Patent Application
20140024481
Not applicable.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark office, patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
1. Field of the Invention
The present inventive subject matter relates to a soccer training device, a soccer training system and a method of use.
2. Background
Mastering the game of soccer requires the mastery of one's own body and eye coordination. It is a contact sport where a player's entire body must be intuitively responsive to the ball on the field at any particular time or location. The player's muscles must react reflexively to the field and all things within as though they are extensions of his own body. Professional soccer players spend tremendous amounts of time conditioning their bodies to achieve a level of muscle memory and intuition that makes their movement on the field second nature and fluid. While actual practice is the only way a player can improve his or her skill, the quality and amount of practice determines the rate of actual improvement. In order for any individual to propel themselves to the next level of skill in the game of soccer, they must dedicate sufficient time on the field and off the field to constant muscle training. Soccer being a high contact sport requires equipment and training techniques that simulate a multi-player environment that provides constant dynamic contact.
Mastery of the game requires repetitive training to develop speed and control over the ball and the player's ever changing environment. Improvement of skill requires exposure to new complex variables and the opportunity to practice controlling and overcoming such variables. Variables in the game may be any element in the environment that changes the position of the ball, the player or the team's advantage. Variables may become more complex as more players are involved in a particular game. They may still be complex between fewer players if the skill level of each player enables them to each possess greater control over the ball. It is the aspiration of any soccer player to develop advanced level of skill such that the individual can act and strategize offensively or defensively to capture and maintain control over the ball in any fast paced scenario. To achieve this beyond a team training effort, through individual training, a player must be able to simulate realistic multi-player conditions to create the types of variable challenges encountered on the field during a fast paced game. For a player to develop his or her skills at professional quality level, the player must train and hone his or her skills to the true parameters of the game. High amounts of repetitious training in a simulated dynamic environment will enable any individual player to develop professional level precision, speed and agility that can be translated onto the field in any live match.
The ideal training device and system should be true to the parameters and dimensions of the game. Such parameters include but are not limited to the following: spatial limitations, area of control over the ball within the player's environment, high paced interaction between multiple players, dynamic changing environment from high speed movement of players on the field, intense competition between players to control the soccer ball, spatial spread of players on a field in the course of a game, necessary levels of accuracy in aim for passing and shooting the ball, standard positioning of soccer field components such as the goal posts or other players, quality and types of interaction between the player and different elements on the field (spinning the ball, passing the ball between players, etc.), material composition of equipment (rubber soles of shoes and the ball), visual effects from the field environment and components within (white or metallic soccer goals, green sod for outdoor soccer field, tan wooded floors of indoor soccer arena). etc. The ideal training device and system would manage and control the scope of variables so that the user can recreate and repeat training, or scale the variables down to focus on specific sets of variables. The device and system would evolve with the user by enabling the user to introduce new challenges or variables at various stages of improvement. All the while, such a device should remain useful and relevant to users of all skill levels. The ideal device should enable an individual user to achieve high amounts of repetitious contact with the ball, achieve high speed multidirectional movement and tight ball control, train to the true parameters of the game, and develop multiple skills in tandem as would be expected from a multi-player training environment.
Current products in the market that offer individualized repetitive training fail to reflect real parameters and challenges experienced on the field specific to the sport of soccer. These products are easily outgrown due to their limited usefulness relative to the long term needs of aspiring soccer players. The following summarizes current soccer rebound devices designed primarily for kick training. Their deficiencies and limitations are inherent in their designs, offering limited practical use to serious trainers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,104 provides a training device with multiple functions on multiple sides. The problem is that each functional side interferes with the usefulness of the other feature during training. Further, the device is not constructed in a manner that when positioned on the ground with the board surface side facing forward, would maintain stability against frequent high impact contact with a soccer ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,189 is a rebound net assembly intended for softball or baseball pitch training. Not only are there too many parts to this device making it difficult to transport, but the net feature is not ideal for soccer training purposes since it cannot replicate a deflection similar in feel and quality to that of a professional soccer player. Further, the surrounding frame protrudes from the overall wall surface, creating interaction with the ball that is not otherwise experienced in reality. The device also lacks a self-stabilizing component that allows it to withstand the full impact of repeated impact of a high speed soccer ball.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2005012125A1 provides a device with multiple paneled sides that requires assembly to be functional. The design of this device prevents it from being staked or anchored to the ground for added stability. The weight of water or sand filling its cavity is insufficient to stabilize the device against frequent high impact of a soccer ball by serious trainers. Further, the size and shape of the device does not reflect the natural coverage of an opposing player's silhouette. Thus accuracy and precision of the player would be disproportionately skewed to the disproportionate size of the device over time and use
The device of U.S. Patent Application No. 20020022540 A1 takes up a great amount of space on the field with its multi-panel construction. This device is very one dimensional in that, despite the multi-panels in solved and the ability to have multiple users train at once, players are restricted to using one panel at a time and cannot train interactively with other players.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,909,330 comprises a hollow base requiring filler, such as water or sand, to create stabilizing weight. As stated before, the design is inconvenient and unstable for the quality and amount of ball to wall impact sought to be achieved by serious trainers.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,971 provides another rebound panel made of netting. A great deal of assembly is required and the device is not easily transportable. As with other netted devices, the frame surrounding the four sides of the device interferes with the ball's trajectory path and the interaction of the ball with the rebound surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,277 describes a kick ball game and apparatus kit that may be used indoor or outdoor, played similarly to soccer or hockey but does not require special skills from the players. This patent provides for an interesting method of arranging players of the game with predefined rules of operation. This patent is not intended as a soccer training method or apparatus and does riot function as such.
