The present invention relates to a racket grip aid to make the racket swing quick, strong and steady.
In case of the racket sports tool using a grip (a handle) such as badminton, tennis, and table tennis, it is expected to give such effect of use as the easiness to put an effort, and support to be skidproof, in addition to merely giving a good feeling, for the players.
As players hit a ball (a shuttle) by their capacity using the racket, the fastest and streamlined process of action is required to hit the ball after taking the backswing of racket. The racket grip aid of the present invention supports players to make the racket swing fast, strong and steady, and reduces the load of body.
In case of badminton, the most basic strokes (forehand) include clear, smash, drop, cut, etc. Facing sideways first, keeping/giving the weight on the right leg, pulling an elbow behind, dropping a racket behind, gradually moving the weight to the left leg, throwing out a chest while opening a body to the direction of net, sticking out the elbow above, drawing up the racket, hitting the racket surface against a shuttle, by the incycloduction and pronation (inward rotation operation) of upper arm and forearm. In this case, without grasping the grip firmly, attaching the thumb and the index finger lightly, and grasping the grip with a little finger, a third finger, and a middle finger, it is required to put the power just before the impact, hitting the shuttle by the racket surface. In case of the backhand stroke, the above-mentioned incycloduction and pronation of the upper arm and forearm correspond to the excycloduction and supination (outward rotation operation) of upper arm and forearm.
One of the ways to grasp a badminton racket is called “eastern grip” which is like grasping a kitchen knife, and a gut surface of the racket to strike a shuttle can not be seen from the front of opposite side, as it is facing sideways, until it hits a shuttle after taking the backswing of racket, and the racket surface is turned to the front, just before hitting the shuttle. There is another way to have the racket called “western grip” like grasping a flying pan which is the same as a way to pick up the racket on the floor.
Both eastern grip and western grip are used, according to the situation in a game. However, it is important to master a manner of the eastern grip, first. Assuming that the change of racket grip may occasionally takes place in the game, the present invention provides a useful way to support players, as an assistance tool for either eastern grip or western grip.
The basic strokes of badminton include overhead, underhand, and sidearm strokes. Overhead stroke is the most basic one, being used on such strokes as clear, drop, cut, smash, etc. Underhand stroke is for hitting a shuttle which was dropped lower than the net, and sidearm stroke is for the case when the shuttle came to the side of player, and those two strokes are mainly for defending.
The most basic racket swing “overhead stroke” is to have each joint relax, by the spine (which was shaped like a pillar with the connection of bones called “vertebra”), and generally by turning an axis of backbone, players quickly and largely make a take-back of dominant arm (throwing up the dominant arm which has the racket, and drop the racket on back (the rear), and have to put the racket to the front in the order of elbow, wrist, racket head, and forcefully, hit the shuttle, by the upper arm's (which means part of from elbow to shoulder) incycloduction, and forearm's (which means part from wrist to elbow) pronation (inward rotation operation) of forearm.
Also, generally, as each person can not keep the condition always good, it is necessary to be conscious of the change of form, and the acquirement and stabilization of an appropriate racket swing takes a time.
They say that the badminton sport has a population of 50,000,000 players in 154 countries/areas, in the world, and lovers of badminton may continue to increase in the future, too.
Besides preparing an appropriate grip for those of beginner, child, woman, aged, and handicapped, and preventing tendinitis, elbow pain and the drop of racket due to a careless action or declining grip power, it is further desirable to reduce a training load and realize a power-up for every players.
Under such circumstances to cope with the above-mentioned task, inventor of the present invention recognized an importance of forearm's inward and outward rotation operations, and as the results of attempt aiming at the role and functions of thumb, middle finger and index finger, ascertained the effect of the present invention which may reasonably contribute to the improvement of racket swing, making the best use of this grip aid.
The present invention relates to the above-mentioned situation and problems. For example, in case of striking a shuttle by the racket swing to be powered by those three action elements of upper arm (shoulder), forearm (elbow), and wrist which are functionally combined well, assuming that the band and fingerholds of thumb and index finger or the fingerhold of thumb are installed on the racket grip, and pushing up or down the fingerhold, the racket grip is turned to the side of fingerhold of thumb or to the side of fingerhold of index finger, the racket surface declines too, and inward rotation operation or outward rotation operation continues. The band and fingerhold may be made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo and other elastic material. Also, right-handed and left-handed persons may use the grip aid of the present invention, as it is or after changing the direction to install, relating to the matter described like “providing said fingerhold of thumb at right or left , , , etc”.
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claims 1, has a band which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material, and a fingerhold for a thumb and a fingerhold for an index finger, or a fingerhold for a thumb and a fingerhold for a middle finger, or a fingerhold for a thumb, or a fingerhold for an middle finger, or a fingerhold for an index finger, or a fingerhold for a thumb and a fingerhold for a middle finger and a fingerhold for an index finger, which are made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material.
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claim 2, has the fingerhold which is one with the band and made together with the band, or the fingerhold which is the combination of plural parts of band, or the fingerhold which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material, and made to insert a finger and combined with the part of band, or the fingerhold which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material and which is combined with the part of band or which is made detachable, or the fingerhold which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material, and which is combined with the racket grip or which is made detachable, or the fingerhold which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material, and which is made to put to said finger.
