The present disclosure relates to athletic training aids, as well as to related aspects of their use. More particularly, the disclosure is most directly related to rotational swing training aids.
Currently available training aids and methods focus on a single plane of motion at one time. The force applied is often anchored only to the lower extremities or upper extremities independently. These training aids and methods are only useful for training in a single plane of motion. This fails to address the necessity of athletes moving in two planes simultaneously to maximize rotational velocity.
Several training aids attach at the hip via a belt. These belts tend to slide and alter the desired force vector imparted on the athlete. Many of these belts are unidirectional and are donned in one orientation then reversed if the contralateral side is to be trained.
The swing training aid provides biofeedback via two force resistances for the purpose of swing training. The Swing training aid includes a foldable platform with multiple anchor points. In the folded orientation, the platform is portable. Unfolding the platform produces a standing section and an upright section that is near the height of the trail hip. The athlete then steps onto the swing training aid. The belt is then snuggly adjusted around the level of anterior inferior iliac spine of the pelvis with one anchor point located over the sacrum and the other in midline on the anterior surface of the pelvis. The Coil Indicator is then adjusted to place the anchor point of the Coil Indicator Strap at the athlete's desired ball position.
The swing training aid belt is bi-directional with two anchor points. The interior of the belt is lined with a nonslip surface. The posterior anchor point remains in the center of the spine over the sacrum, and the anterior anchor point remains over the traditional belt buckle area. If training on the contralateral side is desired, the belt can remain in situ, and training can be continued on the contralateral side by simply changing the anchor point. The lining on the inside of the belt prevents slipping and ensures the maintenance of the appropriate force vector while training, allowing hands free operation to improve the efficiency of training.
As part of the proposed method of use, the athlete can first improve the flexibility and range of motion of the upper quarters by propping a swing implement (golf club or other) on the shelf created by hinge at support arm and a support plate and producing lower trunk rotation while the upper extremities remain fixed.
To improve the flexibility of the lower extremities with overpressure assistance from the swing training aid resistance band, the resistance band is anchored on the anterior aspect of the belt. The resistance band is then wrapped around the lead hip and across the posterior aspect of the waistline prior to anchoring on the upright. The foot is then fixed by the golf tees inserted in the lead foot positioning holes on the anterior aspect of the standing surface. The foot can be offset in various degrees of rotation (i.e., −15 degrees, −30 degrees) to further emphasize the stretch on the hip. To improve the flexibility of the lower extremities and the upper extremities, both above-listed strategies can be implemented simultaneously. This would further improve the degrees of separation between the upper extremities and lower extremities at the transition phase of the swing.
To assist the transition sequence of the swing, the resistance band of the swing training aid is anchored on the anterior anchor point of the belt, wrapped around the lead hip, and run across the posterior aspect of the waistline prior to being anchored on the upright. The athlete then takes hold of the strap from the Coil Indicator and assumes their normal address position. The strap of the Coil Indicator should have enough slack in it so that the Coil Indicator flexes minimally when the lead arm is parallel to the ground in the back swing. At this point, the athlete takes their upper extremities to the point where the lead arm is parallel to the ground in the back swing and holds that position. The Coil Indicator will flex slightly. The athlete will attempt to maintain the position of the upper extremities utilizing the visual cues from the Coil Indicator. While maintaining this position, the lower extremities are rotated towards the target with assistance from the swing training aid.
To actively train the transition sequence, the resistance band of the sequence is anchored on the posterior anchor point of the belt, wrapped around the lead hip, and run across the anterior aspect of the waistline prior to being anchored on the upright. The athlete then takes hold of the strap from the Coil Indicator and assumes their normal address position. At this point, the athlete takes their upper extremities to the point where the lead arm is parallel to the ground in the back swing and holds that position. The Coil Indicator will flex slightly. The athlete will attempt to maintain the position of the flexed Coil Indicator while initiating rotation of the lower extremities against the resistance provided by the swing training aid resistance strap.