A considerable need remains for inventive solutions that improve upon the quality of soccer training devices, methods and systems. All patents and applications referred herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein, is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
The invention herein achieves a quality and type of professional grade training never seen before for individualized soccer training. The award winning professional level skill and experience of the inventor as both a lifetime soccer athlete and coach has enabled the inventor to gain the proper insight to develop a device and system that offers these combined training features in an elegant and effective way. The goal of this invention is to enable an individual user to achieve high amounts of repetitious foot training, practice high speed multi-directional movement while maintaining tight control over a soccer ball, develop accurate aim, perception and intuition for the true parameters of the game, and eventually learn to strategize and control both the ball and the player's unpredictable environment. These goals are achieved by the unique design and training method described as follows.
The invention herein makes optimal use of material and design by improving on the following features: choice of material composition of the device to enhance realistic simulated interaction between the ball and user, effective use of exposed surfaces on the device to maximize interaction, ergonomic design to avoid unwanted secondary interactions (e.g., no protruding attachments from the wall such as nuts and bolts to avoid unnatural deflection of the ball from the wall, no extra framing, etc.), dimensional considerations so as to simulate true distance and size parameters between the players on a field, compressed dimensional features to encourage high speed proximate interaction, choice of color to condition the user's depth and peripheral perception, minimization of secondary distractions not natural to the game (such as loose rattling or reverberation), simulation of multi-player environment by modularizing the device which encourages high speed multidirectional interaction and control, consideration of distance between devices within a given module specifically to train passing techniques according to best practice for professional quality soccer training, adjustability of modules to control complexity and allow for personalized training.
The device described herein is a soccer deflection wall. Each device or wall is comprised of one or more panels and a supporting unit or anchor support assembly. Each said panel may be embodied in the shape of either a square or rectangle but is not limited to these described shape embodiments. The panels having rounded exposed corners to minimize wear and tear on a deflecting ball and to mimic the interaction of a ball against the curve of a player's foot. The word exposed hereinafter will mean any surface that is open and unobstructed from the general field environment such that said surface may have direct contact with a traversing ball approaching or deflecting from said surface. All exposed surfaces of the device that may serve to deflect the soccer ball should be completely even without protrusion, introverted contours, recesses, cracks or crevices, holes, extensions, etc. Protrusions from exposed surfaces such as bolts and frame attachments or crevices and cavities could cause unnatural deflection of the ball and risk expensive damage to the impacting ball. The dimension of the wall (vertical length and horizontal width) should simulate the proportional perspective of a far distant silhouette of a player of a given age range or goal post from close proximity. The device may be scaled up or down to the relative size of the user to achieve the intended purpose. For example, infant children approximately three years of age may require smaller versions of the device to achieve the same goals achievable by this invention. The reason for this preferred size dimension is to encourage accuracy of aim and perception within a compressed environment but to the true dimensions of opposing players at a distance on the field,
Each panel should have an exposed main surface, a back surface and side edge surfaces. In one embodiment, the surfaces are substantially flat with a gritty texture and having no attachments or cavities on the exposed portions, and the main surface should have a perimeter border that is preferably white or metallic in color, the total combined surface area of the perimeter border being less than that of the main surface, optionally comprising less than fifty percent of the surface area of said exposed main surface. The remaining interior portion should have a color similar to a standard soccer field or arena. The typical color of a standard outdoor soccer field is green for sod grass, typically beige for indoor wooded floor panels and occasionally green for painted indoor soccer arenas. The reason for this color combination and pattern is to train the user's sense of perception and intuition to the standard effects of the game.
