Patent Publication Number: US-5895330-A

Title: Modified sports goal for improving shooting accuracy

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Development of shooting skills is a key element for success in goal-oriented sports. Factors which contribute to an effective shot include accuracy, speed, ability to strike target areas, and quickness to release the shot. Developing these skills in a practice session increases the chance of scoring a goal during actual competition. 
     In the sport of hockey for example, the areas of the hockey goal proximal to both goal posts, along the ice, and between the goaltender&#39;s legs are considered target areas. In these regions, it is generally more difficult for the goaltender to react to an incoming hockey puck. It therefore follows that shots directed into these regions have a greater likelihood of entering the goal. 
     In the most common training method, a live goaltender is used to oppose the shot. However, the goaltender&#39;s movements are unpredictable and often times inconsistent, especially in an amateur setting. In addition, the skill levels of participants, referred to herein as &#34;skaters&#34; or &#34;shooters&#34;, and goaltenders attending a practice session may vary. Since shooting skill development requires a consistent target, live goaltenders can sometimes be unattractive for shooting practice. 
     Furthermore, goaltenders may be unavailable during a practice session or during a pickup session due to illness, injury, or involvement in other drills. To overcome this, skaters sometimes turn the goal on its side or on its face to provide a smaller goal area at which to shoot. This makes the act of scoring a goal more challenging but does not train the shooters to strike preferred target areas of the goal. 
     Others employ wood or plastic blockers as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,840,228, 3,856,298, and 3,887,181. These devices block the shots directed to the low-probability regions of the goal, in other words, those regions of the goal which would generally be covered by the goaltenders. These blocking devices are generally complicated, heavy and awkward to install. Furthermore, a shooter who strikes the dummy goaltender is falsely rewarded with the feeling of having a &#34;goal&#34; when the blocker stops the puck even though the puck was directed to a non-preferred region of the goal. 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of a standard prior art sports goal 20. The goal 20 comprises left and right goal posts 22A, 22B, adapted to rest normal to the playing surface 34, a crossbar 24 perpendicular to each of the goalposts 22A, 22B and parallel to the playing surface 34, and a net 26. The net 26 captures or otherwise stops a puck directed therein when a goal is scored. A rear support bar 30, and rear support posts 28A and 28B provide rigidity to the goal, allowing it to rest on the playing surface 34 as a rigid structure. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is directed to a sports goal shaped to stop and/or capture only those shots directed to the target areas of a standard goal. In this manner, the shooter is rewarded with the feeling of achieving a goal only if the puck strikes the target areas. Otherwise, the puck passes by the goal. If a shot is directed to that portion of a standard goal which is typically guarded by a goaltender, then the shooter is not falsely rewarded by stoppage of the puck as in the prior art trainers. The invention reduces the need for goaltenders during practice sessions, mitigating the possibility of goaltender injury and improving the shooter&#39;s ability to develop skills. 
     In a first preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a modified sports goal for training a sports player to project objects into a preferred target area of a standard sports goal. A modified goalpost frame is formed in the shape of a preferred target area of the standard sports goal. A net is coupled to the modified goalpost frame. The modified goalpost and net capture objects directed into the preferred target area and allow misdirected objects which otherwise would have been captured by the standard sports goal to pass thereby. 
     In a second preferred embodiment, the sports goal comprises a hockey goal. The goalpost frame comprises two vertical posts of standard height, for example 4 ft., and of standard distance apart, for example 6 ft. The frame further comprises a crossbar modified to encompass the preferred target areas of a standard goal. The target areas preferably include the region proximal to the goalposts, the region proximal to the playing surface between the goalposts, and the region in the center of the goal between a goaltender&#39;s legs. 
     The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     In the accompanying drawings, reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the different views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; emphasis has instead been placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Of the drawings: 
     FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a standard hockey goal in accordance with the prior art. 
     FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a modified hockey goal in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a modified hockey goal in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates preferred target regions for a standard hockey goal in accordance with the present invention. 
     FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C are schematic illustrations of alternative goalpost configurations in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 2 is a front view of a modified sports goal in accordance with the present invention. Specifically, the goal illustrated is an ice hockey goal. Note that although the present invention is described with reference to modified ice hockey goals, the concepts of the present invention apply equally as well to other goal-oriented sports including soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey. 
     The modified hockey goal 18 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a left goalpost 36A, a right goalpost 36B, and a crossbar 38. The goalposts 36A, 36B and the crossbar 38 form a plane which intersects the playing surface 34 at a goal line 32. A hockey puck or ball passing through this plane enters the goal and is stopped and/or captured by a net 40. 
