DEVICE FOR GOLF CLUB GRIP ASSISTANCE

Abstract

A device for assisting a person's hand to grip a golf club comprises a wrist support having a front surface and a rear surface; a fingers support extending from the wrist support; a gripping strap extending from a free end of the fingers support, the gripping strap having a free end and including a fastener for fastening the free end of the gripping strap to the exterior surface of the fingers support; a first buckle attached to, and positioned off-center of, the front surface of the wrist support so that the first buckle is adjacent to a base of the person's thumb when the device is worn on the hand. When the wrist support is mounted on the wrist, the free end of the gripping strap is fed through the buckle and tightened to fold the fingers support and the person's fingers at an angle towards the person's thumb.

Description

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to devices for assisting a person to grasp and hold onto an object; in particular, the present disclosure relates to devices for assisting a person to grasp and hold onto a golf club when playing the game of golf.

BACKGROUND

The object of a game of golf is to hit a golf ball into a hole, typically by using a set of golf clubs having an elongated handle, with a head at one end of the handle for hitting the golf ball, and a grip at the opposite end of the handle for grasping the club. The head of a golf club, which hits and moves the ball when the golf club is swung, is shaped and sized for hitting the golf ball longer or shorter distances and across different types of terrain on the golf course. The accuracy and distance of the moving golf ball, after it is hit, depends on a number of factors; important factors include that the golf club be firmly gripped when swung, and properly oriented when the golf club head hits the golf ball.

There are many health conditions which may impact a person's ability to firmly grip a golf club handle. Arthritis and other degenerative diseases may gradually cause a person to lose their grip strength in their hands. As well, traumatic injuries to the hands, the brain, the spinal cord and conditions affecting the nervous system may each reduce a person's ability to firmly grasp and hold onto a golf club, or to maintain one's hands in the proper position on the golf club while the swinging motion takes place. Many of these health conditions may limit the range of motion through which a person is able to move their fingers, such that the person cannot move their fingers into a position where the fingers are fully wrapped around the golf club handle.

To the Applicant's knowledge, there exists products on the market for assisting a person to grip and hold onto a golf club. For example, a modified golf glove sold under the brand name Golf-Par™ comprises a regular golf glove with a strap that is attached to the front wrist portion of the glove. The free end of the strap has a hook and loop fastener, with a corresponding hook and loop fastener patch on the rear surface of the glove's fingers. In use, the person puts the glove on and grasps the golf club with the gloved hand. Then, the free end of the strap is pulled up and over the fingers and the club handle, and then the free end of the strap is attached to the hook and loop fastener on the rear surface of the glove's fingers.

Another product, sold under the brand name JDM Miracle Glove™, includes a modified golf glove having four enclosed fingers and an enclosed thumb, with hook and loop fastener patches on the palm and on the front surface of the fingers. A strip or patch, having the hook and loop fastener that corresponds with the hook and loop fastener on the glove, is adhered to the golf club grip. Thus, when the person grasps the modified golf club handle using the modified golf glove, the hook and loop fastener on the golf glove mates with the hook and loop fastener on the golf club grip. To use this grip assisting function of this product, it would be required to modify the handle of each golf club by adhering a corresponding strip or patch of the hook and loop fastener to the golf club grip. This product, and other embodiments, appear to be described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,211,004 to DeMarco. A similar device is sold under the brand name Quantum Grip™; however, this device includes modified club grips having the hook and loop fastener, which grips may be installed on an existing set of golf clubs after removing the original golf club grips. This product, and embodiments, appear to be described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,192,296 and 7,530,898, both issued to Pinkart.

A device, sold under the brand name Eagle Claw™, is a clip that is clipped onto the person's thumb and index finder, and includes a lock mechanism operated by a lever which releasably locks the plastic clip into place on a golf club handle. Thus, this device may enhance the grip of the thumb and the index finger on the golf club handle when in use. This device appears to be described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,425,339 to Basden, which additionally describes and illustrates a receiver piece that is attached to the golf club handle, for receiving the thumb portion of the clip.

