Abstract:
The football pass receiving trainer includes a cord extending between a first support and a second support and includes a pad selectively positionable along the length of the cord, wherein the pad is sized so a receiver must catch a football around the pad with the hands and extended arms and elbows. The cord stretches upon contact with the foam pad and is selectively tensioned between the first support and the second support. The football pass receiving trainer is usable as a stand-alone unit via a free-standing base and plurality of slidingly engageable feet or through use of a hook and stabilizing cord that cooperate to selectively secure the support to the chain link fence.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to a football pass receiving trainer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a football pass receiving trainer that forces a receiver to catch a football with the hands and extended arms. 
     Professional football has evolved into a multi-billion dollar business industry through advertising, merchandising and television contracts. With such increased growth in the industry in recent years, players are now, more than ever, competing among one another for lucrative multi-million dollar contracts. Thus, the demand for performance enhancement football training tools has grown dramatically. 
     There are two aspects that are important to a football offense: (1) the running game; and (2) the passing game. To be two-dimensional, a football team must have offensive players capable of running and passing. Importantly, wide receivers, running backs, tight ends, and even quarterbacks (collectively “receivers”), must learn proper football catching techniques to be able to catch forward, lateral, and shovel passes efficiently and consistently. One difficult aspect of training football players is teaching the correct handling and/or football catching techniques that allow the receivers to track the motion of the football, quickly react to unexpected football deflections, and catch the football. 
     Football passes may be difficult to catch when the correct techniques are not employed. One problem associated with harnessing football reception skills involves correct positioning of the hands. Receivers tend to catch the football with the body and thereafter wrap their arms around the ball. Preferably, receivers should catch the football with the hands. Receiving a football with the hands, instead of the body, increases the percentage of passes caught by the receiver and enables the receiver to more quickly respond to unexpected changes to the football trajectory. Thus, correct hand placement by the receiver prior to catching the football is pivotal to improving catching abilities. 
     Football players are typically taught how to properly catch a football. A well-thrown football (e.g. a “spiral”) rotates about its major axis and is typically caught with the hands in one of two major catching positions: (1) above the waist—positioning the hands with the palms facing toward the ball and with the index fingers and thumbs touching or in close proximity of one another to produce a “diamond” shape; or (2) below the waist—positioning the spread open hands with palms facing toward the ball and with the little fingers just touching each other to produce a “w” shape. U.S. Pat. No. 6,006,358 to Keating discloses a set of football catch training gloves that teach proper positioning of the fingers to catch the football in this regard. The gloves have a set of hook and loop fasteners that interconnect elastic sections extending laterally between the gloves. The interconnected gloves place the hands of the receiver in the “diamond” position when catching the football above the waist. Alternatively, the gloves may be configured to place the hands of the receiver in an inverted “w” position for catching the football below the waist. The gloves are intended to train and enhance the ability of a receiver to catch a football. 
     There are a number of training techniques and devices designed to enhance football reception and football handling. One simple technique is a practice drill involving three players. The first player (quarterback) throws the football to a second player (receiver) that is guarded by a third player (defenseman). The defenseman actively attempts to prevent successful pass completion of the football from the quarterback to the receiver. The defenseman may try to impair the vision of the receiver, attempt to intercept the football, or otherwise deflect or knock the football down to prevent a successful reception by the receiver. The receiver must learn how to track the football through the air despite being covered by the defenseman. The receiver must also learn how to properly react and adjust to the defenseman and any change in the trajectory of the football when the defenseman deflects the football. Often football teams run a “tip drill” where players work on hand-eye coordination of deflected or tipped passes. 
     One major drawback with this technique is that the drill does not teach the receiver the correct positioning of the hands when receiving the football. Another drawback is that the quarterback and receiver must be able to complete the pass to enhance the pass reception ability of the receiver. Moreover, a live defenseman does not necessarily improve the ability of the receiver to catch the football. It is often difficult to replicate game-time actions as defensemen are often off-balance and frequently lunge or rush the receiver to prevent pass completion. Defensemen may only slightly deflect passes by grazing the football while in flight. Regardless, the receiver still needs to work on pass reception skills and ball handling. 