The swing training aid can then be used to improve rotational velocity while practicing hitting a ball. The swing training aid can facilitate this in two ways. To assist the hips in rotating towards the target and improve the athlete's perception of hip rotation, the resistance band is anchored on the anterior anchor point of the belt, wrapped around the lead hip, and run across the posterior aspect of the waist. The resistance band is then anchored to the upright. The athlete can then practice hitting a ball as the belt assists the hips in turning towards the target.
The swing training aid can then be used to train the athlete's strength/timing in rotating the hips toward the target. To achieve this, the resistance band is anchored on the posterior anchor point of the belt, wrapped around the lead hip, and run across the anterior aspect of the waistline. The resistance band is then anchored to the upright. The athlete can then practice hitting ball against the resistance of the Swing training aid to improve the strength/timing of hip rotation towards the target.
Following this method, the athlete then steps off the swing training aid and incorporates the cues provided by the swing training aid into their swing. This will facilitate improved understanding of the proper kinematics to increase the rotation velocity of the swing.
The following descriptions relate to presently preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as describing limits to the invention, whereas the broader scope of the invention should instead be considered with reference to the claims, which may be now appended or may later be added or amended in this or related applications. Unless indicated otherwise, it is to be understood that terms used in these descriptions generally have the same meanings as those that would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. It should also be understood that terms used are generally intended to have the ordinary meanings that would be understood within the context of the related art, and they generally should not be restricted to formal or ideal definitions, conceptually encompassing equivalents, unless and only to the extent that a particular context clearly requires otherwise.
For purposes of these descriptions, a few wording simplifications should also be understood as universal, except to the extent otherwise clarified in a particular context either in the specification or in particular claims. The use of the term “or” should be understood as referring to alternatives, although it is generally used to mean “and/or” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only, or unless the alternatives are inherently mutually exclusive. When referencing values, the term “about” may be used to indicate an approximate value, generally one that could be read as being that value plus or minus half of the value. “A” or “an” and the like may mean one or more, unless clearly indicated otherwise. Such “one or more” meanings are most especially intended when references are made in conjunction with open-ended words such as “having,” “comprising” or “including.” Likewise, “another” object may mean at least a second object or more.
The following descriptions relate principally to preferred embodiments while a few alternative embodiments may also be referenced on occasion, although it should be understood that many other alternative embodiments would also fall within the scope of the invention. It should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the techniques disclosed in these examples are thought to represent techniques that function well in the practice of various embodiments, and thus can be considered to constitute preferred modes for their practice. However, in light of the present disclosure, those of ordinary skill in the art should also appreciate that many changes can be made relative to the disclosed embodiments while still obtaining a comparable function or result without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Other Alternatives
Although the present invention has been described in terms of the foregoing disclosed embodiments, this description has been provided by way of explanation only and is not intended to be construed as a limitation of the invention. Indeed, even though the foregoing descriptions refer to numerous components and other embodiments that are presently contemplated, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many possible alternatives that have not been expressly referenced or even suggested here. While the foregoing written descriptions should enable one of ordinary skill in the pertinent arts to make and use what are presently considered the best modes of the invention, those of ordinary skill will also understand and appreciate the existence of numerous variations, combinations, and equivalents of the various aspects of the specific embodiments, methods, and examples referenced herein.
Hence the drawings and detailed descriptions herein should be considered illustrative, not exhaustive. They do not limit the invention to the particular forms and examples disclosed. To the contrary, the invention includes many further modifications, changes, rearrangements, substitutions, alternatives, design choices, and embodiments apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.
Accordingly, in all respects, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed descriptions herein are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive manner, and are not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms and examples disclosed. In any case, all substantially equivalent systems, articles, and methods should be considered within the scope of the invention and, absent express indication otherwise, all structural or functional equivalents are anticipated to remain within the spirit and scope of the presently disclosed systems and methods.
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/146,887, filed on Feb. 8, 2021, entitled “SWING TRAINING AID AND METHODS OF USING SAME”, as well as the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2893736 | Tesi | Jul 1959 | A |
5924933 | Pacheco | Jul 1999 | A |
8512171 | Minotti | Aug 2013 | B1 |
8784230 | Mitchell | Jul 2014 | B1 |
9011156 | Hallmark | Apr 2015 | B2 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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63146887 | Feb 2021 | US |