The exterior surface of the panel is comprised of a semi-viscous and semi-flexible textured material similar to rubber, latex or neoprene to create a dampening and gripping effect that is consistent in wet and dry conditions. The slight gripping effect or viscosity of the rubber like substance on the surface of the panel enables the user to manipulate the ball against the panel to create unique deflection and aim that may be recreated between multiple live players. The gripping effect is similar in texture and durability to a typical soccer player's shoes. The material forming the exterior surface of the panel can be utilized to form the entire panel, or the material forming the exterior surface of the panel can be affixed to an interior support structure for the panel. The interior material composition of each panel providing the support to the exterior surface that is attached to thereto in any suitable manner can be formed of any suitable material and would preferably be comprised primarily of wood, wood composite (or stiff organic fiber material such as bamboo) for its hardness and unique low reverberation effect. Reverberating sound from a surface upon impact can be a distracting element leading to unwanted sensory conditioning. Alternative solid materials may be used interchangeably and should be sufficiently dense to enhance the quality of deflection from the panel exterior surface while having minimal reverberation upon impact. The slight dampening effect particularly achieved by wood fiber material will also help limit wear and tear on the ball from extended use. Thus, the composition of the wall panel may include any of the following materials and is not limited to polycarbonates, plexiglass, metal, wood, foam, plastic, combinations of these materials or any future unknown material that achieves the described intended quality and purpose.
The wall or device in certain of the illustrated embodiments is embodied in two sizes, a larger and a smaller size. The smaller size embodiment is intended to train passing skills and will be referred to as a passing wall. The larger size embodiment is intended to train shooting techniques and will be referred to as a shooting wall. A passing wall is sized as desired and can be scaled to the size of an average adult player in ready position (standing with legs spread apart) would preferably have a height that is between two to three feet and a width that is approximately three and a half feet to four and a half feet. The size of the shooting wall may also be selected as desired and in one embodiment can range between three and a half feet to four and a half feet in height and approximately six to eight feet in width, proportional to a long distance perspective of a standard goal post from within ten yard of the player. The dimensions however may be proportionally smaller in alternative embodiments to accommodate the average dimensions of very young players.
The deflection panel is connected to a support assembly for purposes of stabilizing the panel on the ground and maintaining the device in an erect vertical position during use. The support assembly may be detachable and portable or permanently affixed to the panel and the ground by an anchor, which can form a part of the assembly. Material composition of the support assembly may comprise and is not limited to weather resistant metal, organic or inorganic fiber materials or plastic, or combinations thereof.
A permanent support assembly would be connected to the panel and further connected to an anchor that is embedded beneath the field surface. A support piece of the permanent support assembly detachably connects the panel to the anchor such that the panel would be permanently fixed in position when connected to the anchor in the ground, yet the panels themselves may be removed to avoid theft or weather. When in use, the separate components of the permanent support assembly are connected in position and a tight, rigid, immovable connection results. The sturdiness and rigidity should have no secondary affect (i.e. rattling, budging movement, etc.) upon rapid frequent high impact on the panels.
A portable support assembly provides for a panel that is connected to a support unit, the support unit further connected to a portable fixturing means (i.e. spike, stake, pad, suction, pin, etc.) This embodiment would not be permanently anchored to the ground or permanently positioned in any location but maybe moved and positioned anywhere feasible. Material composition of the support and fixturing means may include any of the following durable and weather resistant material such as galvanized metal, organic or inorganic fiber, plastic, etc. A preferred embodiment of the fixturing means comprising a ring or hinge connected to a flat stake (preferably triangular and flat in shape) which swivels around the axis of an axle. The axle may be a detachable rod separately connected to the ring or it may be a portion of the ring itself. The axle (essentially a thin rod) is a means for keeping the stake attached to the support to minimize spare parts. The rotating or swivel feature of the axle and stake allows the stake to swivel into position for anchoring while remaining connected to the fixture unit. The continual connection between the axle and the stake allows the fixture to remain unitarily connected to the device as it is being used and in between use during transport. The swivel feature further allows the stake to flip away from the ground surface should the device be dragged along the ground during transport, minimizing damage to the field. The fixturing means may be removable from the support assembly such that when removed, the device may be staged or stationed within an indoor arena. When in use, fixturing means would be attached to the support assembly and the stake would be inserted into the ground. The stake would rotate or flip downward towards the solid support. Upon abutting the solid support, the stake is prevented from further movement. The abutment will occur and remain in place after the stake has penetrated into the ground surface. This stabilizes the panel and holds the entire device in rigid form against forceful frequent impact from the ball. No secondary affects (rattling, budging, etc.) should result from this manner of fixture.
