BASEBALL SWING LINE TRAINER

Abstract

A baseball swing line trainer for learning proper baseball bat swing technique has first and second balls on a line or cord. The first ball is slidable along the cord and may be the target ball. The second ball is an alignment or position ball. When the batter executes a level swing, the target ball slides along the cord. Bat contact with the cord or the position ball indicates an improper swing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Achieving a proper swing with a baseball bat can be challenging. Various swing training devices have been proposed and used, with varying degrees of success. Some swing training devices are mechanically complex, are too large or heavy to be easily transported, require a helper or assistant, provide limited feedback, or have other disadvantages. Accordingly, there is a need for a better baseball swing trainer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A swing line trainer for learning proper swing technique has first and second balls on a line or cord. The first ball is slidable along the cord and may be the target ball. The second ball is an alignment or position ball. When the target ball is struck with a level swing, the target ball slides along the cord. Bat contact with the cord or the position ball indicates an improper swing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, the same element number indicates the same element in each of the views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a new swing line trainer in use.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the swing line trainer shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the swing line trainer as shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, as shown in FIGS. 1-3, a swing line trainer 10 includes first and second ball sliders 22 and 24 on a cord 12. Each ball slider may include a ball 26 or 30 attached to a holder 32. The holder 32 may include or be attached to a ring 34, with the cord 12 passing through the ring 34. The holder 32 may be dimensioned to hold the ball 26 or 30 so that dimension DD in FIG. 3 from the center of the ball to the bottom surface of the cord 12 is from about 3 to 5 or 6 inches. The ball 26 or 30 may have a diameter similar to a standard baseball or softball, typically in the range of 3 to 4 or 3 to 5 inches. The ball 26 or 30 may be solid as with a baseball or softball, or the ball may be hollow as with a plastic whiffle ball having a pattern of through holes. As described below, the ball 30 on the first ball slider 22 is the target ball, while the ball 26 on the second ball slider 24 is a position ball.

The holder 32 may be provided in various ways. In the example shown in FIGS. 1-3, the holder 32 is made from cord looped through the ring 34 and crimped or knotted. The looped cord may optionally have a cover, such as a shrink sleeve. The lower end of the holder 32 may extend into the ball 30 and be knotted or crimped to retain the ball on the holder. The inside diameter of the ring 34 is substantially larger, e.g. 1.5 to 2 or 3 times larger than the diameter of the cord, to allow the ball slider 22 to slide freely along the cord 12. In the example shown, the cord is a 5/16 inch bungee cord and the rings are ¾ inch OD steel snap rings or key rings.

Hooks or other end fittings 14 and 16 may be attached to the ends of the cord 12. The end of the cord may loop through fitting 14 and/or 16, to allow the length of the cord 12 between the fittings to be adjusted. Alternatively, a separate length adjusting device 28 may be provided on or with the cord 12, as shown in FIG. 3. The cord 12 may be elastic with a braided cover. Stops 18 and 20 may be attached to the cord 12 toward each end of the cord. The stops 18 and/or 20 may be disks or washers and may be fixed in place on the cord, or repositionable on the cord. The total length of the cord 12 may vary depending on where the swing line trainer will be used, with a typical length ranging from about 8 to 12 feet. For example, a 10 foot elastic cord may be used across a 16 foot garage door opening.

As shown in FIG. 1, in use, the cord 12 may be stretched and the fittings 16 and 18 are attached to fixed structures 52 and 50, which may be fence or goal posts, backstop posts or bars, garage door side rails, parked vehicles, etc. The cord 12 is then substantially horizontal. The first and second ball sliders 22 and 24 are spaced apart. The batter 36 stands with his or her back hip or back shoulder directly in front of the position ball 26 and swings the bat 38 at the target ball 30

The objective is to hit the target ball 30 with a level swing and with proper form, while avoiding hitting the second ball slider 24 and the cord itself. The position ball 26 provides an obstacle to improper bat approach to the target ball 30. If the batter 36 swings the bat 38 using proper form, the bat 38 moves in the path or trajectory 40 shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1. The bat 38 hits the target ball 30, with the bat 38 largely aligned vertically with the ball, and with the bat 38 moving generally horizontally at the point of impact. When the batter executes a level swing, (using the palm up palm down technique, keeping the hands in front of the barrel, and having proper balance and weight distribution) the target ball 30 slides forward smoothly towards the stop 18. This movement provides a visual indicator of a proper swing.

