Soccer ball kicking training device

• US 20050221918A1
• Filed: 06/17/2004
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark P. Sharrocks
• Original Assignee: Mark P. Sharrocks
• Inventors: Sharrocks, Mark P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,033,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/446
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34

Abstract

A soccer ball kicking training device assists a player so that his or her plant foot are correctly positioned with respect to the target line. A foot positioning pad includes a foot outline indicia and is attached to an adjustable cross member. The other end of the cross member is attached to an offset member which supports a ball positioning pad. An arrow points in the direction of the plant foot towards the target line. The player positions his or her plant foot adjacent to the indicia and adjusts the length of the cross-member so that the member is approximately shoulder width. The foregoing positions the soccer ball slightly behind the plant foot and “squares” the players shoulders so that when the player kicks the ball the ball goes in the line of the arrow and directly towards the target.

Claims

1. A ball kicking training apparatus for a kicker having a plant foot and a striking foot, said apparatus comprising:

plant foot positioning means for optimally positioning the plant foot of said kicker;

connecting means attached to said plant foot positioning means;

offset means attached to said connecting; and

,

ball positioning means for positioning and supporting said ball at the optimum striking location with respect to said plant foot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said ball positioning means supports a substantially round ball.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said connecting means is adjustable so that the distance D_BF between said plant foot positioning means and said ball positioning means can be modified selectively according to the kicking characteristics of the kicker.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the effective length L of the connecting means can be adjusted between 10 and 20 inches.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 where said ball is a soccer ball.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said offset means is sufficiently long as to position the ball behind the toe of the plant foot of the kicker when said plant foot is in position on said plant foot positioning means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said offset means is about 8.5 inches long.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said ball positioning means includes an indent for receiving said soccer ball.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said apparatus may be flipped over and used by kickers having a different dominant striking foot.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 further comprising:

aiming means attached to said plant foot positioning means to aim the plant foot at a target.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said aiming means comprises an arrow pointing in a direction substantially parallel to the long dimension of said kicker'"'"'s plant foot