The support assembly in either term can also be formed to enable the panel to be pivotable with respect to the support assembly while secured to the support assembly. By attaching the panel to the support assembly in a pivotal manner, the movement of the panel relative to the support assembly can be utilized to provide another level of modification to the use of the device including the panel and the support assembly.
Multiple units of two or more walls or devices may be erected and staged oppositely in modularized fashion. The opposing distance between any two passing walls can be configured as necessary, and in one embodiment should be approximately ten yards or less, but no less than three yards, for purposes of simulating true spatial parameters of the game in a compressed environment. Any distance beyond ten yards will begin to take on qualities of shooting and becomes less practical for training passing skills. In this embodiment, the adjacent distance between the side edges of neighboring passing walls should be no less than two yards to mimic the standard minimum spread between players in the game. These distance parameters follows best practice in the industry for training professional soccer skills but have been adjusted to accommodate individual training in a compressed environment. The manipulated dimensions of the module and device is engineered and designed to react to the individual user and create a simulated effect of high speed competitive interaction between players from close proximity. Additional walls may be positioned at an angle from the parallel rows of each module. Each added device will increase complexity by introducing new variables,
Multiple modules formed with various numbers of walls or devices may be staged adjacent to each other to create a personalized soccer training system. Players are able to control amount of complexity by adjusting the devices or walls within a particular module. As the user masters a particular set of challenges within a given module, the newly acquired skills are further put to the challenge in a new environment, such as that created by reconfiguring one or more of the walls in one or more of the modules. Progressive and controlled training through this type of modular system allows the user to become intimately familiar with otherwise unpredictable variables. This helps develop intuition in movement, speed, aim and accuracy. Mastering these basic skills allow the user to begin developing strategic control techniques. The results of which allow the user to remove some element of unpredictability from the game.
A complete modular training system may be erected within six square yards to forty square yards or more depending on the level of complexity aimed to be achieved and the types of modules set within, maximizing use of space and having a very small foot print on any field or arena. Portability of the device allows anyone to design a personalized modular training system and quickly position it in any location. The shape of the device further allows for manufacturability by of at least the exterior surfaces and/or the panels or the walls or devices by any suitable extrusion method.
The training device, method of use and modular training system provided herein does not exist in the art at this time. Current products within the market lack the embodiment and capability to encourage the type of professional skill development that is achievable with this invention. Other features, advantages, and object of the present invention will become more apparent and be more readily understood from the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements. Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary aspects of the present invention which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
The panel 101 also includes a rear surface 105 disposed opposite the front surface 102. The rear surface 105 can be formed similarly to the front surface 102, or can be formed of a material different than that of the front surface 102, as rear surface 105 is prevented from being struck by the ball B by the attachment of a support assembly 106 to the rear surface 105. The front surface 102 and the rear surface 105 can each be joined to the peripheral edge 103 in a manner that provides a generally seamless appearance to the panel 101, and optionally to enclose an inner support structure (not shown) positioned between the front panel and the rear panel 105 and within the peripheral edge 103 to provide support to the panel 101.
The front surface 102 is formed with an inner section or target 107 which makes up the majority of the front surface 102 and an outer section or border 108 disposed around the side and upper edges of the inner section 107. The inner section 107 and the outer section 108 are delineated, at least visually, from one another in the illustrated embodiment by making the inner section 107 a different color from the outer section 108. Additionally, alternatively or in combination with the different colors, the inner section 107 can be formed of a material different than that used to from the outer section 108. In this embodiment, the panel 101 can have the front surface 102, the peripheral edge 103 and the rear surface 105 formed from a suitable material, such as a plastic material, and the inner portion 107 can be affixed to the front surface 102 of the panel 101 in a suitable manner, such as by adhering or mechanically securing the inner portion 107 to the front surface 102. The inner portion 107 can be attached to the front surface 102 within a recess formed in the front surface 102 such that the inner portion 107 and the outer portion 108 form a planar configuration for the front surface 102 without any protruding components.