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claim 3, has the fingerhold of thumb at left or right on the front side of racket grip, and pushing down the fingerhold, the racket grip is turned to the side of fingerhold of thumb, and inward rotation operation is promoted.
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claim 4, has the fingerhold of thumb, at right or left on the front side of racket grip, and the fingerhold of index finger at the other side of the fingerhold of themb, and pushing down the fingerhold of thumb, the racket grip is turned to the side of fingerhold of thumb, and inward rotation operation is promoted.
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claim 5, has zippers at both sides of band, and the band is attached to the racket grip by zippers, or
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claim 6, has the fingerhold of thumb at left or right on the front side of racket grip, and pushing up the fingerhold of thumb to the other side of the fingerhold of thumb, the grip aid promotes an outward rotation operation which turns the racket grip to the other side of fingerhold of thumb.
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claim 7, has two independent parts of fingerhold of thumb to put the thumb in between, at left or right on the front side of racket grip, and pushing the fingerhold to the other side of fingerhold of thumb, the grip aid promotes an outward rotation operation which turns the racket grip to the other side of the fingerhold of thumb.
A racket grip aid of the present invention according to the claim 8, has the fingerhold of thumb at left or right on the back side of racket grip, and the index fingerhold at the other side of the fingerhold of thumb, and pushing the fingerhold of thumb to the side of fingerhold of thumb, the grip aid promotes inward rotation operation which turns the racket grip to the side of the fingerhold of thumb, or pushing the fingerhold of index finger to the side of fingerhold of index finger, the grip aid promotes an outward rotation operation which turns the racket grip to the side of the fingerhold of index finger.
A racket grip aid of the present invention, according to the claim 9, has a fingerhold for a middle finger at left or right on the front side of said racket grip, and pushing the fingerhold of middle finger to the other side of said fingerhold of middle finger, the racket grip is turned to the other side of said fingerhold of middle finger, and outward rotation operation is promoted.
A racket grip aid of the present invention, according to the claim 10, has the fingerhold with an enclosure which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material.
A racket grip of the present invention, according to the claim 11, has a fingerhold for a thumb and a fingerhold for an index finger which are made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material, or
A racket grip of the present invention, according to the claim 12, has the fingerhold with an enclosure which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
1 Grip aid, 2 Fingerhold of thumb, 3 Fingehold of index finger, 4 Band are shown, and there is a way to put a fastener or other connection tool at the back side of band 4 to fasten to the racket grip, or to attach the band to the racket grip, from the bottom of the grip, utilizing an elastic material for the band.
It is possible to use the fingerhold for both left-handed and right-handed persons, besides a way to change the direction to install the band. The band as well as the fingerhold may be connected with the racket grip, using a screw or agrafe etc, as long as it does not violate a game rule.
5 and 6 show a fastener for the connection. As an example, the fingerhold can be made, bundling plural parts of band which is made of one or more materials of fiber, resin, rubber, leather, metal, tree, bamboo, and other elastic material, and combining by sewing, clasp, glue and screw, etc.
Fingerhold at left side of (2) is that combined a part of band together with an enclosure which is equivalent to that bundled plural parts of band in its bounce, and fingerhold at right side is made to insert a finger, using a part of band. Fingerhold at left side of (3) shows other example of fingerhold which is the combination of plural parts of band, and fingerhold at right side is made to insert a finger.
For the fingerhold of index finger at the back side, its lower one of the fingerhold of index finger in
Fingerhold of index finger of (2) is the same as that of (1). It is a way to attach/detach the band with the elastic material, installing it from the bottom of grip.
Facing the front, there is a fingerhold of thumb at the left side of band, and another one (for thumb) at the front of band.
FIG. 10 shows examples (1), (2), and (3) in the top view of grip aid.
Fingerhold of (1) has 2 parts for the thumb to put the thumb in between, which is one with the band and made together with the band.
Fingerholds of thumb and index finger of (2) are one with the band and made together with the band, and for example, its material like rubber etc is processed/formed.
Fingerhold of thumb of (3), is one with the band and made together with the band. For example, its material is the rubber to be processed/formed.
It is an example of the fingerhold of thumb to be at right or left on the back side of racket grip, and the fingerhold of index finger at the other side of fingerhold of thumb.
The fingerhold of middle finger at the back side, is positioned to meet the middle finger.
Although the present invention has been described above in relation to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that variations and modifications can be effected in these preferred embodiments and in any alternate embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2009-061938 | Mar 2009 | JP | national |
2009-071117 | Mar 2009 | JP | national |
2009-082139 | Mar 2009 | JP | national |
2009-116489 | May 2009 | JP | national |
2010-007890 | Jan 2010 | JP | national |
2010-028431 | Feb 2010 | JP | national |
This is a continuation-in-part application of patent application Ser. No. 12/583,618, filed on Aug. 25, 2009.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 12583618 | Aug 2009 | US |
Child | 12660456 | US |