Basketball training method to improve jump shooting

• US 7,175,549 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jumpshooter Enterprises, LLC
• Original Assignee: Rudolphus Leflore
• Inventors: LeFlore, Rudolphus
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Eugene
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAMBERS, MICHAEL S
• Application Number:
  US11/292,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20060105863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 473/447, 473/448
• US Class Current: 473/448
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2210/50 Size reducing arrangements for stowing or transport
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/093 Height
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/022 Backstops, cages, enclosures or the like, e.g. for spectator protection, for arresting balls

Abstract

A basketball training aid and method requires a player to jump to sufficient height to see a basket over a curtain, and to shoot over the curtain. The training aid comprises an easily adjustable stand for positioning the curtain. The curtain blocks the player'"'"'s view of the basket. The aid is adjusted to an individual player to challenge the player to achieve a minimum height to see the basket and to shoot over the aid. The player must coordinate jumping, seeing the basket, and releasing the ball at the apex of the jump. As a result, muscle memory is developed thereby improving player performance.

Claims

1. A method for improving athletic skills, the method comprising:

positioning a training aid on an athletic playing area, wherein the training aid is positioned between an athlete position and a distal portion of the playing area, the training aid including an opaque portion;

aligning the training aid to position the opaque portion to completely block a view of the distal portion by an athlete standing at the athlete position, wherein the player must jump to view the distal portion; and

practicing a play, wherein the athlete must coordinatedly jump to see over the opaque portion and execute an aspect of the play over the opaque portion, and wherein positioning the training aid on the athletic playing area comprises positioning the training aid on a basketball court and wherein the positioning a training aid comprises positioning an adjustable height training aid, and observing the height of an athlete standing at the athlete position with respect to the opaque portion; and

adjusting the height of the opaque portion so that the standing athlete cannot see over the opaque portion and the athlete may jump to see over the opaque portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the positioning a training aid on the basketball court comprises positioning the training aid on the basketball court, wherein the training aid is positioned between the athlete position and a basket.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the positioning the training aid comprises positioning the training aid so that the opaque portion blocks the athlete'"'"'s view of the basket.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein practicing a play comprises practicing coincidentally jumping to see over the opaque portion and shooting a basket over the opaque portion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the adjusting the height of the opaque portion comprises adjusting the height of the training aid, wherein the height of the opaque portion is approximately the height of the training aid.

6. A method for improving athletic skills, the method comprising:

positioning an adjustable height training aid on an athletic playing area, wherein the training aid is positioned between an athlete position and a distal portion of the playing area, wherein the adjustable height training aid includes an opaque portion;

observing the height of an athlete standing at the athlete position, with respect to the opaque portion; and

adjusting the height of the opaque portion based on the observed height so that the athlete must jump to see the distal portion over the opaque portion and the athlete can see the distal portion over the opaque portion when the athlete jumps; and

practicing a play, wherein the athlete must coordinatedly jump to see over the opaque portion and execute an aspect of the play over the opaque portion, and wherein positioning the training aid on the athletic playing area comprises positioning the training aid on a basketball court and wherein the positioning the adjustable height training aid on the athletic playing area comprises positioning the adjustable height training aid on a basketball court wherein the positioning a training aid comprises positioning an adjustable height training aid, and observing the height of an athlete standing at the athlete position with respect to the opaque portion; and

adjusting the height of the opaque portion so that the standing athlete cannot see over the opaque portion and the athlete may jump to see over the opaque portion.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the positioning the adjustable height training aid on the basketball court comprises positioning the adjustable height training aid on the basketball court, wherein the adjustable height training aid is positioned between the athlete position and a basket.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein practicing a play comprises practicing coincidentally jumping to enable:

seeing over the opaque portion; and

shooting a basket over the opaque portion.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein jumping comprises jumping at least a minimum height to see the basket.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein jumping to shoot a basket comprises jumping to shoot at the apex of the jump.

11. A method for improving a basketball player'"'"'s shooting performance, the method comprising:

positioning an adjustable height training aid on a basketball court

wherein the training aid is positioned between a shooting position and a basket;

observing a jumping height of an athlete standing at the shooting position;

adjusting a height of an upper opaque portion of the training aid based on the observed jumping height so that the athlete must jump to see a distal portion over the opaque portion of the training aid and the athlete can see the distal portion over the opaque portion when the athlete jumps; and

shooting at the basket, wherein the player must jump to coordinatedly see over the training aid and to shoot over the training aid.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein after the adjusting the height of an upper portion, further including fixing the vertical position of the upper portion relative to vertical supports.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein fixing the vertical position of the upper portion relative to vertical supports comprises engaging positioning pins in corresponding ones of a multiplicity of vertically spaced apart position holes.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein after the adjusting the height of an upper portion, further including connecting tensioners between bottom corners of a curtain to attachment points on the vertical supports.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the adjusting the height of an upper portion comprises adjusting the height of an upper portion including a vertically disposed substantially opaque curtain.