Another product, sold under the brand name Gripmate™, consists of two straps that are fastened around the wrist and the palm of a person's hand using hook and loop fasteners. A third strap, which is attached to the wrist and the palm straps and extends past the tips of the fingers, is threaded underneath the wrist strap, forming a loop through which the handle of different objects, including a golf club, may be placed.

The device does not appear to move or support the fingers around the golf club, and may be used for example by a person who does not have fingers.

Products sold under the brand name Active Hands™ include products designed for assisting a person to grip an object. One product, called the General Purpose Gripping Aid, includes a wrist strap that encircles the person's wrist, and a support with a strap extending along the back of a person's hand and fingers. The support appears to be made of a thick, resilient material such as neoprene. The strap is grasped and pulled over the tips of the fingers, to be threaded through a buckle located in the center on the front surface of the wrist strap, and then the strap is attached to a hook and loop fastener of the device to the support that is adjacent to the back of the person's hand. This device may be used, for example, to grasp a barbell weight in one hand. Another product, called the Angled Aid, also includes a wrist strap that encircles the person's wrist, a support extending along the back of the person's hand and fingers, and a thumb sleeve through which the person's thumb is inserted. There is a thumb strap that runs along the thumb sleeve and the free end of the thumb strap is attached to a hook and loop fastener on the support and adjacent the rear surface of the person's fingers; and a main strap that is attached to the support, adjacent the back of the person's hand and extending across the back of the hand at an angle away from the fingertips. A free end of the main strap is threaded through a buckle attached to the support and adjacent the fingertips, and then the free end of the main strap is fastened, by a hook and loop fastener, to the support and adjacent the back of the person's hand. The Angled Aid is intended for holding objects at an angle in the person's hand, such as a racquet used to play a game of tennis.

In U.S. Pat. No. 8,966,664 to Walsh, the illustrated embodiment shows a mitt with a strap extending from the front of the wrist of the mitt, and a fastener at the rear surface of the mitt adjacent the back of the person's hand. To grasp an object, the object is placed in the hand of the person while wearing the mitt, and then the free end of the strap is brought up and over the tips of the fingers to be fastened on the fastener on the rear of the mitt and adjacent the back of the person's hand.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide devices or methods for assisting a person to properly grip a golf club handle, and to maintain that grip through a golf club swing. Because a person will typically use several different golf clubs during a round of golf, it is desirable for a product to be quickly and readily used with different golf clubs, preferably without having to use specialized or modified golf club grips.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided which requires only one strap to be adjusted when the person is grasping a different golf club. Advantageously, because the gripping strap of the device extends along the back surface of a person's fingers when the device is worn, and the gripping strap is brought over the fingertips of the person and then threaded through an angled buckle attached at the front of the wrist support of the device, the act of tightening the strap causes the fingers to curl and tighten around a golf club handle placed in the person's palm. As such, the device does not require the person to initially grasp the handle with their fingers before the gripping strap is placed and tightened. This may be particularly useful for people who are not able to move their fingers at all, or who have limited ability to move their fingers. In the Applicant's view, the presently disclosed device has an advantage over other known devices having a strap that is attached to the device adjacent the front of a person's wrist, as it appears that such devices require the person to initially grasp the handle of the golf club before the strap may be brought up and over the fingers that are holding the golf club handle.

A golf club grip assistance device for assisting a person's hand to grip a handle of a golf club comprises a wrist support having a front surface and a rear surface, the wrist support for mounting the device to the person's hand; a fingers support attached to and extending from the wrist support, the fingers support having a fixed end extending from the wrist support and an opposite free end; a gripping strap attached to an exterior surface of the fingers support, the gripping strap having a free end extending away from the wrist support and the free end of the fingers support, the gripping strap including a fastener for fastening the free end of the gripping strap to the exterior surface of the fingers support; a first buckle attached to, and positioned off-center of, the front surface of the wrist support so that the first buckle is adjacent to a base of the person's thumb when the device is worn on the person's hand. When the wrist support is mounted on the person's wrist, the free end of the gripping strap is fed through the buckle and tightened to fold the fingers support and the person's fingers at an angle towards the buckle and the person's thumb.

