Patent Publication Number: US-7896759-B2

Title: Training mat and method of teaching controlled directional hitting of a baseball or softball

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The instant invention generally relates to athletic training aides and more particularly to a training mat configured and arranged to improve a player&#39;s controlled directional hitting of a baseball or softball depending on the trajectory of the baseball relative to home plate. 
     The key to being successful as an offensive baseball player is the ability to successfully hit or make proper contact with pitched or positioned baseballs. The ability to successfully hit a baseball begins with proper balance at home plate and thus it is critical that baseball players learn the basic batting stance. Once the basic batting stance is mastered, the baseball player typically improves upon their hitting technique by practicing hitting baseballs off of a tee or baseballs pitched to the player in a controlled environment. As with any sport or other physical activity, proficiency at a skill comes through sheer repetition. 
     One skill that is important for young players to develop is the ability to control the direction of the ball off the bat. In other words, to be able to hit the ball to a particular location on the field. This skill allows the player to take advantage of poorly positioned defensive players or “gaps” on the field. 
     The instant invention provides a training mat to facilitate teaching and learning the skill of controlled directional hitting of a baseball or softball as well as a method of teaching using the mat. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in connection with baseball. However, the same inventive concepts are equally applicable to softball as well. 
     The training mat generally comprises a home plate zone and a plurality of equally spaced pitching lanes defined by a plurality of lines extending longitudinally through home plate. Preferably, home plate is divided into 5 equally spaced pitching lanes including an inside lane ( 1 ), middle inside ( 2 ), middle ( 3 ), middle outside ( 4 ) and outside ( 5 ), each lane generally defining the ball path of a pitch. 
     Each lane is provided with a predetermined ball contact location defined by a marking or indicia (a baseball) within the respective lane. The ball contact locations are configured and arranged to facilitate hitting of a baseball to a predetermined field location. Generally speaking the ball contact locations begin forward of home plate in the inside lane ( 1 ) and progressively move rearwardly onto home plate in the outside lane ( 5 ). 
     More specifically, the ball contact location of lane  1  is forward of home plate. A properly timed early swing combined with contact in front of the plate will result in a ball directed toward left field, i.e. controlled directional hitting. The ball contact location of lane  5  is on the middle outside of home plate. Conversely, a properly timed late swing combined with contact over the plate will result in a ball directed toward right field. 
     The mat further includes a back foot zone, front foot zone and stride zone to also help with proper batting stance and position relative to home plate. 
     In use, a method of teaching and/or learning controlled directional hitting comprises providing the above-described mat and practicing hitting baseballs while standing on the mat and attempting to make contact with the baseball at the respective ball contact locations. As a first step in learning the skill, it is beneficial for the player to begin by using a batting tee to control the location of ball contact within the respective lane. The player or instructor would place the tee on the respective marking indicia in lane  1  (inside pitch—hit to left field), and repetitively hit the ball off the tee learning the feel and timing of hitting the ball into left field. The player would then progressively move the tee from lane  1  to lane  2  and repeat, learning the feel and timing of hitting the ball into left center. The process is repeated through all of the lanes for as many times as it takes to learn the skill. 
     As a next step in the process, the player will begin to hit balls soft-tossed from the side into the respective lanes by a coach, and then pitched from the front down the lanes. By repeating the practice steps over and over and using the mat to direct the proper contact location, the player will gradually learn to identify the ball trajectory of a particular pitch and then be able to properly time their swing to direct the ball as desired. 
     A pitching strip may also be used in conjunction with the training mat. The pitching strip is divided into seven equally spaced pitching locations representing strike and ball locations. In one embodiment, the pitching strip is positioned over the home plate zone of the training mat. The ball locations are two outside lanes representing the inside ball marked B-I and the outside ball marked B-O. The strike locations are five remaining lanes marked  1 - 5  which represent inside, middle, and outside strikes. Alternatively, the pitching strip may have 5 or 6 lanes for softball pitchers due to the larger size of the softball. Also, the pitching strip may be used by umpires to facilitate calling of strikes and balls. 
