Tennis serve training device

• US 4,023,798 A
• Filed: 05/10/1976
• Issued: 05/17/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1976
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: PSI Nordic Track Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Alexander Pronin
• Inventors: Pronin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Pinkham, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brown, T.
• Application Number:
  US05/684,876
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 273/29 A, 273/29 R, 273/1 R, 35/29 R
• US Class Current: 473/462
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/385 for practising the serve

Abstract

Disclosed is a device for aiding a student of tennis in perfecting his serve. The device consists of a frame which supports an overhead target, and a cooperating ground surface target. The overhead target is movably mounted and adjustable in height so that its lowermost surface can be readily placed at the optimum toss height for the user'"'"'s serve and it will move when struck to indicate an overtoss. It has a visible target pattern thereon related to a pattern on the ground target, which is positioned directly under the overhead target so that a straight dropping tossed ball will strike a like position on both targets. The overhead target also has depending strike height markers to indicate the desired height at which a toss serve ball should be struck with the racquet.

Claims

1. A tennis training aid comprising:

a frame disposable in orientation to a tennis player positioned to serve a tennis ball, said frame having base means for supporting it in said disposition and overhead support means disposable over the head of the tennis player above the reach of his racquet;

overhead target means having a flat horizontally disposed lower surface with a target pattern thereon;

flexible elongated strap means for supporting said overhead target from said frame overhead support means, said strap means being interconnected between said overhead support means and said overhead target means; and

ground target means disposable below said overhead target means and having a target pattern thereon correlated with the target pattern on the overhead target.

2. A tennis training of the type described in claim 1, in which:

said frame includes an upright stanchion with height adjustment means and a cross support arm mounted in the upper end thereof, and said base means of said frame includes a weighted base member positionable upon a ground surface and having receiving means to receive and support the bottom end of said upright stanchion.

3. A tennis training aid of the type described in claim 1, in which:

said overhead target means includes a generally rectangular relatively rigid target member of sheet material which is both durable and light weight.

4. A tennis training aid of the type described in claim 1, in which:

said ground target means includes a sheet of durable and flexible material readily disposable upon a flat surface.

5. A tennis training aid of the type described in claim 1, in which:

said overhead support means includes a central support arm and a pair of laterally extendable extension arms telescopically mounted one on each end of said central support arm;

and said overhead target means includes a pair of generally rigid targets each suspended from a different one of said extension arms.

6. A tennis training aid of the type described in claim 1, which further includes:

strike height indicator means for indicating to a user the proper height at which to strike a serve toss, said strike height indicator means being interconnected with and dependent from said overhead support means.

7. A tennis training aid comprising:

a frame having ground support means and an overhead support arm disposable above the racquet reach of a tennis player;

height adjustment means interconnected with said frame for adjusting the height of said overhead support arm to correspond to the size of a user;

an overhead target having a planar lower surface with a target pattern thereon;

flexible cord means interconnected between said overhead support arm and said overhead target for suspending said overhead target from said overhead support arm; and

ground target locator means for locating and designating on the ground beneath each of the overhead targets a desired contact point for the fall of a properly tossed serve ball, said ground target locator means being interelated with said overhead target.

8. A tennis training aid as described in claim 7, in which:

said ground target locator means includes a mat of flexible material having a target pattern thereof related to the target pattern on said overhead target and having marker openings therein for marking on the ground beneath said target the location of a particular position in said target pattern.

9. A tennis training aid as described in claim 7, in which:

said overhead target has strike height indicator means including a pair of depending straps oppositely disposed on edges of said target and vertically adjustable to position their lowermost portions at a variety of distances below said lower surface of said target.

10. A tennis training aid as described in claim 7, in which:

said ground support means of said base includes a liquid receptacle with means for filling and draining liquid to provide anchor weight therefor;

said overhead target is a generally rectangular, relatively rigid sheet of material sufficiently light weight to be readily moved by contact with a serve tossed tennis ball, and has audible alarm means to indicate such movement, and said overhead target further has a pair of elongated strike height indicator members disposed at opposite ends thereof, said

strike height members having proximal ends pivotally attached to said overhead target and distal ends depending therefrom below the lower surface of said target, and means for adjusting the distance of dependency of said distal strike height indicator members below said overhead target lower surface;

said ground target locator means includes a mat of flexible material having a target pattern thereon related to the target pattern on said overhead target and having marker openings therein for marking on the ground beneath said target the location of a particular position in said target pattern;

and which further includes;

a second overhead target substantially identical to said first overhead target and suspended from said overhead support arm by flexible cord means substantially identical to said flexible cord means suspending said first overhead target and being disposed in longitudinal alignment with said first overhead target;

and a second target pattern on said mat of said ground target locator means on the opposite side from said first target pattern and related to said target pattern on said second overhead target, whereby said mat may be overturned and disposed beneath said second overhead target to present said related target patterns to a user.