Patent Application
20220040524
The present invention is in the field of athletic training devices, in particular, for electronic systems and methods to be used with athletic drills to train athletes.
Almost all athletic sports have training drills specific to their sport, because different sports have different objectives for training their athletes. The most common base objectives of these drills are to improve speed, endurance, agility, and reaction time. Coaches and athletes have a broad range of training drills that they can use to try to improve athletic performance in these areas, but the drills are typically manual in nature with limited feedback other than the coach yelling out times or comparing their performance to other athletes participating in the same drill. A common drill for a football player is to run a forty yard dash to improve their acceleration and absolute speed, but the feedback does not come until the run is over, and the accuracy of a coach pressing a stopwatch is less than ideal. A common drill for soccer players is referred to as the Man U fitness test, which requires them to run a 20 minute drill running the length of the field and back twenty times at varying times, with the coach constantly yelling out times for each cycle so that the athletes can gauge their time. A common drill for basketball players is shuttle runs to improve their agility, but there is no mechanism to gauge a successful run from an unsuccessful one other than comparing their speed in relation to the other athletes participating in the same drill. There are many training drills in sports where an athlete could improve their training performance if there was an easy way to provide real time feedback or to compare one training session to another.
While electronic pacing devices and methods are referenced in prior art, almost all have limited flexibility which limits their usefulness, and explains their limited adoption among coaches, teams and schools. They are typically configured to a limited number of training applications (i.e. LEDs installed on a 400 m running track are limited to runs performed on that track and most portable devices are configured for the devices only to be energized in sequential order), and are not flexible enough for the coach to be able to adjust the system for different locations, field, or drill scenarios. The limited nature of their design means that a system's usage is typically limited to one athletic team, making the expense hard to justify for a school.
Therefore a need exists for a training system and methods that takes advantage of networked devices that are capable of being configured to fit the drills as designed by the coach, and to be expandable for new drills to be developed using the same devices. There is also a need for the training system and methods to be rapidly reconfigurable, so that it can be used for multiple drills during the same training session. Finally, there is a need for the training system and methods to be flexible enough to be able to handle training drills for multiple athletic sports, instead of being designed for one sport or for one purpose (i.e. pacing).
This invention is described in terms of running, because running is a common activity in most sports and it is the easiest athletic training drill to envision; however, alternative embodiments of the invention could also apply to any training activity where an improvement in speed, endurance, agility, and reaction time would be beneficial, such as running, swimming, walking, biking, riding horseback, dribbling a basketball, dribbling a soccer ball, kicking a soccer ball or football, shooting trap or skeet, boxing, or other such activities.
The preferred embodiment of the invention includes a method for setting a goal for an athlete to achieve during a training drill. The method includes placing networked devices along a path to be traversed by an athlete or around an athlete. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the networked devices include a sound source as the indicator to provide auditory feedback to the athlete where they should be at the current time; however, the networked devices could utilize optical feedback such as light to give a visual indication to the athlete along with sound. In some configurations of the preferred embodiment for agility training drills, an input device is included with the networked devices to indicate that the athlete is near the device.
The devices are meant to act as the foundation of a training system, and the control unit can be updated to include additional exercise drills and features that take advantage of the simple interaction with the devices. One preferred embodiment of the networked devices includes a portable housing with a rechargeable battery, which adds the convenience of being able to place them in any distance and configuration. Both wired and wireless networks can be supported by the system.
The audible feedback mechanism is one major difference between this invention and those of prior art. While the optical feedback is sufficient for endurance pacing activities, it has limited value in true performance training because it requires the athlete to run in a suboptimal posture in order to look for the light signals, whereas the audible feedback allows the athlete to run in their competing running posture. Another advantage of audible feedback is that the athlete knows if they are ahead of, behind, or at the device that is providing feedback. In an optical system, the athlete does not see the feedback if they are ahead of the device providing feedback.