In some embodiments, the first buckle is attached at an angle relative to a central axis, the central axis passing through the center of the fingers support and the wrist support of the device, and wherein the angle is less than 90 degrees.

In some embodiments, the wrist support comprises a body and a wrist strap, the wrist strap attached to the body and having a free end including a fastener, wherein the fastener on the free end of the wrist strap is used to fasten the wrist strap to the wrist strap body. The wrist support may further include a wrist strap buckle attached to the body of the wrist support, wherein the free end of the wrist strap is fed through the wrist strap buckle for adjusting a length of the wrist strap.

In some embodiments, the device comprises a glove. In such embodiments, the wrist support of the device is a wrist portion of the glove and the fingers support of the device is the fingers portion of the glove. The glove includes a wrist strap for securing the glove to the wrist and a wrist strap fastener for adjusting a tension of the wrist strap around the person's wrist. In some embodiments, the fingers support is integrally formed with the wrist support.

Some embodiments of the device may include a second buckle, the second buckle attached to and positioned off-center of the front surface of the wrist support, opposite to the first buckle, so that the second buckle is adjacent to a base of the person's thumb when the device is worn on the person's right hand and the first buckle is adjacent to the base of the person's thumb when the device is worn on the person's left hand. In some embodiments, the first buckle and the second buckle are each attached to, and positioned off-center of, the front surface of the wrist support at an angle relative to a central axis passing through the finger support and the wrist support, wherein the angle of each of the first and second buckles is less than 90 degrees measured from the central axis.

In some embodiments, the gripping strap fastener and/or the wrist strap fastener is a hook and loop fastener. The gripping strap and/or the wrist strap of the device may include a loop attached to the free end of the strap for grasping and pulling the strap.

In some embodiments, the fingers support is manufactured of an inelastic material that conforms to the person's hand with use. The fingers support may be manufactured of a breathable material that allows air to circulate to the skin that is covered by the fingers support. The fingers support, and any other portion of the device, may be manufactured of leather or synthetic leather, for example.

In some embodiments, the gripping strap fastener is selected from a group comprising: a snap, a button, a side release buckle, and the gripping strap may include a slide adjuster for adjusting a length of the gripping strap.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a device for assisting a person's hand to grip a golf club comprises a wrist support having a front surface and a rear surface; a fingers support extending from the wrist support; a gripping strap attached to an exterior surface of the fingers support, the gripping strap having a free end and including a fastener for fastening the free end of the gripping strap to the exterior surface of the fingers support; a first buckle attached to, and positioned off-center of, the front surface of the wrist support so that the first buckle is adjacent to a base of the person's thumb when the device is worn on the hand. When the wrist support is mounted on the wrist, the free end of the gripping strap is fed through the buckle and tightened to fold the fingers support and the person's fingers at an angle towards the person's thumb.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a side profile view of an embodiment of the device, in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a rear profile view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the wrist support mounted onto a person's hand.

FIG. 3 is a front profile view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the wrist support mounted onto a person's hand.

FIG. 4 is a side profile view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the wrist support mounted onto a person's hand.

FIG. 5 is a side profile view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the wrist support mounted onto a person's hand and the gripping strap in a closed position for closing the person's fingers into a gripping position.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the gripping strap in the closed position as shown in FIG. 5 and the grip of a golf club shown in dotted outline.

FIG. 7 is another perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1, with the gripping strap in the closed position as shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is an example of a conventional slide adjuster for adjusting the length of a strap.

FIG. 9 is an example of a conventional side release buckle fastener, for fastening a strap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 7, and embodiment of a grip assisting device 1 comprises a wrist support 10 and a fingers support 20, the fingers support 20 extending from a rear surface 12 of the wrist support 10. The fingers support 20 is, in some embodiments, sized and shaped to cover most or all of the rear surface of the person's fingers F, and such that a free end 22 of the fingers support 20 is proximate to the tips of the fingers F, as best viewed for example in FIG. 2. Although the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7 includes a fingers support 20 that covers nearly all of the fingers F of the person wearing the device, it will be appreciated that other embodiments which provide only a partial covering of the fingers F are also intended to be included in the scope of the present disclosure, provided that the fingers support 20 is sized and shaped such that it will support and guide the fingers into the proper gripping position around a golf club. Alternatively, in some embodiments (not illustrated), the device may include a glove, in which case the wrist support is the wrist portion of the glove and the finger support is the fingers of the glove. The glove of the device may be shaped and sized to correspond with the shape and size of a conventional golf glove, and the glove of the device may be manufactured of conventional golf glove materials, including leather or synthetic leather.

