Patent Application
20240058674
The present invention relates to football training aids and, more particularly, a football blocking pad that is placeable on the hip and the back.
American football is team sport that, at its core, is a game of blocking and tackling. Blocking is a technique applied by an offensive player as a means of preventing a defensive player from tackling the offensive team's ball carrier. The blocking skills that need to be developed in football are unique to the sport, and so the sport has developed special equipment to teach and hone such skills.
Run blocking is divided into three categories: man-blocking techniques, two-man (“double-team”) blocking techniques and pull techniques. Blocks categorized as man blocks are executed by only one lineman.
Currently, blocking pads are used in the training and development of block skills, by both the offensive blocker and defensive tackler, as a way of lessening the impact imparted during full speed blocking drills. Current blocking pads, however, do not cover the hip of the defender. In short, if there is no pad covering the defender's hip, then there is an inherent high risk of injury to the hip when hit by a shoulder pad of the blocker. As a result, double-team drills are currently not being taught in a safe/effective manner because making contact to the hip of the defender is a component of double-team blocking drills.
Current blocking pads also do not strap to the back of the defender. Which is unfortunate because holding a standard blocking pad is unrealistic due to the requirement of proper technique and leverage of the pad holder. For instance, a run block drill with a defender holding a pad in front of him is unrealistic and often does not result in a good repetition being performed as it does not teach the offensive lineman where to properly produce force, which should be on the insteps of the feet as opposed to on the toes.
As can be seen, there is a need for a single football blocking pad that is placeable on both the hip and the back.
The block pad embodied in the present invention has backpack strapping enabling a user to wear the blocking pad like a backpack, thereby allowing for double team blocks to be safely executed as well as allowing for a more realistic run block versus a moving defender. The backpack feature allows for linemen to experience a low, moving defender in a safe manner without using football pads while teaching them to balance their weight and distribute it properly. The backpack feature facilitates the user safely honing run block skills versus a moving defender.
The block pad embodied in the present invention has seatbelt strapping enabling a user to wear the blocking pad along their waist, covering their hip. thereby protecting the defender's hip with the blocking pad for the safe and proper drilling of double-team blocking skills. The seatbelt feature facilitates the user to safely execute double-team blocks in practice via contact to the hip of the defender.
In one aspect of the present invention, a blocking pad dimensions and shaped to facilitate double-team blocking drills and man-blocking drills for the sport of American football includes the following: a top face, a bottom face and a rear face defining, in part, a rectangular prism; a belt strap extending between the top face to the bottom face so as to be adjacent to and substantially longitudinally bisect the rear face; and two backpack straps extending between the top face to the bottom face so that the two backpack straps bookend the belt strap.
In another aspect of the present invention, the blocking pad further includes a belt strap buckle operatively associated with the belt strap to selectively adjust an effective length thereof; a backpack strap padding along an inner surface of each backpack strap; and two handles including: a first handle extending from the top face to an adjacent side face of the rectangular prism; and a second handle disposed along the front face catty-corner relative to the first handle.
In yet another aspect of the present invention a method of drilling a double-team blocking technique and, separately, a man-blocking technique using a single blocking pad, the method providing adaptively strapping, by way of the belt strap, the above-mentioned blocking pad so as to be adjacent to one hip joint of a defender in the double-team blocking technique; and unstrapping the belt strap of said blocking pad; and adaptively strapping, by way of the two backpack straps, said blocking pad so as to be adjacent to a back of the defender so that a front face of the blocking pad faces outward during the man-blocking technique.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description, and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides a blocking pad configured to improve double-team blocking drills and man-blocking drills, and a method of using the same. The blocking pad may provide a belt strap extending end to end along a rear face. The same rear face may provide a backpacking strap on each side of the centrally disposed belt strap, wherein the belt strap enables a defender to protect their hip joint during double-team blocking drills, while the backpacking strap enables the blocking pad to be worn along an individual back for facilitating the development of man-blocking techniques by another individual.
Referring to
The blocking pad 10 may be a rectangular prism in shape and a form factor dimensioned and adapted to be used as an American football blocking pad for at least double-team blocking drill work and man-blocking techniques. The blocking pad 10 has a front face 12A and an opposing rear face 12B. The noted front and rear faces 12A and 12B provide the most surface area of all the faces of the rectangular prism and are typically elongated, in that the length is longer than its width (wherein in
The belt strap 18A may extend between the upper and lower faces of the blocking pad 10 and be substantially centered relative to the rear face 12B. The belt strap 18A may provide a belt strap buckle 18B for selectively adjusting its effective length, thereby allowing the user/tackler 28 to place the blocking pad 10 longways adjacent their hip, as illustrated in
The backpack strapping 16 may be two straps 16 extending from the upper and lower faces of the blocking pad 10, wherein each strap 16 is disposed on opposing sides of the belt strap 18A. Each strap may provide strap padding 17 for comfort. The backpack strapping 16 allows the user/blocker 30 to wear the blocking pad 10 like a backpack and give a low, realistic run block repetition to the blocker 30. With the backpack strapping 16 the user can put the blocking pad 100 on just like a backpack onto the back of the defender 28. Have the defender get into a low lineman stance with his back straight up in the air, brace for a push from the offender and give resistance and move left to right while staying low in the squat position.
A method of making the present invention may include the following. A manufacturer may take a belt strap that buckles easily and cut it in half, sew each end of the cut side to the top and bottom of a standard blocking pad on or along the center line of the blocking pad 10. Then the manufacturer may take the backpack strapping 16 and sew them just outside of where the first attachments are sewn at the top and bottom of the blocking pad 10 so the blocking pad 100 can be worn like a backpack.
A method of using the present invention may include the following. The belt strap 18A will work on safely performing double team blocks by having the defender 28 put the blocking pad 18 longways on the hip that will make contact and secure it via the belt strap 18A. The defender 28 gets into a low lineman stance, see
For the backpack strapping 16, the defender may put the blocking pad 10 on like a backpack and face away from the offender, as illustrated in
If the belt feature or backpack feature is not used, then the pad can still be used as a standard blocking pad in many contact sports. As it may still have handles 14 that extend from a top surface to a side surface dissecting a corner of the blocking pad 10, as shown in
As used in this application, the term “about” or “approximately” refers to a range of values within plus or minus 10% of the specified number. And the term “substantially” refers to up to 80% or more of an entirety. Recitation of ranges of values herein are not intended to be limiting, referring instead individually to any and all values falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated, and each separate value within such a range is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “aligned” means parallel, substantially parallel, or forming an angle of less than 35.0 degrees. For purposes of this disclosure, the term “transverse” means perpendicular, substantially perpendicular, or forming an angle between 55.0 and 125.0 degrees. Also, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “length” means the longest dimension of an object. Also, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “width” means the dimension of an object from side to side. For the purposes of this disclosure, the term “above” generally means superjacent, substantially superjacent, or higher than another object although not directly overlying the object. Further, for purposes of this disclosure, the term “mechanical communication” generally refers to components being in direct physical contact with each other or being in indirect physical contact with each other where movement of one component affect the position of the other.
The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (“e.g.,” “such as,” or the like) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the embodiments and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the embodiments or the claims. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any unclaimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed embodiments.
In the following description, it is understood that terms such as “first,” “second,” “top,” “bottom,” “up,” “down,” and the like, are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms unless specifically stated to the contrary.
It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional application No. 63/371,783, filed 18 Aug. 2022, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63371783 | Aug 2022 | US |