     In use, a method of teaching and/or learning controlled hitting and pitching comprises providing the above-described training mat and practicing hitting baseballs while standing on the mat and attempting to make contact with the baseball at the respective ball contact locations. At the same time, the pitcher throws baseballs to a designated pitching location on the pitching strip. When the instructor calls out for an inside strike—lane  1 , the pitcher would throw the baseball to pitching location  1 , as seen on the pitching strip, and the hitter would look for a contact location at the baseball marked  1 . By teaching controlled hitting and pitching using the training mat, the instructor can teach more than one person at a time. The process is repeated through all of the lanes for as many times as it takes to learn the skill. 
     Accordingly, among the objects of the instant invention are: the provision of a baseball training mat configured and arranged to improve a player&#39;s controlled directional hitting of a baseball depending on the trajectory of the baseball relative to home plate; and the provision of a method of teaching controlled directional hitting comprising providing a training mat, and using the mat during practice to learn the proper ball contact locations. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings. In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention: 
         FIG. 1  is a plan view of the training mat of the present invention showing the proper ball contact positions to control the direction of the baseball off the bat; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing placement of a tee on a mat at a first contact location; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing placement of a tee on a mat at a second contact location; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing placement of a tee on a mat at a third contact location; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing a soft toss of a baseball over the mat into the first marked lane; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing soft toss of a baseball over the mat into the third marked lane; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing soft toss of a baseball over the mat into the fifth marked lane; 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing pitching of a baseball in the first marked lane; 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing pitching of a baseball in the second marked lane; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing pitching of a baseball in the third marked lane; 
         FIG. 11  is a plan view showing a preferred configuration for a softball mat; and 
         FIG. 12  is a perspective end view of the training mat of  FIG. 1  showing a pitching strip positioned over a home plate zone of the training mat; 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, the training mat of the instant invention is illustrated and generally indicated at  10  in  FIGS. 1-12 . As will hereinafter be more fully described, the instant invention provides a training mat  10  to facilitate teaching and learning the skill of controlled directional hitting of a baseball or softball as well as a method of teaching using the mat  10 . 
     Now referring to  FIG. 1 , the training mat  10  generally comprises a home plate zone  12  and a plurality of equally spaced pitching lanes  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22  defined by a plurality of lines extending longitudinally through home plate  12 . Preferably, for the training mat  10 , home plate zone  12  is divided into five equally spaced pitching lanes including an inside lane  14 , middle inside  16 , middle  18 , middle outside  20  and outside  22 , each lane generally defining the ball path of a pitch. Referring briefly to  FIG. 11 , a softball mat  10 A would be divided into either 3 or 4 lanes because of the larger size of a softball. 
     Turning back to  FIG. 1 , each lane  14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22  is provided with a predetermined ball contact location  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  defined by a marking or indicia (a baseball marked “ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, “ 3 ”, “ 4 ”, “ 5 ”) within the respective lane  14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 . The ball contact locations  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  are configured and arranged to facilitate hitting of a baseball to a predetermined field location. The general direction of the ball in play is identified by an arrow  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42  extending through the ball contact location  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 . Generally speaking the ball contact locations  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  begin forward of home plate zone  12  in the inside lane  14  and progressively move rearwardly onto home plate zone  12  in the outside lane  22 . 
     More specifically, the ball contact location marked “ 1 ”  24  of inside lane  14  is forward of home plate zone  12 . A properly timed early swing combined with contact in front of the home plate zone  12  will result in a baseball directed toward left field, i.e. controlled directional hitting in the direction of arrow  34 . The ball contact location marked “ 5 ”  32  of outside lane  22  is positioned on home plate zone  12 . Conversely, a properly timed late swing combined with contact over the home plate zone  12  will result in a baseball directed toward right field, i.e. controlled directional hitting in the direction of arrow  42 . Based upon the desired direction of the baseball after hitting the baseball, i.e. left, left-center, center, center-right, and right, the hitter can adjust the timing of his swing (earlier or later) to contact the ball at the appropriate ball contact location (marked  1 - 5 ) in its respective lane  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 . 
