Patent Application
20120052990
The present invention relates to sports training More particularly, the present invention relates to garments and equipment for sports throw training
One of the key attributes of a player in many types of sports is the player's ability to throw an object well. Particularly, in sports such as baseball and softball, a pitcher must be able to consistently and accurately pitch a baseball or softball towards a batter. This skill is most often developed over time and through many hours of organized play and training In organized training, pitching may be practiced by throwing the ball to another player, who can either catch or bat the ball to return the ball to the pitcher. The pitcher and catching player may continue this routine as a way for the pitcher to train.
Often, during pitch training, a baseball or softball player would like to practice pitching or throwing without the need of another player to return the ball. A rebound net provides a solution for this need. The rebound net works by allowing the player to throw or pitch the baseball against the rebound net and once the ball strikes the rebound net, the ball is rebounded back from the net towards the player. A drawback of a rebound net is that such devices are not usually suitable indoors because the ball may rebound in an undesired direction towards a breakable object. For this and other reasons, it is desirable to provide improved throw training equipment that is suitable for indoor and outdoor use and allows the player to train without the need of another player to return the ball.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, garments for sports throw training are provided. An exemplary garment includes a sleeve of flexible material having an open end and terminate end. The sleeve defines an internal cavity extending between the open and terminate ends. The internal cavity includes a first portion that is generally larger than a second portion of the internal cavity. The first portion is positioned closer to the terminate end than the second portion. The sleeve defines an opening at the open end for slipping the sleeve over and enclosing at least portions of the hand, forearm and elbow of the arm. The sleeve defines an enclosure at the terminate end that at least substantially encloses the second portion of the internal cavity for retaining an object within the second portion of the internal cavity when the object is released by the hand positioned within the second portion of the internal cavity. The garment also includes a fastener attached to the sleeve, adapted to receive and encircle a portion of the arm, and adapted for selective, compressive attachment of the sleeve to the arm when the arm is positioned within the internal cavity.
According to an aspect, the open end and the terminate end of the sleeve oppose each other.
According to another aspect, the sleeve comprises an elastic material, which may be spandex or the like.
According to yet another aspect, the terminate end of the sleeve comprises synthetic polymer, which may be nylon or the like.
According to yet another aspect, the enclosure of the sleeve entirely encloses the second portion of the internal cavity.
According to another aspect, the fastener is made of an elastic material that substantially encircles the portion of the arm and that compressively attaches the sleeve to the arm when the arm is positioned within the internal cavity for substantially preventing slippage of the sleeve on the arm. The fastener may be positioned proximate the terminate end of the sleeve for encircling a lower portion of the arm and for compressively attaching the sleeve to the lower portion of the arm.
According to another aspect, the fastener is made of a cord that substantially encircles the arm and that compressively attaches the sleeve to the arm when the arm is positioned within the internal cavity. A clamp may be used to fasten ends of the cord together. The fastener may be positioned proximate the open end of the sleeve for encircling an upper portion of the arm and for compressively attaching the sleeve to the upper portion of the arm.
According to yet another aspect, the sleeve defines a window proximate the terminate end of the sleeve and through which the first portion of the internal cavity is viewable from a position outside of the internal cavity. A light-transmissive material may be attached to the sleeve and positioned to cover the window.
The foregoing summary, as well as the following detailed description of various embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purposes of illustration, there is shown in the drawings exemplary embodiments; however, the present invention is not limited to the specific methods and instrumentalities disclosed. In the drawings:
Referring now to
When worn by the player 112 as shown in
The garment 100 is worn by extending the hand 110 and arm 108 through the open end 104 of the sleeve 102 into the internal cavity 114. The sleeve 102 defines an opening, generally designated 128, at the open end 104 for slipping the hand 110 and the arm 108 through the open end 104 and into position in the internal cavity 114 as shown in
In addition to the use of the fastener 130 for compressively attaching the garment 100 to the arm 108, the garment 100 also includes another fastener, generally designated 134, having a cord 136 that is attached to the sleeve 102 and that encircles the arm 108 when the arm 108 is positioned within the internal cavity 114. Ends 138 and 140 may be held together by a clamp 142 that is adapted to receive and grip ends of the cord 136 for fastening the sleeve 102 to the arm 108. The ends 138 and 140 of the cord 136 may be inserted through one or more apertures through the clamp 142 such that the cord 136 can be tightened around the upper arm 126 for compressively attaching the sleeve 102 to the upper arm 126. Particularly, the cord 136 and clamp 142 may be positioned near the open end 104 of the sleeve 102 such that the fastener 134 can compressively attach the sleeve 102 to the upper arm 126. The ends 138 and 140 may be pulled through the apertures of the clamp 142 such that the cord 136 is tightened around the upper arm 126. The clamp 142 includes a mechanism for holding and fastening the cord ends 138 and 140 together so that the cord 136 will remain tightened around the upper arm 126. As a result, the sleeve 102 will be held to the player's arm 108 throughout a practice throw. The garment 100 may also include one or more others of these fasteners spaced from one another along the length of the sleeve 102.
The cord 136 may be held in position with respect to the sleeve 102 by a fabric material 144, which may be stitched to the outside of the sleeve to form a pocket around the sleeve 102 for holding the cord 136. The fabric material 144 may be made of any suitable material, such as the same material as the sleeve 102.
As referred to herein, a clamp can be any suitable mechanism adapted to fasten ends of a cord together. For example, the clamp may be a toggle clip adapted for threading the ends of a cord through an aperture of the clip. In this example, a spring in the toggle clip can displace a slide such that the cord is pinched, thus fixing the spring-loaded toggle clip to hold the cord. Other suitable types of fastening mechanisms may be utilized as understood by those of skill in the art.
As referred to herein, a cord may be any suitable flexible and elongated material having two ends. In an example, the cord may be made of nylon. Alternatively, for example, the cord may be made of a string or thin rope made of several strands, braided, twisted, or woven together.
The sleeve 102 may be made entirely or partly of any suitable elastic material. For example, all or a portion of the sleeve 102 may be made of spandex. In another example, the sleeve 102 may also be made of nylon (e.g., the sleeve may be made of about 80% nylon and about 20% spandex). Portions of the sleeve 102 may be entirely made of nylon such as, for example, the terminate end 106 of the sleeve 102.
Fasteners in accordance with the present invention are not limited to the particular types shown in
Also, it should be understood that the types of fasteners described herein may be interchanged in accordance with different embodiments of the present invention. For example, fastener 130 may be replaced with the type of fastener 134 and vice versa. In addition, any number of the same or different types of fasteners may be placed along the length of the sleeve for attaching the sleeve to the person's arm.
While the embodiments have been described in connection with the various embodiments of the various figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiment for performing the same function without deviating therefrom. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should not be limited to any single embodiment, but rather should be construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.