If the batter “rolls his hands” or lets the barrel get in front of his hands, the first ball slider 22 will not travel smoothly along the cord. This will also indicate when the batter is cutting across the ball. If the position ball 26 is hit, the batter's swing is too wide and the batter is not getting his/her hands through before the barrel of the bat. This indicates an “outside-in” swing, or improper transfer of weight. Hitting the cord itself indicates an unlevel swing. The cord 12 may be raised or lowered to desired height. If can be set up on an angle and lowered to teach batters to hit low pitches in the strike zone, using the same correct swing.

The spacing SS between the position ball 26 and the target ball 30 as shown in FIG. 3 determines the degree of batting accuracy needed to successfully hit the target ball 30. The closer the position ball 26 is to the target ball 30, the more accuracy is needed for a correct hit. Generally, the spacing SS ranges from about 18 to 36 inches.

FIG. 1 shows the swing line trainer 10 as used by a right handed batter 36. The swing line trainer 10 may of course also be used by a left handed batter in a mirror image position, or with the left handed batter. The swing line trainer may be symmetrical, so that either ball 26 or 30 may be the target ball. The swing line trainer may be used to practice swinging a bat for baseball or softball training, or for training similar swing movements in other sports.

In a basic form, the swing line trainer has only a target ball or object 30 and a position ball or object 26 on a cord. Providing an elastic cord 12 with end fittings makes it easier to set up, since the cord 12 is self tensioning and the end fittings can be quickly attached to fixed points 50 and 52. However, the swing line trainer may also be made with a non-elastic cord and without end fittings, with the ends of the cord simply tied around and knotted onto the fixed points 50 and 52. The stops 18 and 20 and any cord length adjuster may also be omitted. The balls 26 and/or 30 may also be replaced with other object shapes.

Allowing both ball sliders 22 and 24 to slide on the cord provides versatility, although it is not necessary for the position ball 26 to slide, so that the second ball slider 24 may optionally be fixed in place on the cord 12. Similarly, although the first and second ball sliders 22 and 24 appear identical in the drawings, they may also be provided having different shapes, sizes and dimensions. The vertical dimension DD in FIG. 3 for the position ball 26 may optionally be different from the dimension DD for the target ball 30. The cord 12 may also optionally be replaced by a tube or bar.

The swing line trainer 10 may be used indoors or outdoors. It may be used by the batter 36 alone, with no assistant or helper is required, and no additional equipment is needed. The swing line trainer 10 is also easy to carry, set up and use by one person. No assembly required. It may reduce the need and expense of additional training equipment.

Thus, a novel swing trainer has been shown and described. Various changes and substitutions may of course be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention therefore should not be limited except by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A swing trainer comprising: a cord;a first ball slider slidably supported on the cord, with the first ball slider including a target ball suspended below the cord; anda second ball slider supported on the cord, with the second ball slider including a position ball suspended below the cord.

2. The swing trainer of claim 1 with the cord comprising an elastic cord.

3. The swing trainer of claim 1 with the second ball slider slidably supported on the cord.

4. The swing trainer of claim 1 further including a first fitting on a first end of the cord for attaching the first end of the cord to a first fixed structure, and a second fitting on a second end of the cord for attaching the second end of the cord to a second fixed structure.

5. The swing trainer of claim 4 with at least one of the first and second fittings including a cord length adjuster.

6. The swing trainer of claim 4 with the at least one of the first and second fittings comprising a hook or clip.

7. The swing trainer of claim 1 with the center of the target ball 3 to 8 inches below the cord.

8. The swing trainer of claim 7 with the position ball and the target ball suspended below the cord by substantially the same distance.

9. The swing trainer of claim 1 with the first and second ball sliders each including a holder having a ring, with the cord passing through the ring.

10. The swing trainer of claim 1 with the cord having a length of 8 to 15 feet.

11. A method for batter swing training comprising: suspending a target ball below a cord having a first end and a second end;suspending a position ball below the cord, with the position ball spaced apart from the target ball by a dimension SS, and with the position ball closer to the first end than to the second end of the cord;swinging a bat at the target ball; andallowing the target ball to slide along the cord toward the second end of the cord upon the bat hitting the ball with a substantially level swing.

12. The method of claim 11 further including aligning the user's body with the position ball.

13. The method of claim 11 further including stretching the cord and attaching the ends of the cord to fixed objects.

14. The method of claim 11 with dimension SS ranging from 18 to 36 inches.