Abstract: According to the present disclosure, a leg guard is provided with a splint connector that connects a knee guard with a thigh guard. The splint is made of a material and shaped in a way that allows the connector to hold tension like a rope, to hold compression like a support beam, to bend in one plane like a single hinge through the full range of the knee joint, to twist slightly and to create and maintain a consistent separation distance between the knee guard and the thigh guard while the leg guard including the connector is being worn.

Abstract: A jaw protection panel or guard is formed with a shape that includes a body that is symmetrical in one or more different lines or planes of the body. This symmetry enables the guard to be secured to either side of a helmet in order to provide enhanced protection to the side of the jaw and face of the wearer of the helmet without the need for multiple guards configured for exclusive use on one side of the helmet.

Abstract: A sleeve or grip for use on a ball bat or other sporting-good implement includes a low-friction inner surface and a longitudinal slit that facilitates its positioning on, and removal from, a handle of the implement. The grip is rotatable about the handle so that a user's hand may move into an optimal position during a swing. The grip may be readily removable from the implement so that, after a swing, it stays with the user, as opposed to remaining on the implement.

Abstract: A sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat or a lacrosse stick, includes a first handle section rotatably connected to a second handle section. The second handle section may be attached to or integral with a tapered region or barrel region of a ball bat, or with a shaft section or head of a lacrosse stick, or with another sporting-good feature. This rotatable engagement allows the relative position of the user's hands to change during the course of a swing, shot, or pass, ideally placing the user's hands in a position to generate improved power or control.

Abstract: A pad device for protecting a hypothenar eminence region of a user's hand during a swing of a ball bat includes a digital portion having an opening configured to receive at least one of a user's fingers, and a hypothenar portion generally configured to coextend with the hypothenar eminence region of the user's hand. The pad device may include a viscoelastic material or a rate-dependent damping material. In other embodiments, a sports glove includes a glove base and a moldable hypothenar layer coupled to the glove base and positioned to generally coextend with a hypothenar eminence region of a user's hand. The moldable hypothenar layer may include an at least partially rigid moldable material configured to be molded into a form of at least one of the hypothenar eminence region of the user's hand or an end portion of a ball bat. The moldable material may include moldable thermoplastic.

Abstract: A batting glove or sports glove includes a glove base configured to accommodate a users hand. In some embodiments, the glove base has an opening in a palmar region of the glove. Multiple palmar layers are attached to the glove base and positioned over the opening. In some embodiments, the palmar layers include a first layer of material positioned between a second layer of material and a third layer of material. The first layer of material has a lower coefficient of friction than one or both of the second and third layers of material such that the layers may slide relative to one another.

Abstract: A grip for a sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat, includes a knob portion configured to be positioned around a knob and a handle portion adjacent to the knob portion. The knob portion may have a first thickness and the handle portion may have a second thickness different from the first thickness. The knob portion may have a first degree of hardness and the handle portion may have a second degree of hardness. In some embodiments, a sporting-good implement may include a handle with a recessed region. The recessed region may be formed between the knob and an edge on the handle. The recessed region may be configured to receive a handle portion of a grip element such that the grip element and the handle are generally flush near the edge.

Abstract: A batting glove or sports glove includes a glove base configured to accommodate a users hand. In some embodiments, the glove base has an opening in a palmar region of the glove. Multiple palmar layers are attached to the glove base and positioned over the opening. In some embodiments, the palmar layers include a first layer of material positioned between a second layer of material and a third layer of material. The first layer of material has a lower coefficient of friction than one or both of the second and third layers of material such that the layers may slide relative to one another.

Abstract: A sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat or a lacrosse stick, includes a first handle section rotatably connected to a second handle section. The second handle section may be attached to or integral with a tapered region or barrel region of a ball bat, or with a shaft section or head of a lacrosse stick, or with another sporting-good feature. This rotatable engagement allows the relative position of the user's hands to change during the course of a swing, shot, or pass, ideally placing the user's hands in a position to generate improved power or control.

Abstract: A grip or cover for a sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat, includes a knob portion generally positioned around a knob of the bat, and a handle portion generally positioned around a handle region of the bat. The handle portion may be formed from a material that is harder than the knob portion. The knob or part of the handle region may include a grooved surface to engage with the grip to help retain the grip to the bat. In some embodiments, a method of manufacturing a bat or other sporting-good implement includes positioning a portion of a handle or knob in a mold and providing an elastomer in the mold to cover the portion of the handle and knob. In some embodiments, different portions of the elastomer may be cured at different temperatures to provide different material properties, such as different degrees of hardness, to those portions.

Abstract: A sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat or a lacrosse stick, includes a first handle section rotatably connected to a second handle section. The second handle section may be attached to or integral with a tapered region or barrel region of a ball bat, or with a shaft section or head of a lacrosse stick, or with another sporting-good feature. This rotatable engagement allows the relative position of the user's hands to change during the course of a swing, shot, or pass, ideally placing the user's hands in a position to generate improved power or control.

Abstract: A sleeve or grip for use on a ball bat or other sporting-good implement includes a low-friction inner surface and a longitudinal slit that facilitates its positioning on, and removal from, a handle of the implement. The grip is rotatable about the handle so that a user's hand may move into an optimal position during a swing. The grip may be readily removable from the implement so that, after a swing, it stays with the user, as opposed to remaining on the implement.

Abstract: A sleeve or grip for use on a ball bat or other sporting-good implement includes a low-friction inner surface and a longitudinal slit that facilitates its positioning on, and removal from, a handle of the implement. The grip is rotatable about the handle so that a user's hand may move into an optimal position during a swing. The grip may be readily removable from the implement so that, after a swing, it stays with the user, as opposed to remaining on the implement.

Abstract: A sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat or a lacrosse stick, includes a first handle section rotatably connected to a second handle section. The second handle section may be attached to or integral with a tapered region or barrel region of a ball bat, or with a shaft section or head of a lacrosse stick, or with another sporting-good feature. This rotatable engagement allows the relative position of the user's hands to change during the course of a swing, shot, or pass, ideally placing the user's hands in a position to generate improved power or control.

Abstract: A sleeve or grip for use on a ball bat or other sporting-good implement includes a low-friction inner surface and a longitudinal slit that facilitates its positioning on, and removal from, a handle of the implement. The grip is rotatable about the handle so that a user's hand may move into an optimal position during a swing. The grip may be readily removable from the implement so that, after a swing, it stays with the user, as opposed to remaining on the implement.

Abstract: A sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat or a lacrosse stick, includes a first handle section rotatably connected to a second handle section. The second handle section may be attached to or integral with a tapered region or barrel region of a ball bat, or with a shaft section or head of a lacrosse stick, or with another sporting-good feature. This rotatable engagement allows the relative position of the user's hands to change during the course of a swing, shot, or pass, ideally placing the user's hands in a position to generate improved power or control.

Abstract: A sporting-good implement, such as a ball bat or a lacrosse stick, includes a first handle section rotatably connected to a second handle section. The second handle section may be attached to or integral with a tapered region or barrel region of a ball bat, or with a shaft section or head of a lacrosse stick, or with another sporting-good feature. This rotatable engagement allows the relative position of the user's hands to change during the course of a swing, shot, or pass, ideally placing the user's hands in a position to generate improved power or control.