The device 1 further includes a gripping strap 30, the gripping strap 30 attached to and/or extending from free end 22 of the fingers support 20. The gripping strap 30 is shown in FIG. 2 in a storage position, laying against and fastened to the exterior surface 24 of the fingers support 20. For example, a fastener on the strap 30, including for example a hook and loop fastener, may be used to fasten the strap 30 along the rear surface 24 of the fingers support 20 when not in use, as shown for example in FIG. 4, and when in use, as shown in FIG. 5. In the embodiments where the wrist support is the wrist portion of a glove and the fingers support is the fingers of the glove, the gripping strap 30 may be attached to the rear surface of the glove.

As best viewed in FIG. 3, the wrist support 10 comprises, in the illustrated embodiment, a wrist strap 16 which utilizes a fastener, such as a hook and loop fastener, to close the wrist strap 16 of the wrist support 10 around the wrist W of the person wearing the device. Wrist strap 16 may be used to loosen or tighten the wrist support 10 of the device 1 onto the hand H of the person wearing the device, preferably so that the wrist support 10 is snugly fitted around the wrist W.

The device 1 also includes a buckle 18, the buckle 18 attached to or extending from a front surface 14 of the wrist support 10. The buckle 18 is located off-center, (or in other words, set aside from or offset from), a central axis C that extends approximately through the middle finger M and the wrist W of the person's hand H when the person is wearing the device. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the buckle 18 is positioned off-center from the central axis C of the person's hand H and adjacent to the base of the person's thumb T when the person is wearing the device 1.

The operation of the device 1 will now be described, specifically with reference to FIGS. 3 to 7. As viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4, the device 1 is initially mounted to the person's wrist W with the buckle 18 positioned adjacent to the base of the person's thumb T, and the wrist support 10 is adjusted such that the wrist support snugly encircles the person's wrist W, which adjustment may be made by tightening or loosening wrist strap 16. Once the wrist support 10 is mounted onto the person's wrist W, the gripping strap 30 is grasped and removed from its storage position, as shown in FIG. 4, and pulled in direction A over the tips of the person's fingers F, as shown in FIG. 4. As best viewed in FIG. 5, the gripping strap 30, which has a free end 32, is fed through buckle 18 in direction B, which causes the fingers F to curl into a gripping position, so as to be able to grasp a golf club handle or grip inserted in the gap G that is formed between the palm P and the fingers F of the person's hand H. Once the grip or handle of the golf club has been inserted into the gap G between the palm and the fingers of the person's hand H, the free end 32 of the gripping strap 30 is brought back over the fingers F in direction D in order to fasten the free end 32 of the gripping strap 30 to a corresponding fastener 26 on the exterior surface 24 of fingers support 20, as best viewed in FIG. 5. The gripping strap 30 may be adjusted as required to loosen or tighten the fingers F around the handle of the golf club.

As best viewed in FIG. 6, the angled buckle 18 allows the hand H and fingers F to properly grasp and wrap around the grip X of the golf club, shown in solid and dotted outline. This is because, as best viewed in FIG. 6, positioning the buckle 18 off-center from the central axis C of the hand H draws the fingers F into a gripping position such that the fingers F are pointing towards the buckle 18, rather than straight down the central axis C of the hand H. This is because the position of the buckle 18 directs the gripping strap 30, the fingers support 20 and the fingers F at an angle towards the base of the thumb T. This is the preferred positioning for fingers that are grasping the grip X of the golf club. It should also be noted that the thumb T, which is outside of the fingers support 20 and therefore free to move into position along the golf club handle X, is resting along the handle of the golf club X as best viewed in FIG. 6. For embodiments where the wrist support is the wrist portion of a glove, the gripping strap 30 is preferably sized to a width that covers most of, or a substantial portion of, the rear surface of the person's four fingers, such that the gripping strap will direct and hold the four fingers in the preferred gripping position around the golf club grip X when the gripping strap 30 is fastened to the rear surface of the glove. Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 7, the embodiments including a glove would similarly allow the person's thumb T to be freely positioned and adjusted along the grip of the golf club, even after the gripping strap 30 is secured into position and the four fingers F are held in place by the gripping strap 30.

