Patent Publication Number: US-2007123368-A1

Title: Sports swing training aid

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      Not Applicable  
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
      Not Applicable  
     DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX  
      Not Applicable  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      This invention relates generally to the field of sports practice aids and more specifically to a sports swing training aid.  
      For a tennis player to hit a ball with the most efficiency, it requires that the player hit the ball with the racquet face parallel to an invisible vertical plane that is perpendicular to the ground.  
      If the racquet face is turned up, the ball will go out of the court. If the racquet face is turned down, the ball will go into the net. Because the swing is so fast, the player is not able to see whether or not the face is vertical at impact.  
      Prior technology in this field includes videotaping the swing with a camcorder with a high-speed shutter. However, the method is costly, time consuming, and not very practical. Another alternative is to hire an instructor, but that is also expensive. There is a need, therefore, for a simple device that provides immediate feedback to the player as to whether or not the racquet is vertical at impact.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The primary object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that gives immediate feedback to a tennis player as to whether on not the player&#39;s racquet is vertical at impact.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that gives the tennis player a convenient method for practicing his or her swing without having to chase balls, hire a ball gun, hit balls against a wall, or find someone to hit balls to them.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that allows a tennis player to safely develop maximum racquet speed without fear of hitting a ball out of the court or over a fence.  
      A further object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that gives the tennis player experience in hitting high, low and medium balls without having to chase balls, find a hitting partner or hire a tennis instructor or ball gun.  
      Yet another object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that encourages a tennis player to experiment with different types of body movement in order to generate greater racquet head speed peed.  
      Still yet another object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that gives immediate feedback to the tennis player as to the speed of his or her racquet at impact.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that provides an efficient means to practice a tennis serve without having to chase balls and yet still have a target to hit.  
      Another object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that is lightweight and portable.  
      A further object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that can be easily used at the tennis court or at home.  
      Yet another object of the invention is to provide a swing training aid that is inexpensive to manufacture.  
      Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed.  
      In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is disclosed sports swing training aid comprising: a resilient rectangular cushion, said cushion at least four inches thick with two parallel flat surfaces at at least 430 square inches, said cushion enclosed in a tough, durable fabric and having D ring type attachment rings affixed to each corner of one side of said flat parallel surface.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
      The drawings constitute a part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects of the invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate an understanding of the invention.  
       FIG. 1  is a front plan view of the invention.  
       FIG. 2  is a side section view of the invention.  
       FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of the D ring holding method of the invention.  
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a person hitting the invention with a tennis racquet.  
       FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a person hitting the invention incorrectly with a racquet.  
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a person using the invention in a high serve position.  
       FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a person using the invention for batting practice.  
       FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the present invention attached to a chain link fence.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.  
      Referring now to  FIG. 1  we see a front plan view of the invention  100  which is essentially a cushion held onto a vertical flat surface such as a wall or fence by D rings  2 ,  4 ,  6 ,  8 . The front surface of the cushion  10  is approximately twenty four inches wide and eighteen inches high.  FIG. 2  shows a side section view of the invention  100 . A resilient cushion material  12  such as polyurethane foam is enclosed in a tough flexible fabric housing comprised of front wall  10 , parallel rear wall  11  and surrounding side wall  22 . A material such as urethane coated nylon or canvass is the preferred enclosure because it can withstand repeated hitting with a tennis racquet or bat, with minimal abrasion and tear. A minimum thickness of four inches has been found to be adequate. My experiments have shown that a thickness of five inches is ideal. The thickness of the device  100  prevents the user from hitting his or her knuckles against the fence or wall upon which the device  100  is mounted. The cushion is held to a vertical wall  16  by means of standard L shaped hooks  14 ,  18  or a nails or other standard attachment means engaging D rings  2 ,  8 . Of course, a person may decide to attach the cushion  100  by the top D rings  2 ,  4  alone, however a more secure attachment requires all four D rings. The space between rear panel  11  and the wall  16  is actually quite small, and only shown larger here for clarity purposes.  FIG. 3  is a partial perspective drawing showing clearly D ring  2  attached to fabric enclosure  22  via strap material  20 . The D ring  2  is removably attached to a standard L shaped hook  14 .  FIG. 4  shows a perspective view of a person  24  hitting the present invention  100  with a tennis racquet  26 . This view shows the proper way to hold the racquet during a swing. That is, the racquet head is parallel to the front face  10  of the invention  100  upon impact. During a practice session the user stands to one side of the device  100  and swings his or her racquet  26  into the device  100  as if swinging a forehand or backhand stroke. The device can be set at any height in order to represent high, medium or low balls.  FIG. 6  shows a person  24  practicing to hit an overhead ball. This configuration can also help with practicing the serve.  FIG. 5  shows a person  24  swinging the racquet  26  incorrectly onto the cushion  26  where the racquet head is not parallel to the front  10  of the cushion. If the racquet head is not vertical at impact, the tennis player will get immediate feedback. The first is audible. When the racquet heat hits the device  100  squarely, trapped air is expelled with a characteristic thud. When the racquet head does not strike the device squarely, a thin sound is produced. The second form of feedback is kinesthetic. When the device is struck with a racquet that is not perpendicular, the racquet grip will twist in the hand. When the racquet is struck with a vertical face, there is no twisting felt in the hand. As a tennis player increases racquet head speed, there is a tendency for the racquet face to tilt up. The device will provide immediate feedback so that the player can then adjust his or her grip to insure a vertical racquet face at impact. The tennis player can also judge the speed of his or her racquet at impact by the loudness of the sound. This will encourage the player to swing the racquet faster without the fear of losing any tennis balls. As the user improves his or her skill, they will be rewarded with a louder and louder thud. The device can also be used for practicing the service motion by being mounted high on a wall or fence as shown in  FIG. 6 .  FIG. 7  shows that the cushion can also be used for batting practice for baseball.  FIG. 8  shows the invention  100  attached to a chain link fence  60 . The invention  100  is held to the fence  60  by loops of string  62  or other standard attachment materials to D rings  4  located on the corners of the cushion. This application is useful because many tennis courts are surrounded by chain link fences, so a tennis player can practice his or her swing using the invention  100  while in close proximity to a tennis court.  
      While the invention has been described in connection with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.