SPORTS SKILLS TRAINING APPARATUS

• US 20080254918A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ervin Wagner
• Original Assignee: Ervin Wagner
• Inventors: Wagner, Ervin
• Granted Patent: US 7,510,493 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 473/459
• 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

An 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 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.

2. The training device of claim 1 wherein said game is selected from the group of ice hockey and soccer.

3. The training device of claim 1 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.

4. The training device of claim 1 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.

5. 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.

6. The training device of claim 5 wherein said game object control and said opponent object control are one or more remote control devices to provide manual control of said one or more game object machines and said one or more simulated opponents.

7. The training device of claim 5 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.

8. The training device of claim 7 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.

9. The training device of claim 7 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.

10. The training device of claim 9 wherein said controller includes a plurality of preprogrammed set of programs to simulate a plurality of skill levels.

11. The training device of claim 9 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.

12. The training device of claim 9 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.

13. The training device of claim 7 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.

14. The training device of claim 13 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.

15. The training device of claim 5 wherein one or more of said simulated opponents are arranged to pop up to simulate an opponent when operated by said opponent controller.

16. The training device of claim 15 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.

17. The training device of claim 15 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are arranged to be extended upward from a retracted position when operated by said opponent controller.

18. The training device of claim 17 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are arranged to be extended upwardly from a telescoped position.

19. The training device of claim 17 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are coiled and are arranged to be extended upwardly by uncoiling.

20. The training device of claim 5 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.

21. The training device of claim 5 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.

22. The training device of claim 21 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are movable side to side on the opposite side of said playing surface.

23. The training device of claim 22 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.

24. The training device of claim 21 wherein said one or more simulated opponents are movable front to back on the opposite side of said playing surface.

25. The training device of claim 5 further including a video recording device to record training sessions to document mistakes and to track progress of the players being trained.