     Another drawback to practicing pass receptions is that the receiver may develop poor habits during training when failing to properly catch the football. Specifically, the football receivers should not allow the elbows to come too close to the body when endeavoring to catch a football. The range of catching motion is sacrificed when the arms move too close to the body. Such restriction also interferes with proper receiving mechanics. Moreover, catching techniques are enhanced when the receivers are able to keep the elbows away from the body while receiving the football. Catching the ball with outstretched arms gives the receiver a large range motion and a faster response time to react to various situations in the game. 
     Proper hand positioning to receive a football is not natural and coaching instructions are not easily followed during training or practice exercises without a training device. Thus, there have been several football pass catching trainer aids developed to train players to catch a pass. Receivers are often taught to catch the football with the fingers/fingertips rather than with the palms. Such a technique enables a receiver to extend the vertical and lateral reach for receiving passes while simultaneously improving dexterity. But, the prior art does not address the common problem of correcting the tendency for receivers to allow the arms and elbows to move too close to the torso such that the receiver catches the football with the body rather than with the hands and with arms positioned away from the body. Catching the football with outstretched hands and arms enables the receiver to more efficiently move, thereby decreasing the time the defenseman can defend the pass. 
     Thus, there exists a significant need in the art for a football pass receiving trainer. Such a football pass receiving trainer should include an adjustable foam pad, should be adjustable in height, should be versatile for freestanding use or attachment to a chain link fence and should, during use, reinforce basic receiver skills and hand-eye coordination associated with receiving a football. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The football pass receiving trainer disclosed herein includes a cord extending between a first support and a second support and a pad selectively positionable along the length of the cord. The pad is sized so a receiver must catch a football around the pad with the hands and extended arms and elbows. The cord is preferably manufactured out an elastic material such as a bungee cord, a nylon cord, a cotton cord or another synthetic cord capable of stretching under tension. The cord is selectively tensioned between the first support and the second support and designed to stretch when a receiver contacts the pad. Accordingly, the cord should return to a normal tensioned size after being stretched by the receiver. Tensioning the cord between the first support and the second support may be accomplished through use of a hook and loop, a snap, a clip, a weight or a ground stake. The pad itself is preferably manufactured out of an absorbent foam material that provides non-injurious impact to a receiver endeavoring to receive the football, even without pads. Moreover, the football pass receiving trainer may include an arm coupled to the first support. In this embodiment, the cord extends from the arm instead of the first support. The arm may include a flexible bow or an extension beam. The first support and the arm are also selectively extendable and may be positioned in an extended position or a retracted position by a lock. 
     In one alternative embodiment of the football pass receiving trainer, a free-standing base selectively engages with the first support. The free-standing base enables the football pass receiving trainer to stand upright. Accordingly, the free-standing base provides portability for the football pass receiving trainer for use in any one of a number of environments, such as a football field. Moreover, the football pass receiving trainer may include a plurality of feet that slidingly engage with the base to provide further support. The feet may be removed to compactly transport the football pass receiving trainer between locations. 
