''Sports skills training method and apparatus''

• US 20050032581A1
• Filed: 08/04/2003
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ervin Wagner
• Original Assignee: Ervin Wagner
• Inventors: Wagner, Ervin
• Granted Patent: US 7,285,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/173
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2063/065 movable or switchable between discrete positions, e.g. after a successful shot
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/836 Sensors arranged on the body of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/50 Wireless data transmission, e.g. by radio transmitters or telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 63/00 Targets or goals for ball games golf cups A63B57/40
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/00 Training appliances or apparatus for special sports training of parachutists B64D23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0026 for ice-hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0053 Apparatus generating random stimulus signals for reaction-time training involving a substantial physical effort
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/38 for tennis A63B61/006, A63B69/0073 and A63B69/0097 take precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus for training sports skills for games including ice hockey, soccer, tennis and volleyball using one or more opponents or simulated opponents on the playing surface to train a player to strike the game object away from an opponent in addition to practicing striking the game object. A game object machine(s) can be used to project game objects to one side of the playing surface. A controller can be provided to control operation of the simulated opponent(s) and the game object machine(s) to train placement memory and reaction time in addition to muscle memory. For ice hockey and soccer, the controller can receive input from sensor(s) on the game object, player being trained or the goal to locate the game object and/or player to position the simulated opponent(s) to train the player to strike the game object past the simulated opponent into the goal.

Claims

1. A method for training sports skills for a game conducted on a playing surface that includes striking a game object away from an opponent comprising:

sequentially projecting a plurality of game objects toward one portion of said playing surface for striking by one or more players being trained; and

selectively directing one or more opponents to appear at one or more locations on said playing surface to train said player to strike game objects away from an opponent.

2. The method of training sports skills of claim 1 wherein said step of directing said one or more opponents to appear comprises operating one or more simulated opponents to simulate the play of one or more players having a selected skill level.

3. The method of training sports skills of claim 1 wherein said step of sequentially projecting a plurality of said game objects comprises a machine for sequentially projecting a plurality of game objects toward said one portion of said playing surface for striking by said one or more players being trained.

4. The method of training sports skills of claim 1 wherein said game is selected from a group including ice hockey, soccer, tennis and volleyball.

5. A method for training scoring skills for a game conducted on a playing surface that includes striking a game object past an opponent into a goal comprising:

movably positioning a simulated opponent goal defender in front of said goal on said playing surface while one or more players being trained advances said game object toward said goal to train said one or more players to strike said game object away from said simulated opponent and into said goal.

6. The method of training scoring skills of claim 5 wherein said step of movably positioning said simulated goal defender includes sensing the location of said game object and/or said one or more players to control movement of said simulated goal defender into position to block an attempt to strike said game object into said goal.

7. The method of training scoring skills of claim 5 wherein said game is selected from the group of ice hockey and soccer.

8. The method of training scoring skills of claim 5 wherein said method includes sequentially projecting a plurality of game objects toward one portion of said playing surface for striking by said one or more players being trained to provide said game objects for said one or more players being trained to advance toward said goal and to attempt to strike said game objects into said goal.

9. The method of training scoring skills of claim 5 wherein one or more simulated opponents are movably positioned adjacent said goal to simulate the play of a goalie and/or a defender.

10. A method for training tennis skills of a tennis player comprising:

sequentially projecting a plurality of tennis balls toward one side of a tennis court for return by said tennis player; and

selectively directing one or more opponents to appear at one or more locations on the opposite side of said tennis court to train said tennis player to return tennis balls away from an opponent thereby teaching said tennis player to play the tennis court and training placement memory in the brain of said tennis player in addition to training muscle memory by returning said tennis balls.

11. The method of training tennis skills of claim 10 wherein said step of sequentially projecting a plurality of tennis balls comprises a trainer sequentially hitting a plurality of tennis balls toward said one side of a tennis court.

12. The method of training tennis skills of claim 10 wherein said step of selectively directing one or more opponents to appear at one or more locations on the opposite side of said tennis court comprises a trainer directing one or more persons to selectively occupy one or more locations on said opposite side of said tennis court.

13. The method of training tennis skills of claim 10 wherein one or more tennis ball machines project said plurality of tennis balls, and said step of sequentially projecting a plurality of tennis balls includes projecting said tennis balls in selected combinations of direction, speed, elevation and spin.

14. The method of training tennis skills of claim 10 wherein said step of directing one or more opponents to appear comprises operating one or more simulated opponents to simulate the play of one or more tennis players having a selected skill level.

15. The method of training tennis skills of claim 14 wherein said step of operating said one or more simulated opponents comprises operating one or more simulated opponents to simulate one or two tennis players moving to a plurality of locations on the opposite side of the tennis court.

16. The method of training tennis skills of claim 15 wherein said simulated opponents comprise a plurality of stationary simulated opponents located in selected locations on the opposite side of said tennis court and said step of operating said one or more simulated opponents comprises operating selected ones of said simulated opponents to cause an opponent to selectively appear at said one or more of said locations.

17. The method of training tennis skills of claim 15 wherein said simulated opponents comprise one or more movable simulated opponents and said step of operating said one or more simulated opponents comprises operating selected ones of said simulated opponents to move said one or more simulated opponents to selectively appear at one of more of a plurality of locations on the opposite side of the tennis court.