One common configuration of the preferred embodiment is a method for placing networked devices along a path to be traversed by an athlete. The control unit sends a signal to each network device in a preconfigured sequence and time interval. In this configuration, the control unit does not know if the networked devices are present or if they receive the signal. Upon receiving a signal, the networked device turns on an output, causing its indicator to turn on for a predetermined period of time providing feedback to the athlete. The athlete would have a goal of reaching each device as its indicator turns on. The control unit continues to send signals to devices until the total number of cycles has passed, which indicates the drill is complete. One major difference between this invention and prior art is that prior art focuses on lighting lights in sequential order; however, this method allows for the devices to be turned on in any order. An example of this would be the shuttle run drill, in which signals are sent to networked devices in a back and forth manner instead of in a sequential order.
Another common configuration of the preferred embodiment is a method for placing networked devices around an athlete. The control unit starts a timer before sending a signal to a network device. In this configuration, the control unit waits for feedback from the network device before sending a signal to another network device. Upon receiving a signal, the networked device turns on an output, causing its indicator to turn on and stay on. The athlete moves to the active device, triggering the input to signal that the athlete is near and has completed the cycle. The network device turns off an output, causing its indicator to turn off. The network device sends a signal to the control unit indicating the cycle has been completed. The control unit sends a signal to another device, and continues sending signals in this manner until the total number of cycles for the drill has been completed. The control unit stops the timer and reports the timer value, which is an indication of athletic performance for the drill; for example, how long it took the athlete to complete 10 cycles.
Another common configuration of the preferred embodiment is a method for placing networked devices around an athlete. The control unit starts a timer before sending a signal to a network device. In this configuration, the control unit waits for feedback from the network device before sending a signal to another network device. Upon receiving a signal, the networked device turns on an output, causing its indicator to turn on and stay on. The athlete moves to the active device, triggering the input to signal that the athlete is near and has completed the cycle. The network device turns off an output, causing its indicator to turn off. The network device sends a signal to the control unit indicating the cycle has been completed. The control unit sends a signal to another device, and continues sending signals in this manner until the total time for the drill has been exceeded. The control unit stops the timer and reports the number of completed cycles, which is an indication of athletic performance for the drill; for example, how many cycles the athlete was able to complete in 90 seconds.
This invention is a novel approach to athletic drill training. The portability of the system and flexibility of the methods allow the invention to be adapted for use with most athletic drills. The ability of the methods to provide quantitative feedback to the athletes for analyzing drill performance will improve the training performance of athletes. The input device for indicating the athlete is near can be anything from a pressure pad for the athlete to step on, a button for the athlete to press, an inductive touch sensor for the athlete to touch, a proximity sensor to indicate the presence of the athlete, or any other input device for detecting the presence or proximity of the athlete to the device. This input device is a novel approach to agility training, as this is the only system designed to provide specific feedback to an athlete on their performance with agility drills.
The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but are provided to illustrate the preferred embodiments for one or more the best mode(s) of the invention. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the usefulness of the methods, and be able to envision many alternate embodiments of the method. Several example embodiments are illustrated in an effort to demonstrate the flexibility of the invention with different types of drills and sports; however, these drawings are not meant to include all potential embodiments of the invention.
The preferred embodiment of the system includes a plurality of portable, solar charging, battery powered networked devices that connect to a control unit via a wireless network. The networked devices can also be permanently mounted and use a wired network, but much of the flexibility of the system is lost in this type of rigid installation.
The only limitation to the number of networked devices that can be used is related to the network, as the network connects the networked devices together along with the control unit. The control unit is configured to receive information from a cellphone, tablet, or other mobile computing device. The control unit is configured to send and receive information to and from the networked devices.
The networked devices can be configured into a housing of any size or shape, with the housing being configured to allow a sound signal to be heard by a user. If the networked device includes a light generating module, then the housing must be configured to allow the light signal to be seen by a user. An external antenna can be included with the housing to extend a wireless network range. The networked devices consist of a microprocessor capable of network communications that can handle multiple analog and/or digital inputs and outputs, and is capable of sending signals to and receiving signals from a control unit.
The networked devices contain an indicator, to indicate to the athlete that it is the active device. The most common indicator is a sound source, but it can also include a light generating module, containing one or more Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). The most common sound sources are either a buzzer or speaker, which can be heard by a user at some distance from the networked device, but any sound source can be used. LEDs can be added to the networked devices to indicate the RSSI of a wireless network as being good, moderate, or weak.