     In another alternative embodiment, the football pass receiving trainer includes a hook associated with the first support for selectively engaging a link on a chain link fence. In this embodiment, the football pass receiving trainer also includes a stabilizing cord coupled to the first support and selectively engageable with another link on the fence. Accordingly, the stabilizing cord and the hook cooperate to selectively secure the first support to the fence. A stabilizing panel associated with the first support and selectively positionable between retracted and extended positions may also be integrated into the football pass receiving trainer to prevent rotation of the football pass receiving trainer when attached to the chain link fence. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a football pass receiving trainer; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the football pass receiving trainer of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an enlarged perspective view taken about the circle  3  in  FIG. 2 , illustrating attachment of a cord to a bow of the football pass receiving trainer; 
         FIG. 4  is an enlarged perspective view taken about the circle  4  in  FIG. 1 , illustrating attachment of the cord to a base of the football pass receiving trainer; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the football pass receiving trainer in use; 
         FIG. 6  is a side view of an alternative football pass receiving trainer attachable to a chain link fence; 
         FIG. 7  is a top view of the alternative football pass receiving trainer of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a front view of the alternative football pass receiving trainer of  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective environmental view illustrating attachment of the alternative football pass receiving trainer of  FIG. 6  to a chain link fence; and 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view illustrating the alternative football pass receiving trainer of  FIG. 6  in use. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention for a football pass receiving trainer is referred to generally by the reference number  10 . In  FIG. 1 , the football pass receiving trainer  10  is shown having a base  12 , a stem  14  and a pair of bows  16  attached to the stem  14 . A pair cords  18  interconnect the bows  16  with any one of a number of feet  20  attached to the base  12 . Each of the feet  20  telescopingly engage a channel  22  formed in the base  12  as shown in  FIG. 2 . The feet  20  securely lock to the base  12  via a depressible button  24  that engages a corresponding aperture  26  aligned with the depressible button  24  within the channel  22 . Accordingly, the depressible button  24  is compressed into the interior of the feet  20  for sliding engagement with the corresponding channel  22 . The feet  20  slide toward the interior of the base  12  until the depressible button  24  aligns with the aperture  26 . Once aligned, the depressible button  24  extends up into and locks with the aperture  26  to prevent movement of the feet  20  relative to the base  12 . Removal of the feet  20  from the base  12  is accomplished by again depressing the depressible button  24  from within the aperture  26  to enable the feet  20  to move within the respective channel  22 . Accordingly, the feet  20  are used to balance the football pass receiving trainer  10  in the upright position illustrated in  FIG. 1 . Preferably the base  12  and the feet  20  are manufactured from a substantially rigid material such as metal, aluminum, a metal alloy or other strong plastic material. Of course, the feet  20  disconnect from the base  12  to enhance the portability of the football pass receiving trainer  10  disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates the stem  14  comprising an upper portion  28  and a lower portion  30 . The lower portion  30  is rigidly attached to the base  12 . The upper portion  28  of the stem  14  slidingly engages a channel  32  for adjustable engagement to the lower portion  30 . Similar to the engagement of the feet  20  with the base  12 , the upper portion  28  includes a depressible button  34  that aligns with a plurality of apertures  36   a - 36   c  formed along the length of the lower portion  30  of the stem  14 . The depressible button  34  is compressed such that the upper portion  28  can slide into the channel  32  of the lower portion  30 . Upon initial setup, the depressible button  34  will extend into and engage the aperture  36   a . The height of the stem  14  may be adjusted by depressing the button  34  such that the upper portion  28  may again slide within the channel  32 . To reduce the overall height of the stem  14 , a user would interlock the depressible button  34  with any of the other two apertures  36   b ,  36   c . Thus, the football pass receiving trainer  10  may be adjusted according to the height of the receiver using the trainer  10 . The upper portion  28  may also be completely removed from within the channel  32  of the lower portion  30  to increase the compactability of the football pass receiving trainer  10  for storage or transportation. 
     The bows  16  attach to the upper portion  28  with a similar depressible button  38  (only one shown). The depressible button  38  may engage any one of a plurality of apertures  40  formed in a pair of channels  42  on opposite sides of the upper portion  28  of the stem  14 . The channels  42  allow sliding engagement of the bows  16  therein and interlock via a similar depressible button  38  and apertures  40 , as described above. Like the stem  14 , the bows  16  are adjustable in height relative to the upper portion  28  via any one of a number of apertures  40 . The bows  16  are likewise completely detachable from the upper portion  28  of the stem  14  for purposes of collapsing the football pass receiving trainer  10  for storage or transportation. 
     The bows  16  should be resiliently bendable in the manner generally shown in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  5 .  FIG. 1  shows the interconnection of the bows  16  to any one of a plurality of feet  20 . The connection of the cord  18  to the bows  16  is shown in  FIG. 3  and connection of the cord  18  to the feet  20  is shown in  FIG. 4 . In  FIG. 3 , each bow  16  has a retainer  44  capable of receiving a hook  46  of the cord  18 . Accordingly, the hook  46  is inserted into the retainer  44  to securely engage the cord  18  with the bow  16 . An additional washer  48  may be disposed between the hook  46  and the bow  16  to facilitate engagement therebetween. Similarly, the cord  18  includes a lower hook  50  that engages a clip  52  formed at one end of the feet  20 . Of course, the upper hook  46  and the lower hook  50  and the corresponding retainer  44  and clip  52  must be resilient enough to retain the cord  18  between the feet  20  and the bows  16 . Furthermore, these components must be resilient enough to withstand substantial stretching of the cord  18  upon use of the football pass receiving trainer  10 , as described below. Accordingly, the cord  18  may comprise a bungee cord, a dynamic rope or another elastic cord material (e.g. nylon or cotton) capable of stretching, absorbing shock and ultimately returning to an original, tensioned or unstretched size. Alternatively, the lower hook  50  may directly engage the feet  20  via any one of a plurality of apertures formed therein (not shown). 