     The training mat  10  further includes a back foot zone  44 , front foot zone  46  and stride zone  48  to also help with proper batting stance and position relative to home plate zone  12 . It should be noted the back foot zone  44 , front foot zone  46 , and stride zone  48  can be reversed to the opposite side of the training mat  10  to accommodate a left-handed hitter. 
     In use, a method of teaching and/or learning controlled directional hitting comprises providing the above-described training mat  10  and practicing hitting baseballs while standing on the mat  10  and attempting to make contact with the baseball at the respective ball contact locations  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32 . 
     Turing now to  FIGS. 2-4 , as a first step in learning the skill of hitting, it is beneficial for the player to begin by using a batting tee  50  to control the location of ball contact  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  within the respective lane  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 . The player or instructor would place the tee  50  on the respective ball contact location marked “ 1 ”  24  (inside pitch—hit to left field) ( FIG. 2 ), and repetitively hit the ball  52  off the tee  50 , learning the feel and timing of hitting the ball  52  into left field. The player would then progressively move the tee  50  from ball contact location marked “ 1 ”  24  ( FIG. 2 ) to ball contact location marked “ 2 ”  26  ( FIG. 3 ) and repeat, ball contact location marked “ 2 ”  26  to ball contact location marked “ 3 ”  28  ( FIG. 4 ) and repeat, gradually learning the feel and timing of hitting the ball  52  to a specific location on the field. The process is repeated through all of the lanes  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22  for as many times as it takes to learn the skill. 
     As a next step in the process, the player will begin to hit balls soft-tossed from a side into the respective lanes  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22  (See  FIGS. 5-7 ), and then pitched from the front down the respective lanes  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22  (See  FIGS. 8-10 ).  FIGS. 8-10  show pitching of a ball  52  from a front of the training mat  10  down the respective lanes  14 ,  16 ,  18 ,  20 ,  22 . 
     By repeating the practice steps over and over and using the training mat  10  to direct the proper contact location  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  30 ,  32  and emphasize the desired ball direction  34 ,  36 ,  38 ,  40 ,  42  the player will gradually learn to identify the ball trajectory of a particular pitch and then be able to properly time their swing to direct the baseball  52  as desired. 
     As indicated above, the training mat  10  is equally useful for a softball player as well.  FIG. 11  illustrates a preferred embodiment of the mat  10 A for teaching controlled hitting of a softball. It is noted that the size of a softball is larger and therefore home plate  12  is divided into 3 (or possibly 4) pitching lanes  54 ,  56 ,  58 . Each lane  54 ,  56 ,  58  is provided with a predetermined ball contact location  60 ,  62 ,  64  defined by a marking or indicia (a softball marked “ 1 ”, “ 2 ”, or “ 3 ”)  60 ,  62 ,  64  within the respective lane  54 ,  56 ,  58 . The softball contact locations  60 ,  62 ,  64  are configured and arranged to facilitate hitting of a softball to a predetermined field location, such as left field, center field, or right field. The general direction of the ball in play is identified by an arrow  66 ,  68 ,  70  extending through the ball contact location  60 ,  62 ,  64 . Generally speaking the ball contact locations  60 ,  62 ,  64  begin forward of the home plate zone  12  in the inside lane  54  and progressively move rearwardly onto the home plate zone  12  in the outside lane  58 . The teaching method of controlled hitting of a softball is identical to that described hereinabove for a baseball. 
     The training mat  10  as illustrated in  FIGS. 1-12  is configured and arranged for use by a right-handed batter. We note that the invention is not limited to a right-handed training mat  10 , and that the concepts are equally applicable to a left-handed training mat wherein all of the markings and indicia are simply a reverse symmetrical image thereof. 
     A pitching strip  70 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , may be used in conjunction with the training mat  10  for teaching the controlled directional hitting of a baseball, and/or, teaching controlled directional pitching of a baseball. In one embodiment, the pitching strip  70  is positioned over the home plate zone  12  of the training mat  10 . Alternatively, the pitching strip  70  may be positioned forward of the home plate zone  12  or rearward of the home plate zone  12  of the training mat  10  depending on the particular needs of the instructor. 