Typically, a proper golf club gripping position includes pointing the thumb T substantially downwardly along the handle X and towards the head of the club. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, such as best viewed in FIG. 3, that the buckle 18 is positioned such that it is not perpendicular to the central axis C, but instead is positioned at an angle of less than 90° relative to central axis C. For example, buckle 18 is positioned at an angle α measured from the central axis C. Positioning the buckle 18 at angle α, relative to central axis C, further guides the position of the gripping strap 30 when it is secured through the buckle 18, thus guiding the direction and position of the fingers support 20 when the device 10 is strapped into place and the fingers F are positioned around the grip X of the golf club.

In some embodiments (not shown), the device 1 may be provided with two buckles 18, with each buckle 18 positioned on opposite sides of the central axis C, and the buckles 18 are preferably positioned so as to be a mirror image of one another about central axis C. Providing two buckles 18 on device 1, with one buckle 18 positioned on each side of the central axis C, in some embodiments allows the device 1 to be used on either hand, wherein the person uses the buckle 18 that is adjacent to the person's thumb when the device 1 is worn on that hand H. In a further alternative embodiment, a left handed version and a right handed version of the device 1 may be provided, whereby, when viewed from the front surface 14 of the wrist support 10, as shown in FIG. 3, the buckle 18 is positioned to the left of the central axis C for use of the device on a left hand. A right-handed version of the device 1 (not shown) would substantially be a mirror image of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, with the buckle 18 positioned to the right of the central axis C, so that the buckle 18 is positioned adjacent to the base of a person's thumb T on their right hand. A person may wear the device 1 on any hand requiring gripping assistance when gripping a golf club; for example, the device 1 may be worn on only one hand, or it may be worn on both hands.

It will be appreciated that the fastener 26 for fastening the free end 32 of the gripping strap 30 may be any suitable type of fastener known to a person skilled in the art. In some embodiments, the fastener 26 may be a hook and loop type of fastener, wherein either the hook or the loop portion of the fastener 26 is attached to the exterior surface 24 of the fingers support 20 (or the rear surface of the glove adjacent the person's hand, wrist and/or fingers, in the embodiments incorporating a glove), and the corresponding loop or hook portion of the fastener 26 is attached to the free end 32 of the gripping strap 30, as will be known to a person skilled in the art. However, other types of fasteners 26 may be used for securing the free end 32 of the gripping strap 30 to the exterior surface 24 of the fingers support 20, including but not limited to snaps, buttons, side release buckles (an example of which is shown in FIG. 9), and other suitable fasteners as would be known to a person skilled in the art. For embodiments utilizing buttons, snaps, side release buckles and other types of fasteners, the gripping strap 30 may be equipped with a slide adjuster for adjusting a length of the gripping strap; an example of a conventional slide adjuster is shown in FIG. 8. Similarly, for embodiments that utilize a wrist strap 16 for closing the wrist support 10 and adjusting the fit of the wrist support 10 around the wrist W of the person, a hook and loop fastener may be utilized for fastening the wrist strap 16 to the wrist support 10. As well, it will be appreciated that other types of fasteners as will be suitable for the application known to a person skilled in the art, including but not limited to the snaps, buttons and side release buckles mentioned above, may also be used and are intended to be included in the scope of the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the gripping strap 30 may include a pulling loop or ring 34 attached to the free end 32 of the gripping strap 30. The pulling loop or ring 34 may make it easier to grasp and pull the free end 32 of the gripping strap 30 in order to feed the gripping strap 30 through the buckle 18, and to pull the gripping strap 30 in direction D when tightening the gripping strap 30 over the fingers F. Additionally, for embodiments that include a wrist strap 16, the free end 17 of the wrist strap 16 may also be provided with a pulling loop or ring 19, for the same reason of making it easier to grasp and pull the free end 17 of the wrist strap 16 when tightening the wrist strap 16 around the wrist W of the person.