     The crossbar 38 of the present invention is shaped so as to encompass preferred target areas of the standard sports goal 20 shown in prior art FIG. 1. For example, the region of the goal of FIG. 2 bordered by goalpost 36A and crossbar sections 38A and 38B defines a target area proximal to the left goalpost 36A. Similarly, the following regions define target areas: the region proximal to the right goalpost 36B defined by the right goalpost 36B and the crossbar sections 38F and 38G, the region between the goalposts 36A, 36B and along the playing surface 34 defined by the goal line 32 and crossbar sections 38C and 38E; the region between the goaltender&#39;s legs beneath crossbar section 38D. As described above, these target areas are sought after by shooters as areas of high scoring probability. The regions can be made wider for beginners and narrower for expert sharp-shooters. In a preferred embodiment suitable for general use, the target areas proximal to the goalpost are 4 ft. high by 6 in. wide at the top tapered to 9 in. wide at the base, the target area between the legs is 20 in. high by 8 in. wide, and the target area along the playing surface is 10 in. high. 
     A rear support bar 44 and side support bars 52 stop pucks traveling along the playing surface and together with a support post 46 form a rigid goal structure. Elastic cords 42 stretch between the support bar 44 at the base of the goal and crossbar sections 38A, 38G as shown to pull the net taut thereby preventing the net 40 from interfering with the face of the goal. Support posts may also be used for this purpose. 
     FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of the modified goal of the present invention. The operation of the elastic cords 42 supporting the net 40 is clearly visible in this view. It can also be seen that the rear support bar 44 in combination with side support bar 52, support pole 46, goalposts 36A, 36B, and crossbar 38A, 38G are interrelated so as to give triangulation and therefore structure to the goal 18. Additional support posts may be added between the goalposts 36A, 36B and the side support bars 52 and between the rear support bar 44 and side support bars 52 to further strengthen the structure of the goal 18. 
     A net coupling bar 54 runs parallel to and behind the goalposts 36A, 36B and crossbar 38, and parallel to and above the rear support bar 44 and side support bars 52. The net is woven onto the net coupling bar 54 using a nylon cord 55. Other coupling means may be used to fasten the net 40 to the goalposts, for example twist ties, clamps, and the like. 
     FIG. 4 illustrates preferred target regions in accordance with the present invention. The goal area of a standard sports goal is defined by goalposts 22A, 22B and crossbar 24. As described above, preferred target regions within the standard hockey goal include the regions proximal to the goalposts 60A, 60B, the region along the playing surface 60C, and the region between the goaltender&#39;s legs 60D. In the present invention, these preferred regions are bounded by goalposts 36, 38 and a net 40 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. 
     When a puck is directed into these preferred regions 60 the puck is stopped and/or captured by the net 40, and the player is rewarded with the feeling of scoring a goal. Any pucks directed into a region 62 not defined as a preferred target region and therefore not bounded by the goalposts pass through the plane of the goal outside of the modified goal area and are therefore not stopped or captured by the net. The puck therefore passes through the plane between regions 60A and 60B and bounces off the boards. Therefore, a player shooting into this low-probability zone is not rewarded with the feeling of scoring a goal. This is in contrast with the prior art training systems described above wherein any pucks which strike the low-probability zone covered by the blocker board are stopped even though the shot would likely not have resulted in a goal. 
     FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate alternative goalpost configurations in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 5A, the target regions along the goalposts 60A, 60B, along the playing surface 60C, and between the goaltender&#39;s legs 60D are encompassed by the goalposts and modified crossbar. In FIG. 5B, only those regions proximal to the goalposts 60A, 60B and along the ice 60C are included as target regions. Such a net could be employed during training for shooting against a goaltender known to keep his legs together when making saves. 
     FIG. 5C illustrates a goal of the present invention having non-symmetrical regions. In this embodiment, region 60A is wider than region 60B. Region 60A includes wide target regions near the top 62A and bottom 62B portions of the goal. Region 60B is narrower in this illustration. This embodiment would apply to training to shoot against a right-handed goaltender using a blocker on his right arm to stop pucks entering the right side of the goal near region 60A, and a catching glove on his left arm to protect the left side of the goal near region 60B (note that &#34;left&#34; and &#34;right&#34; for purposes of this paragraph are taken from a goaltender&#39;s perspective). A goaltender is generally strong on the glove side, so the target region 60B corresponding to the glove is relatively small. Likewise, a goaltender is relatively weak on the blocker side, so the target region 60A corresponding to the blocker is relatively large. On the blocker side, the goalie is perhaps beatable over his right shoulder in region 62A and under the arm in region 62B, which is good reason for widening these target areas. Many configurations are conceivable, including configurations which modify the shape of the vertical goalposts 36A, 36B in addition to or to the exclusion of a modified crossbar 38. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention well-suited for ice hockey, the goalpost frame comprises steel pipe welded to form a rigid structure and the net comprises nylon mesh. In alternative embodiments, the frame may comprise materials including plastic tubing, aluminum, wood, graphite, carbon. The frame may be formed in a single piece or can be adapted to snap or glue together or otherwise may include hinges and pins to create a frame which can be folded flat. The net preferably comprises nylon mesh but may include chicken wire, plastic fencing, plywood, or other means suitable for stopping objects such as pucks or balls directed into the goal. Goalpost placement pins may be added to prevent inadvertent movement of the goal when struck. 
     While this invention has been particularly shown and described with references to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.