook of the two part tether attaches to one of the tether attachment hoops disposed on each player&#39;s waist belt. Each part of the two part tethers attach to each other via the outward facing magnets. Thus, when two players are each wearing a waist belt and have the two part tethers attached, they will be attached to each other until they move so far apart that the magnets disengage. 
         [0040]    While the foregoing has been a description of one embodiment of the device, the following will be a description of one embodiment of the method of using the device to train athletes. 
         [0041]    First, an athlete ( 50 ) is provided. If multiple athletes are to be trained, then a plurality of athletes ( 50 ) must first be provided. Likewise, one or more coaches/trainers are provided as necessary. Second, a device for training athletes as described above comprising a waist belt ( 10 ), a pair of straps ( 20 ), a right foot ankle brace ( 30 ), and a left foot ankle brace ( 40 ) must be provided. If multiple athletes are to be trained, then a plurality of devices must first be provided. Likewise, if multiple athletes are to be trained via a tether, then two part tethers ( 60 ) as described above must be provided. 
         [0042]    Next, a player attaches the waist belt ( 10 ) around his or her waist and then attaches the right ( 30 ) and left ( 40 ) foot ankle braces to the respective right and left foot ( 56 ). The waist belt ( 10 ) is attached by wrapping the waist belt ( 10 ) around the waist ( 51 ) of the player ( 50 ) and securing it in place with the hook and loop fasteners ( 12 ). The respective foot ankle braces ( 30 &amp; 40 ) are attached by looping the foot retainer ( 31 &amp; 41 ) under the heal of the respective foot and by wrapping the leg restrainer ( 32 &amp; 42 ) around the leg ( 52 ) of the player ( 50 ) just above the ankle ( 54 &amp; 55 ). 
         [0043]    Next, either a trainer/coach or the player determines the desired maximum angle to which the player&#39;s knee ( 53 ) should be bent. Next either the trainer/coach or the player adjusts each one of the pair of straps ( 20 ) to the correct length respective of the angle of bent and the height of the player utilizing the length indicia ( 24 ) of the straps ( 20 ). The closable hooks ( 21 ) of the respective straps ( 20 ) are then attached to the respective hoops ( 11 ) of the waist belt ( 10 ). Likewise, the downward facing magnets ( 22 ) of the straps are attached to the upward facing magnets ( 33 &amp; 43 ) of the respective foot ankle brace ( 30 &amp; 40 ). 
         [0044]    When multiple players are being trained these steps are carried out simultaneously by each player. Similarly, if two players are being tethered, then when the pair of straps ( 20 ) are being attached, the players also adjust the length of the tether ( 60 ) and then attach one part of the two part tether to the center hoop ( 61 ) and then attach the magnets of the two part tether ( 62 ) to each other. 
         [0045]    Once the player(s) don their device(s) for training athletes to stay low, many different training drills can be carried out. The following description of drills is not exhaustive. 
         [0046]    One drill is the “pickup and pass.” In this drill, the player wearing the device, slides back and forth along a line while a coach/trainer/second player passes him the basketball. The player receives the ball and passes the ball back. The pickup and pass continues with the player staying low, sliding along the line, and receiving and passing the ball. 
         [0047]    Another drill is the “give five.” In this drill, two lines of cones are arranged, the left line having four cones and the right line having five cones. The player wearing the devices slides, while staying low, in a pattern starting with the front right cone moving to the front left cone and then to the second right cone and then to the second left cone. This continues until the player has reached the rear right cone. 
         [0048]    Similar to the “give five,” the “freak” is a drill where the cones are arranged as with the “give five.” In this drill the player slides, wearing the device and staying low, in the give five pattern but when the last cone is achieved, the player disengages the magnets, holds the downward facing magnet in each respective hand and sprints to the start and begins the drill again. This pattern is repeated as deemed necessary by the coach. 
         [0049]    The “center drill” utilizes four cones arranged in a square, typically around center court, wherein the player dons the device, starts in the center of cones, slides to one cone, then back to the center all the while staying low. He then slides to a different cone and repeats, incrementally counting each cone to which he slides. 
         [0050]    The “competitive slide” drill requires two players to don the device and slide, facing each other, between two parallel lines. The players slide back and forth counting to see who can slide between the lines the most number of times while staying low. If the magnets become disengaged, the players must stop to reattach. 
         [0051]    Another drill is “advance and retreat.” In this drill players don the device and slide back and forth between two parallel lines while staying low. 
         [0052]    The “shadow drill” utilizes the two part tether. In this drill one player is the offensive player and the other is the defensive player. Each player dons a copy of the device and the two part tether is attached to the players. Both players must stay low. The offensive player slides either left or right and the defensive player must “shadow” him. If either rises, the magnets become disengaged. If the defensive player does not keep up with the offensive player, the two part tether becomes disengaged. 
         [0053]    The “competitive get back” requires two or more players to wear the device. The players disengage the downward facing magnets and hold them in their hands while sprinting forward. When they reach a predetermined line, they attach the magnets and move backwards while staying low. 
         [0054]    Another drill is the “square drill.” In this drill, four cones are arranged in a square pattern and the players dons the device, and slides around the perimeter of the cones while staying low. 
         [0055]    Similar to the square drill, in the “X drill,” the cones are arranged in a square, the player dons the device, and slides between the cones in an X pattern while staying low. 
         [0056]    The “motivator” drill is similar to the shadow drill in that the two part tether is utilized to connect the two players. Two players don the device and are tethered to one another. They then slide back and forth between two lines all while staying low. 
         [0057]    The “give five conditioning” drill is similar to the “give five” described above except the cones are further apart, spanning just less than the width of the basketball court.