Choreographed athletic movement to music

• US 6,746,247 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2001
• Issued: 06/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Michael P. Barton
• Original Assignee: Michael P. Barton
• Inventors: Barton, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Hughes, S. Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John
• Application Number:
  US10/027,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20020155416A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 434/247, 434/350, 434/252, 434/256-258, 434/262, 482/51, 482/4, 482/148
• US Class Current: 434/247
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0006 for pitching
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2069/0008 for batting
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/00 Training appliances or apparatus for special sports training of parachutists B64D23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0024 for hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0046 for bowling
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0071 for basketball
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 Sports

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method of producing an instructional tool for teaching an athlete how to develop and maintain a consistent tempo for performing a particular athletic activity. The method includes a step of analyzing the tempo of an athlete as they perform an athletic activity and then composing a song that includes a tempo which matches the tempo of an outstanding performance of the athletic activity. The appropriate tempo of the athletic activity is established by determining the amount of time between certain events in the activity when the particular athletic activity is performed at an optimum level by an athlete. The song is composed such that it includes a beat pattern with a time difference between two of the beats in the beat pattern that matches the time difference between two events in the ideally performed athletic activity.

Claims

1. A method of producing an athletic training tool for teaching an individual how to develop a consistent tempo as the individual performs an athletic activity, said method comprising:

recording multiple performances of the athletic activity by said individual;

selecting a plurality of said performances that represent a desired outcome of the athletic activity for said individual;

measuring the amount of time between a first action and a second action in the selected plurality of performances;

forming music that includes a beat pattern where at least two beats in the beat pattern of music match a time difference between the first action and the second action in the selected plurality of performances performed by said individual; and

using the music as a teaching tool to impart athletic timing information to the individual.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first action in the athletic activity is an initial movement and the second action in the athletic activity is an end movement.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the athletic activity includes a third action and the beat pattern in the music includes three beats where the time difference between each of the three beats matches the time difference between the first action, the second action and the third action in the selected plurality of performances.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein a digital audio/video file is created during said recording and software is used to analyze the digital/audio file during said measuring to measure the amount of time between the first action and the second action in the selected plurality of performances.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the beat pattern of the music is in 4/4 time.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the beat pattern of the music is in 6/8 time.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the music includes a musical note on a beat within the beat pattern that corresponds to the first action within the athletic activity.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the music includes a musical note on a beat within the beat pattern that corresponds to the second action within the athletic activity.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the second action in the athletic activity is an impact with an object and the music includes a recorded sound of the impact with the object on a beat within the beat pattern that corresponds to the impact with the object.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least two beats in the beat pattern that correspond to the first action and the second action are not consecutive beats within the beat pattern.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein using a beat pattern of music further includes choosing existing music having a beat pattern and modifying the tempo of the beat pattern in the existing music to form music that includes a time difference between two beats in the beat pattern which matches a time difference between the first action and the second action in the selected plurality of performances.

12. The method according to claim 1 further comprising placing the music onto a medium that can be played back by an athlete.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the medium is a compact disc.

14. A method of producing an athletic training tool for teaching an individual how to develop a consistent tempo for performing a particular athletic activity, said method comprising:

recording multiple performances of the athletic activity by said individual;

selecting a plurality of said performances of the athletic activity that represent a desired outcome of the athletic activity for said individual;

measuring an amount of time between a first movement and a second movement in the selected plurality of performances of the athletic activity;

forming music that includes a beat pattern where at least two beats in the beat pattern of music match a time difference between the first movement and the second movement in the selected plurality of performances performed by said individual; and

using the music as a teaching tool to impart athletic timing information to the individual.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein recording multiple performances of the athletic activity includes recording multiple performances of the athletic activity to create a digital audio/video file, and wherein measuring the amount of time between the first movement and the second movement in the selected plurality of performances of the athletic activity includes using software to measure the amount of time between the first movement and the second movement in the selected plurality of performances.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein the athletic activity includes impacting an object and the music includes a first musical note on a beat within the beat pattern that corresponds to the first movement of the athletic activity and a second musical note on a beat within the beat pattern that corresponds to the impact with the object during the athletic activity.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the impact with the object is recorded and used as the second musical note.

18. The method according to claim 16 wherein the music includes a series of four measures with the beat pattern repeated in each measure, the first musical note and the second musical note being located in one of the measures.

19. The method according to claim 18 wherein the first musical note and the second musical note are located in a third measure within the series of four measures.

20. The method according to claim 18 wherein the series of four measures within the music are repeated in a looped manner.

21. The method according to claim 18 wherein each of the four measures in the series of four measures includes unique musical notes.

22. The method according to claim 16 wherein the two beats in the beat pattern that correspond to the first movement and the impact with the object are not consecutive beats within the beat pattern.