18. The method of training tennis skills of claim 10 wherein said one or more tennis ball machines and said one or more simulated opponents are controlled by a controller and wherein said method includes setting said controller to operate said one or more ball machines and said one or more simulated opponents to simulate one or more tennis players having a selected skill level.

19. The method of training tennis skills of claim 18 wherein said method includes setting said controller to simulate one or more of the following skill levels, grade school, high school, college, professional, recreational, singles and doubles.

20. The method of training tennis skills of claim 18 wherein said method includes setting said controller to simulate the play of one or more professional tennis players.

21. A training device for developing scoring skills of players for a game conducted on a playing surface having a goal and including a game object to be struck or kicked into said goal to score comprising:

one or more simulated opponents arranged to selectively appear at one or more locations adjacent said goal on said playing surface;

an opponent control for operating said one or more simulated opponents to selectively appear at one or more locations in front of said goal as a player advances said game object toward said goal.

22. The training device of claim 21 wherein said game is selected from the group of ice hockey and soccer.

23. The training device of claim 21 wherein said training device includes one or more sensors on one or more of said game object, said player or said goal for determining the position of said game object and/or said player, and said opponent control operates said one or more simulated opponents based on the location of said game object and/or said player as said player advances said game object toward said goal.

24. The training device of claim 21 further including:

one or more game object machines are arranged to project a plurality of game objects toward one portion of said playing surface; and

a game object control for operating said one or more game object machines to sequentially project said plurality of said game objects.

25. A training device for developing game skills of players for a game conducted on a playing surface comprising:

one or more game object machines arranged to project a plurality of game objects toward one portion of said playing surface;

one or more simulated opponents arranged to selectively appear at one or more locations on said playing surface;

a game object control for operating said one or more game object machines to sequentially project said plurality of said game objects; and

an opponent control for operating said one or more simulated opponents to selectively appear at one or more locations on said playing surface in conjunction with projection of said plurality of game objects.

26. The training device of claim 25 wherein said game is tennis, said playing surface is a tennis court, and said one or more game object machines are one or more ball machines arranged to sequentially project a plurality of tennis balls toward one side of a tennis court.

27. The training device of claim 25 wherein said game object control is a remote control device to provide manual control of said one or more game object machines.

28. The training device of claim 25 wherein said opponent control is a remote control device to provide manual control of said one or more simulated opponents.

29. The training device of claim 26 wherein said one or more ball machines are movable to a plurality of positions in operation and said game object control is arranged to control the location of said one or more ball machines and the sequential projection of tennis balls toward one side of said tennis court.

30. The training device of claim 26 wherein said game object control and said opponent control are incorporated in a controller, and said controller can be programmed to operate said one or more ball machines to sequentially project a plurality of tennis balls in selected combinations of direction, speed, elevation and spin, and to operate said one or more simulated opponents to simulate one or more tennis players having a selected skill level.

31. The training device of claim 30 wherein said controller includes a plurality of preprogrammed set of programs to simulate a plurality of skill levels.

32. The training device of claim 26 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are positioned on the opposite side of said tennis court, and said one or more simulated opponents are arranged to selectively appear on the opposite side of said tennis court when operated by said opponent control.

33. The training device of claim 32 wherein three simulated opponents are positioned along the service line and three simulated opponents are positioned along the base line of said opposite side of said tennis court.

34. The training device of claim 25 wherein one or more of said simulated opponents are arranged to pop up to simulate an opponent when operated by said opponent controller.

35. The training device of claim 34 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are pivotally mounted to a base to pivot to a vertical position when operated by said opponent controller.

36. The training device of claim 34 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are arranged to be extended upward from a retracted position when operated by said opponent controller.

37. The training device of claim 36 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are arranged to be extended upwardly from a telescoped position.

38. The training device of claim 36 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are coiled and are arranged to be extended upwardly by uncoiling.

39. The training device of claim 25 wherein one or more of said simulated opponents are rotatable on a vertical axis and are arranged to rotate to a position facing said one side of said playing surface and to rotate to a position facing the sideline of said playing surface.

40. The training device of claim 25 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are selectively movable by said opponent control to one or more locations on the opposite said of said playing surface to simulate movement of an opponent.

41. The training device of claim 40 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are movable side to side on the opposite side of said playing surface.

42. The training device of claim 41 wherein said game is tennis and one or more simulated opponents are movably positioned along the service line and one or more simulated opponents are movably positioned along the back line of the opposite side of said tennis court.

43. The training device of claim 40 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are movable front to back on the opposite side of said playing surface.

44. The training device of claim 40 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are movable side to side and front to back on the opposite side of said playing surface.

45. The training device of claim 40 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are movable on a track on the opposite side of said playing surface.

46. The training device of claim 40 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are freely movable in any direction on the opposite side of said playing surface.

47. The training device of claim 40 wherein one or more of said simulated opponents is a robot selectively movable to plurality of locations on the opposite side of said playing surface.

48. The training device of claim 30 wherein said controller includes a card reader for reading predetermined programs provided on one or more program cards to set said controller to operate said one or more ball machines and said one or more simulated opponents to simulate a predetermined tennis player skill level.

49. The training device of claim 30 wherein said controller includes a selector to permit manual selection of one of a plurality of predetermined programs to set said controller to operate said one or more ball machines and said one or more simulated opponents to simulate the selected tennis player skill level.

50. The training device of claim 25 further including a video recording device to record training sessions to document mistakes and to track progress of the players being trained.