In the embodiment of
In a particular embodiment of the panel 101, the outer coating 110 is formed of a suitable material, such as a thermoplastic or thermoset material, in a suitable molding process, such as in rotomolding, thermoforming or injection molding process that can be utilized with the material selected to form the outer coating 110. The outer coating 110 can also be formed of a first portion and a second portion that are later joined to one another, either alone or around an interior, which can be formed of a suitable material, as described previously. Additionally, the outer coating 110 can be formed as a single structure defining the interior, and within which the material forming the interior can be subsequently introduced or injected. In one embodiment of the panel 101, the panel 101 is formed to be approximately two (2) to two and one half (2½) inches thick from the front surface 102 to the rear surface 105. The thickness of the outer coating 110 is formed to be between one eighth (⅛) to one half (½) inch, and more particularly between one quarter (A) to one half (½) inch thick or between one eighth (⅛) to one quarter (¼) inch thick, leaving an interior having a thickness of approximately one and one quarter (1⅞) to one and one half (1½) inches of airspace within the panel 101.
The outer coating 110 of the panel 101 in one embodiment as shown in
In the embodiment of
After the formation of the outer coating 110 in the selected molding process, the interior 1104 of the panel 101 is filled with a material 1114 to provide the desired rigidity to the panel 101. The material selected can be a wood composite or other suitable material, but in the illustrated embodiment is a rubberized foam material that can be injected into the interior 1104 of the panel 101 using the apertures 1102. In one embodiment, the foam material 1114 is introduced into the outer coating 110 prior to the complete cooling of the material forming the outer coating 110 in order to enable the outer coating 110 to shrink around the foam material 1114 as it cools. Once filled with the material 1114, the apertures 1102 are closed off by caps 1116 or other suitable devices positioned within the apertures 1102 to form a unitary enclosure around the material 1114 with the outer coating 110. The caps 1116 can be engaged with the outer coating 110 in any suitable manner to permanently engage the caps 116 with the outer coating 110, such as any adhesive or mechanical fastening means. The caps 116 can also he engaged with the outer coating 110 when the coating 110 is still warm after injection of the material 1114 to use the heat of the outer coating 110 to assist in engaging the caps 1116 to the coating 110.
In addition, the panel 101 may include a rough or grip-enhancing texture on the outer coating 110, and more particularly on the front surface 102 of the panel 101. Also, the inner portion 107 of the front surface 102 may have a pigment of a selected color, that is preferably different than the color of the material forming the outer coating 110, providing a visual indication of the portion of the panel 101 to be targeted when in use.
As stated above, the device may be embodied in two preferred sizes. A device 100 formed with a larger size is defined as a shooting wall 700,702 (
In one embodiment, the brackets 403 forming the supporting assembly 402 would be attached to the panel 401 without holes or protrusion through any exposed surfaces of said panel 401, such as but not limited to nails and screws. Further, the connection between parts of the device 400 in whole and upon fixture to the ground surface for intended use should be substantially sturdy and having minimal movement or noise, particular upon forceful impact. Unwanted sounds or deflection interaction arising from the wall upon impact may negatively affect psychological aspects of training, resulting in secondary unwanted habits or else simply interfering with the overall focus of training. The choice of material, composition and design of attachment features, many of which are already known in the art, can be chosen to minimize this unwanted effect,
Referring now to
An alternative embodiment of the bracket 651 is shown in
A fixturing means 404,500 according to
When in use according to
Modules 7 (457) and 8 (458) of
The last module 9 (459) of this system 450, is substantially similar to the complete field module described in
Referring now to
Looking now at
Looking now at
Having fully described at least one embodiment of the present invention, other equivalent or alternative methods according to the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The invention has been described by way of summary, detailed description and illustration. The specific embodiments disclosed in the above drawings are not intended to be limiting. Implementations of the present invention with various different configurations are contemplated as within the scope of the present invention. The invention is thus to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
This non-provisional patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 13/804,422, filed on Mar. 14, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Non- Provisional Patent Application Serial No 13/587,715, filed on Aug. 16, 2012, which in turn claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/662,551, filed on Jun. 21, 2012, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(e) and 37 C.F.R. 1.78 (a)(4) (a)(6) and all other relevant sections of the law not referred to herein, each of which are expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61662551 | Jun 2012 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13804422 | Mar 2013 | US |
| Child | 14038934 | US | |
| Parent | 13587715 | Aug 2012 | US |
| Child | 13804422 | US |