The functionality of the networked devices is programmed into the firmware that is loaded onto the microprocessor. The networked devices are configured to wait for a UDP signal from the control unit, and to turn on an output, emitting its sound for a predetermined time when a signal is received. Any type of signal can be used, but UDP has several advantages over other communication protocols, such as TCP. The networked devices can be configured to include an input device to indicate the athlete is near. This input device can be a touch sensor, button, pressure plate, proximity sensor, or any other type of input device that can be used to signal the presence of the athlete. The network device is configured to activate the input device when a specific signal is received from the control unit. When the input device is active, the indicator will remain on until the input device has been triggered by the athlete. The network device is configured to turn off the indicator and send a signal to the control unit when the input device has been triggered by the athlete.
The control unit accepts inputs of number of networked devices to be used in the drill, drill name, any drill specific inputs, and the total time for the drill. The control unit uses these inputs to determine a sequence for sending signals to the networked devices and a time interval to wait between sending signals to different devices. One major difference between this invention and those of prior art is that the sequence does not have to be sequential, and the time interval between sending signals to different devices does not have to be constant. These differences allow the method to be used for a variety of training drills, and not just pacing. The control unit computes a total number of cycles required to complete the training drill based on the inputs.
The method 100 begins by the control unit sending a signal to one networked device, at 104. The control unit receives no information from the networked device, and does not know if the networked device received the signal, at 106. This is advantageous because the training method will continue even if one or more networked devices misses a signal or becomes inoperable for some reason (i.e. battery runs dead). The control unit will run through the training drill and send signals even if no network devices are available to receive the signals. There is no impact to the process if the network device does not receive the signal, at 108.
If the network device receives the signal, then it turns on an output causing its indicator to turn on for a predetermined period of time, at 110. This indicator is what the athlete will hear or see to indicate they are at their target time. The indicator only needs to stay on long enough for the athlete to gauge its position in relation to where the athlete currently is, so the indicator duration is short, typically less than a second. This indicator duration is set in the device firmware. The indicator turns off after the predetermined period of time, and the networked device remains in a ready state waiting for another signal.
The method 100 proceeds as the control unit waits a predetermined period of time before ending the current cycle, at 112. A cycle in method 100 is defined as sending a signal to a networked device, and waiting the predetermined period of time after sending that signal. As previously stated, this cycle will be completed whether or not the network device receives the signal or not.
The control unit compares the completed number of cycles to the total number of cycles required to complete the training drill, at 114. If the number of cycles has not been reached, then the control unit sends a signal to the next networked device, at 104. If the number of cycles has been reached, then the training drill has been completed.
In
Two common uses of the embodiment of
The most common use of the embodiment of
In
In the Man U Fitness Test, an athlete is required to run the length of the soccer field and back (one lap) in one minute, with this being repeated twenty times for a total of a 20 minute drill. For the first ten laps, the athlete has 25 seconds to run the length of the field and 35 seconds to jog back. Starting with lap eleven, the athlete has one less second to run down the field an one more second to jog back. The control unit adjusts the cycle time for each subsequent lap to account for the complex requirements of the Man U Fitness Test, so that lap eleven takes 24 seconds to run the length of the field and 36 seconds to jog back, lap twelve takes 23 seconds to run the length of the field and 37 seconds to jog back. The control unit continues to adjust the cycle time until lap twenty takes 15 seconds to run the length of the field and 45 seconds to jog back. The ability to continually adjust the cycle time during a drill is one of the biggest differences between this invention and those of prior art.
In
The concept of pacing as demonstrated using
In the lap drill, the athletes start at 1A and traverse past the network devices in sequential order until they get back to 1A again, which is one full lap. The athletes would complete a predetermined number of laps without taking a break, each lap continuously following the prior lap. A common soccer drill utilizing this setup is to jog the first lap, and then start the second lap by sprinting from 1A to 1C, and finish the second lap by jogging from 1C to 1A. On the third lap, the athlete sprints from 1A to 1D, and then completes the lap by jogging from 1D to 1A. On the fourth lap, the athlete sprints from 1A to 1E, and then jogs from 1E to 1A. On the fifth and final lap of the circuit, the athlete sprints the fifth lap. This example further demonstrates the flexibility of the invention to be used in training drills where the cycle time of Method 100 is not constant through the drill.