     The football pass receiving trainer  10  is designed to be used in the manner shown generally in  FIG. 5 . A pad  54  disposed along the cord  18  prevents a receiver  56  from catching a football  58  close to a chest  60 . A passer (not shown) throws the football  58  to one side of the pad  54 , such as between the cord  18  and stem  14 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The receiver  56  extends around the exterior of the pad  54  to catch the football  58  while in flight. By the very nature of the pad  54  abutting the chest  60  of the receiver  56 , the receiver  56  has no other choice than to catch the football  58  with the hands and extended arms and elbows. In this regard, the pad  54  also prevents the receiver  56  from catching the football  58  with elbows oriented toward the chest  60  of the receiver  56 . Catching the football  58  with the hands and outstretched arms having elbows oriented generally away from the chest  60  is the preferable fundamental catching skills the receiver  56  should learn by using the football pass receiving trainer  10 . Moreover, the football pass receiving trainer  10  also improves the hand-eye coordination of the receiver  56 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , the cord  18  bends and stretches as the receiver  56  leans into the pad  54  to catch the football  58 . The bow  16  may also stretch via its attachment with the cord  18 . Hence, the football pass receiving trainer  10  is flexible and designed to provide some level of contact to the receiver  56 . The pad  54  is adjustable in height along the length of the cord  18  for compatibility with receivers  56  of various heights. Preferably the pad  54  comprises foam, polyurethane, Styrofoam or other materials capable of withstanding and absorbing impact of the receiver  56 , while not causing injury thereto. This further provides a game-like situation for the receiver practicing football reception skills. 
       FIGS. 6-10  illustrate an alternative embodiment of the football pass receiving trainer  10 . Here, the football pass receiving trainer  10  is specifically designed for attachment to a chain link fence  62  as generally shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The football pass receiving trainer  10  attaches to the chain link fence  62  by a substantially rigid link hook  64  shown in  FIG. 6 . The link hook  64  engages any one of a plurality of the chains of the chain link fence  62  ( FIGS. 9 and 10 ). The link hook  64  attaches to a main beam  66  by an attachment mechanism  68 , such as a nut and bolt. The main beam  66  is a substantially rigid cylinder made from a metal, alloy or other rigid plastic material. An aperture  70  formed at a bottom  72  of the main beam  66  is configured to receive an upper hook  74  of a stabilizer cord  76 . Preferably, the stabilizer cord  76  is manufactured from a material comparable to that of the cord  18 , described above. The stabilizer cord  76  engages the aperture  70  via the upper hook  74  in accordance with the previous embodiments of the football pass receiving trainer  10 . The stabilizer cord  76  stretches downwardly wherein the lower hook  78  engages any one of the chains on the chain link fence  62 . Tensioning the stabilizer cord  76  provides a downward force on the link hook  64  and an upward force on the lower hook  78  to ensure stable attachment of the main beam  66  to the chain link fence  62 . Accordingly, the link hook  64  and the lower hook  78  cannot be inadvertently dislodged from engagement with any of the chains on the chain link fence  62  during use of the football pass receiving trainer  10 . Removal of the main beam  66  from the chain link fence  62  requires stretching the stabilizer cord  76  to disengage the lower hook  78  from the associated chain of the chain link fence  62 . Once the lower hook  78  is disengaged, the link hook  64  may slide upwardly to disengage the relevant chain on the chain link fence  62 . 
