Patent Application
20230118601
There are many aids available to help players of all abilities improve their swing. Some of these aids are directed towards teaching a player to swing along a constant plane, keeping their elbows close to their bodies, or any other of a host of factors that may impact the power and consistency of the swinging motion. Many aids directed towards teaching a compact swing are unable to address a common fault found in players of all ages and skill level, namely the early release of the bat during the swing. This issue is readily apparent during a swing's follow through after the player lets go of the bat with their top hand. The remaining hand holding the bat then is able to move farther away from the body creating a longer follow through motion. If the top hand is released at the end of the main swinging motion and prior to the initiation of the follow through, then there may be little impact on the swing. If, however, the top hand is released prior to the end of the main swinging motion, then the player will suffer a significant loss of power since the swing is only being performed with a single hand and arm. In the most significant examples of this motion, a player may actually begin releasing the bat during the most crucial point of the swing resulting in a loss of bat speed and power in the middle of the hitting zone.
A swing training aid according to various aspects of the present technology may comprise batting glove having a securing strap connected on a first end to a wrist portion of the batting glove. The securing strap is configured to move between an unconnected position and a connected position wherein the securing strap is secured to a backside of the batting glove to hold the fingers in a gripping position. The securing strap may be configured to be removably connected on a second end to one or more connectors located on the backside of the glove.
A more complete understanding of the present technology may be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in connection with the following illustrative figures. In the following figures, like reference numbers refer to similar elements and steps throughout the figures.
Elements and steps in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been rendered according to any particular sequence. For example, steps that may be performed concurrently or in a different order are illustrated in the figures to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present technology.
The present technology may be described in terms of functional block components and various processing steps. Such functional blocks may be realized by any number of components configured to perform the specified functions and achieve the various results. For example, the present technology may employ various types of materials and connection devices for manufacturing the swing training aid. In addition, the present technology may be practiced in conjunction with any number of physical activities, and the system described is merely one exemplary application for the technology. Methods and apparatus for a baseball swing training aid according to various aspects of the present technology may operate in conjunction with any suitable materials such as leather, nylon, plastic, cotton, or other natural or synthetic materials.
Referring to
The glove may be constructed of any suitable material such as leather, nylon, synthetic fabrics, stretchable materials, and the like. For example, in one embodiment, the thumb 202, fingers 110, and palm of the glove may comprise a treated leather configured to be soft and flexible. A backside of the glove body, facing opposite the palm, may comprise a synthetic stretchable material configured to be breathable and allow the glove to stretch and conform to a variety of hand sizes. The wrist portion 112 may comprise another flexible material and be configured to provide an adjustable wrist diameter due, at least in part, to the wrist strap 114. The wrist strap 114 may comprise any suitable type of connector such as a hook and loop fastener, wherein one side of the hook and loop fastener is positioned on outer facing surface of the wrist section 112 and the mating side of the hook and loop fastener is coupled to the underside of the wrist strap 114.
Referring now to
Referring now to
When the securing strap 102 is attached to the backside of the glove body the user's hand is held in a closed or gripping position and the fingers cannot be extended to release the handle of the bat 600. The securing strap 102 thereby forces the user to maintain a grip on the bat as long as the securing strap 102 of the swing training aid 100 is coupled to or otherwise attached to the backside connectors 104, 106, 108.
In operation, a user first places the swing training aid 100 on whichever of their left or right hand will be positioned higher on the handle of the bat 600 when the user is swinging at pitched balls. For example, a right handed hitter would wear the swing training aid 100 on their right hand and a left handed hitter would wear the swing training aid 100 on their left hand. When the securing strap 102 is left in an unconnected first position (see
The result is that when a user swings at pitched balls, their top hand cannot let go of the bat 600 when they swing at a ball. This forced action helps teach a user to keep hold of the bat 600 all the way through their swing rather than letting go of the bat 600 at some point during the swinging motion. For example, it is common to see a player's top hand let go of the bat shortly after the bat crosses a center portion of their body. This release causes the player to only have one hand still holing onto the bat at the completion and follow through of the swinging motion resulting in a loss of power.
The particular implementations shown and described are illustrative of the technology and its best mode and are not intended to otherwise limit the scope of the present technology in any way. Indeed, for the sake of brevity, conventional manufacturing, connection, preparation, and other functional aspects of the system may not be described in detail. Although embodiments of the present technology have been described with reference to a batting glove, the technology should not be viewed as being limited in that respect. As would be familiar with one of ordinary skill in the art after becoming familiar with the teachings of the present technology, the subject matter could also be used with other types of handles used with rackets, golf clubs, and the like.
The description and figures are to be regarded in an illustrative manner, rather than a restrictive one and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present technology. Accordingly, the scope of the technology should be determined by the generic embodiments described and their legal equivalents rather than by merely the specific examples described above. For example, the components and/or elements recited in any apparatus embodiment may be assembled or otherwise operationally configured in a variety of permutations to produce substantially the same result as the present technology and are accordingly not limited to the specific configuration recited in the specific examples.
As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any variation thereof, are intended to reference a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, composition or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements recited but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, composition or apparatus. Other combinations and/or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements, applications, proportions, elements, materials or components used in the practice of the present technology, in addition to those not specifically recited, may be varied or otherwise particularly adapted to specific environments, manufacturing specifications, design parameters or other operating requirements without departing from the general principles of the same. Any terms of degree such as “substantially,” “about,” and “approximate” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. For example, these terms can be construed as including a deviation of at least ±5% of the modified term if this deviation would not negate the meaning of the word it modifies.
The present technology has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments. However, changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present technology. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present technology, as expressed in the following claims.