     The pitching strip  70  used in conjunction with the training mat  10  is divided into seven equally spaced baseball pitching locations  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  representing “strike” pitching locations  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82  and ball pitching “locations”  72 ,  84 . Generally speaking, the strike and ball locations  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  are transversely arranged over the home plate zone  12  from a left side  10 B of the training mat  10  to right side  10 C of the training mat  10 . The “ball” pitching locations  72 ,  84  are two outside pitches representing the inside ball location  72  marked as “B-I” and the outside ball location  84  marked as “B-O”. The “strike” pitching locations  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82  are an inside strike marked  74  as “ 2 ”, middle inside strike  76  marked as “ 3 ”, middle strike  78  marked as “ 4 ”, middle outside strike  80  marked as “ 5 ” and outside strike  82  marked as  6 , each pitching location  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  generally defining the ball path of a pitch. A properly executed throw of a baseball into the respective strike or ball locations  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  will teach proper control of the baseball&#39;s direction and proximity to the home plate zone  12 . It should be noted that the pitching strip  70  may also be used for teaching the controlled directional pitching of a softball which would be divided into either 5 or 6 lanes because of the larger size of a softball. 
     In use, a method of teaching and/or learning controlled directional pitching comprises providing the above-described mat  10  and practicing pitching baseballs while standing on a pitching mound and attempting to locate the baseball at the respective strike and ball locations  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  of the pitching strip  70  upon command. The pitching strip  70  will assist pitcher&#39;s visualize where the pitch should be thrown after hearing a verbal command about the intended pitch location  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  from an instructor. The verbal commands will consist of the intended pitching locations (B-I,  1 ,  2 ,  3 ,  4 ,  5 , B-O). By repeating the practice steps over and over and using the mat  10  in conjunction with the pitching strip  70  to direct the proper strike and ball location  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84 , the player will gradually learn to identify the ball trajectory of a particular pitch. 
     The pitching strip  70 , as shown in  FIG. 12 , may also be used in conjunction with the training mat  10  for teaching the calling of “balls” and “strikes” by an umpire. The pitching strip  70  indicates ball and strike locations  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  relative to the home plate zone  12 . The umpire may use the pitching strip  70  to guide his calling of either “balls” or “strikes” during practice. For example, if the pitcher throws an inside strike at pitching location  74  marked  1 , the umpire will call a “strike”. If the pitcher throws an outside ball  84  at pitching location marked B-O, the umpire will call a “ball”. 
     In use, a method of teaching and/or learning calling balls and strikes is providing the above-described mat  10  and pitching strip  70 , having a pitcher throw baseballs while standing in front of the mat, and having the umpire attempting to call the respective strike and ball locations  72 ,  74 ,  76 ,  78 ,  80 ,  82 ,  84  consistently. By repeating the practice steps over and over and using the pitching strip  70  in calling the proper strike and ball, the umpire will gradually learn to uniformly and consistently identify a strike and ball. As indicated above, the mat  10  and pitching strip  70  are equally useful in teaching the calling of strikes and balls for a softball umpire. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the pitching strip  70  described above may be adapted for use without the training mat  10  described above. For example, the pitching strip  70  maybe placed directly on ground or over a home plate without the aid of the training mat  10 . 
     We note that the pitching strip  70  is illustrated for use with a right-handed batter, but it should be evident that the concepts are equally applicable to a left-handed training mat wherein the markings and indicia are reversed. 
     In summary, the use of both the training mat  10  and pitching strip  70  will allow for simultaneous teaching of controlled hitting, pitching and/or umpiring. Both the pitcher and batter will hear a verbal command from an instructor, and each will try to visualize a direction and position of the ball. An umpire can call a strike or ball once the pitch is thrown by a pitcher with the aid of the pitching strip  70 . As a result, one instructor or more may observe and teach proper hitting, pitching, and umpiring during the same session. For all of the reasons stated above, the instant invention is believed to represent a significant advancement in the art, which has substantial commercial merit. 
     While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.