     The main beam  66  also includes an elbow  80  having a receptor  82  extending therefrom. The elbow  80  is angled in the form shown in  FIG. 6  to provide maximum stability of the main beam  66  when the football pass receiving trainer  10  is used in accordance with the embodiments disclosed herein. A connector beam  84  has an engagement end  86  for interconnection with the receptor  82 . The connector beam  84  also has a receptor end  88 . The connector beam  84  may vary in length and functions to extend the football pass receiving trainer  10  away from the chain link fence  62  to provide adequate room to catch the football  58 . Accordingly, the connector beam  84  engages an engagement end  90  of an extension beam  92 . The extension beam  92  further extends away from the chain link fence  62  and attaches to the cord  18 . 
       FIG. 7  shows a top view of the football pass receiving trainer  10  wherein the extension beam  92  includes a ring  94 . Another cord  96  threads through the ring  94  and attaches to a chain on the chain link fence  62  in the manner shown in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . The cord  96  is similarly constructed out of materials comparable to the cord  18  and the stabilizer cord  76 . When attached to the chain link fence  62 , the cord  96  should be taut such that the engagement end  90  of the extension beam  92  compresses into the receptor end  88  of the connector beam  84 . Likewise, the engagement end  86  of the connector beam  84  should sufficiently engage the receptor  82  protruding out from the elbow  80  of the main beam  66 . Taut engagement of the cord  96  ensures that the extension beam  92 , the connector beam  84  and the main beam  66  stay sufficiently engaged during use of the football pass receiving trainer  10 . Preferably, the cord  96  is angled relative to the extension beam  92  as generally shown in  FIGS. 7 ,  9  and  10 . This triangular arrangement provides maximum stability of the football pass receiving trainer  10 . 
     Additionally, a pair of stabilizing panels  98  prevent rotational movement of the football pass receiving trainer  10  when connected to the chain link fence  62 . As shown in  FIG. 7 , the stabilizing panels  98  are pivotally connected to the main beam  66  by a pair of hinges  100 . A mounting plate  102  rigidly attaches to a top portion  104  of the main beam  66  by any mechanism known in the art, such as by welding. The mounting plate  102  extends beyond the width of the main beam  66  as generally shown in the top view of  FIG. 7 . Accordingly, the stabilizing panels  98  pivotally engage to the mounting plate  102  via the hinges  100 . The stabilizing panels  98  rotate about these hinges  100  to go from a perpendicular position, when attached to the chain link fence  62 , to a substantially parallel position relative to the main beam  66  for storage or transportation. In an alternative embodiment, the cord  96  may rigidly attach directly to the stabilizing panels  98  instead of a chain on the chain link fence  62 . 
     The cord  18  secures to the ground by a base plate  106  as shown in  FIG. 6 . The base plate  106  includes a linkage  108  capable of receiving and attaching to a lower hook  50  of the cord  18 . Accordingly, the upper hook  46  attaches to a front end  110  of the extension beam  92  via an attachment device  112 . The attachment device  112  may comprise anything known in the art for retaining the upper hook  46 , including any of the previously described embodiments. The cord  18  is maintained in the substantially upright position between the extension beam  92  and the base plate  106 . The base plate  106  is sufficiently weighted to prevent movement thereof when the football pass receiving trainer  10  is used as generally shown in  FIG. 10 . Alternatively, the base plate  106  may secure to the ground by stakes or other methods known in the art. Accordingly, the pad  54  may adjust anywhere along the vertical height of the cord  18  depending on the receiving exercise performed by the receiver  56 . For example, in  FIG. 10  the receiver  56  receives the football  58  in a crouched position. Accordingly, the pad  54  is in a position on the cord  18  that is relatively lower than the position of the pad  54  in  FIG. 5 . The pad  54  is selectively detachable from the cord  18  and may be formed from a variety of shapes or sizes corresponding to the specific user. A smaller diameter pad  54  may be used for receivers having shorter arms, while a larger diameter pad  54  may be used for receivers  56  having longer arms. Again, the purpose of the football pass receiving trainer  10  is to force the receiver  56  to catch the football  58  with the hands and extended arms, thereby simultaneously preventing the receiver  56  from catching the football  58  with the chest  60 . Accordingly, the football pass receiving trainer  10  promotes the fundamental skills of catching the football  58  with the hands and having arms and elbows extended away from the chest  60 , all while improving hand-eye coordination. 
     Although several embodiments have been described in some detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.