Preferably, in some embodiments, at least the fingers support 20 of the device 1 is manufactured of a nonelastic, formable material, and preferably the material is a breathable material for air circulation, in particular because the device would typically be worn for the duration of a golf game which typically takes several hours. In a preferred embodiment, at least the fingers support 20 of the device 1 may be manufactured of a leather, a synthetic leather, or a similar type of material which is not elastic, but which may conform to the shape of the person's hand over time and with repeated use. Optionally, a person may or may not wear a conventional golf club on the hand H before mounting the device 1 to the hand. Advantageously, the device 1 is provided with an adjustable wrist support 10, which may be adjusted to accommodate the conventional golf glove covering the hand H before the device is mounted to the hand. However, it should be appreciated that wearing a conventional golf glove when using the device 1 is optional and that some people may prefer using the device 1 without a conventional golf glove.

Claims

1. A golf club grip assistance device for assisting a person's hand to grip a handle of a golf club, the person's hand extending from the person's wrist and including fingers and a thumb, the device comprising: a wrist support having a front surface and a rear surface, the wrist support for mounting the device to the person's hand and securing the device to the person's wrist,a fingers support attached to and extending from the rear surface of the wrist support, the fingers support having a fixed end and an opposite free end,a gripping strap extending from the free end of the fingers support, the gripping strap having a free end extending away from the wrist support and the free end of the fingers support, the gripping strap including a fastener for fastening the free end of the gripping strap to an exterior surface of the fingers support,a first buckle attached to, and positioned off-center of, the front surface of the wrist support so that the first buckle is adjacent to a base of the person's thumb when the device is worn on the person's hand,wherein when the wrist support is mounted on the person's wrist, the free end of the gripping strap is fed through the first buckle and tightened to fold the fingers support and the person's fingers at an angle towards the buckle and the person's thumb.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the wrist support comprises a body and a wrist strap, the wrist strap attached to the body and having a free end including a fastener, wherein the fastener on the free end of the wrist strap is used to fasten the wrist strap to the wrist strap body.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the wrist support further includes a wrist strap buckle attached to the body of the wrist support, and wherein the free end of the wrist strap is fed through the wrist strap buckle for adjusting a length of the wrist strap.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a glove, and wherein the wrist support of the device is a wrist portion of the glove and the fingers support of the device is the fingers portion of the glove, the glove including a wrist strap for securing the glove to the wrist and a wrist strap fastener for adjusting a tension of the wrist strap around the person's wrist.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second buckle, the second buckle attached to and positioned off-center of the front surface of the wrist support, opposite the first buckle, so that the second buckle is adjacent to a base of the person's right thumb when the device is worn on the person's right hand and the first buckle is adjacent to the base of the person's left thumb when the device is worn on the person's left hand.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first buckle is attached at an angle relative to a central axis, the central axis passing through the center of the fingers support and the wrist support of the device, and wherein the angle is less than 90 degrees.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the first buckle and the second buckle are each attached to and positioned off-center of the front surface of the wrist support at an angle relative to a central axis passing through the finger support and the wrist support, wherein the angle of each of the first and second buckles is less than 90 degrees.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the gripping strap fastener is a hook and loop fastener.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein the wrist strap fastener is a hook and loop fastener.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the gripping strap includes a loop attached to the free end of the gripping strap for grasping and pulling the gripping strap.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein the wrist strap includes a loop attached to the free end of the wrist strap for grasping and pulling the wrist strap.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the fingers support is manufactured of an inelastic material that conforms to the person's hand with use.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the fingers support is manufactured of a breathable material that allows air to circulate to the person's skin that is covered by the fingers support.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the fingers support is manufactured of leather or synthetic leather.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the gripping strap fastener is selected from a group comprising: a snap, a button, a side release buckle, and wherein the gripping strap includes a slide adjuster for adjusting a length of the gripping strap.

16. The device of claim 4, wherein the fingers support is integrally formed with the wrist support.