In
In
The control unit accepts inputs of number of networked devices to be used in the drill, drill name, any drill specific inputs, and the total number of cycles required to complete the training drill. The method 500 begins by the control unit starting a timer, at 504, before sending a signal to one networked device, at 506. The method 500 will not proceed until the control unit receives a signal from the networked device signaling the cycle has been complete, at 508. If the network device is unavailable or does not send a signal back to the control unit for some reason, then the method 500 ends in an error and must be manually restarted, at 510.
If the network device receives the signal, then it turns on an output causing its indicator to turn on and stay on, at 512. This indicator is what the athlete will hear or see to indicate the active network device. The athlete moves to the active network device, and triggers the input device to signal that the cycle has been completed, at 514. The input device for indicating the athlete is near can be anything from a pressure pad for the athlete to step on, a button for the athlete to press, an inductive touch sensor for the athlete to touch, a proximity sensor to indicate the presence of the athlete, or any other input device for detecting the presence or proximity of the athlete to the device.
As soon as the athlete triggers the input device to signal the cycle has been completed, the network device turns off an output causing its indicator to turn off, at 516. The network device then sends a signal to the control unit indicating the cycle has been completed, at 518.
The control unit compares the completed number of cycles to the total number of cycles required to complete the training drill, at 520. If the number of cycles has not been reached, then the control unit sends a signal to another networked device, at 506. If the number of cycles has been reached, then the training drill has been completed, and the control unit stops the timer and reports timer value, at 522.
The control unit accepts inputs of number of networked devices to be used in the drill, drill name, any drill specific inputs, and the total drill time. The method 600 begins by the control unit starting a timer, at 604, before sending a signal to one networked device, at 606. The method 600 will not proceed until the control unit receives a signal from the networked device signaling the cycle has been complete, at 608. If the network device is unavailable or does not send a signal back to the control unit for some reason, then the method 600 ends in an error and must be manually restarted, at 610.
If the network device receives the signal, then it turns on an output causing its indicator to turn on and stay on, at 612. This indicator is what the athlete will hear or see to indicate the active network device. The athlete moves to the active network device, and triggers the input device to signal that the cycle has been completed, at 614. The input device for indicating the athlete is near can be anything from a pressure pad for the athlete to step on, a button for the athlete to press, an inductive touch sensor for the athlete to touch, a proximity sensor to indicate the presence of the athlete, or any other input device for detecting the presence or proximity of the athlete to the device.
As soon as the athlete triggers the input device to signal the cycle has been completed, the network device turns off an output causing its indicator to turn off, at 616. The network device then sends a signal to the control unit indicating the cycle has been completed, at 618.
The control unit constantly compares the current drill time to the total drill time, at 620. If the total drill time has not been reached, then the control unit sends a signal to another networked device, at 606. If the total drill time has been reached, then the training drill has been completed, and the control unit stops the timer and reports the total number of completed cycles, at 622.
In
The concept of agility training as demonstrated using
In the lateral shuffle drill, the athlete starts facing any network device. One of the network devices will become the active network device, in method 500 or 600, and the athlete will quickly move to that network device in a shuffle movement. The athlete will trigger the input device signaling that the cycle has been completed, and a different network device will become the active network device. The athlete will continue to move through this cycle from device to device, until the drill is ended by either the total number of cycles being completed or the total drill time being reached.
The concept of agility training as demonstrated using
In this agility drill, the athlete starts in the middle of any number of network devices. One of the network devices will become the active network device, in method 500 or 600, and the athlete will quickly move to that network device as quickly as possible. The athlete will trigger the input device signaling that the cycle has been completed, and a different network device will become the active network device. The athlete will continue to move through this cycle from device to device, until the drill is ended by either the total number of cycles being completed or the total drill time being reached.
The ability to perform agility drills with quantitative feedback measuring the athlete's performance is one of the major features of this invention. Agility drills are some of the most common drills used in athletic training, but they are also some of the least effective at measuring improvement due to the lack of feedback. Precise feedback about an athlete's training performance has been missing from the coach's toolbox for too long, and this invention provides coaches with this much needed tool to take athletic drill training to the next level.
In the forgoing description, the invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity. However, the scope of the present invention is not to be limited by the terms used or illustrations depicted in this description. It is understood that those skilled in the art will be able to make modifications to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as noted in the appended claims.
