ROTATIONAL SWING STABILITY TRAINING

Abstract

An apparatus includes a harness attachable circumferentially around a waist area of an athlete. A mechanical resistance attachment guide is coupled to the harness and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness is worn by the athlete. The mechanical resistance attachment guide provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing. A vertical anchor plane is defined between the axis of rotation of the athlete and an anchor point located perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the athlete. At least a portion of the mechanical resistance attachment guide remains within the vertical anchor plane throughout the rotational athletic swing. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this abstract.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to systems, apparatus, and methods for training athletes in athletic stances and swings. More particularly, the present invention relates to rotational swing stability training.

2. Related Art

Athletic activities have various physical aspects, such as motion, movement, and stances that athletes perform. For example, in baseball, a batter stands within a batter's box and waits for a pitcher to throw a ball. The batter swings at the ball and begins to run the bases when a good hit is made.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter described herein provides rotational swing stability training for athletes, such as baseball players, golfers, and other types of athletes, that use rotational swings to improve rotational energy accumulation and transfer during a rotational athletic swing. An apparatus for training in rotational swing stability includes a harness with a mechanical resistance attachment guide that moveably couples a first end of a mechanical resistance element to the harness. A second end of the mechanical resistance element is coupled to an anchor point. The mechanical resistance attachment guide provides an approximately constant radius attachment point for the first end of the mechanical resistance element relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing. The apparatus allows the athlete to rotate relative to the anchor point with approximately constant resistance to lateral and vertical movement provided by the mechanical resistance element when lateral and vertical rotational stability is maintained. Resistive feedback is provided to the athlete when a lateral or a vertical movement occurs during the rotational athletic swing by changes in resistance of the mechanical resistance element. As such, the apparatus trains the athlete through resistive feedback to maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout the rotational athletic swing to improve rotational energy accumulation and transfer during the rotational athletic swing.

The mechanical resistance attachment guide may be flexible or rigid and automatically adjusts vertically for a height of the athlete and a distance from the anchor point. Selectable resistance for the mechanical resistance element may be based upon weight or body mass of the athlete. The mechanical resistance element may include an elastic portion and a non-elastic portion. The non-elastic portion may further be adjustable to allow the athlete to adjust a length of the mechanical resistance element for a height of the athlete or for a distance from the anchor point. Additionally, the athlete may adjust the mechanical resistance element to increase or decrease lateral and vertical resistance created by the combined elastic and non-elastic mechanical resistance element for weight or body mass of the athlete.

An apparatus includes a harness attachable circumferentially around a waist area of an athlete; and a mechanical resistance attachment guide coupled to the harness and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness is worn by the athlete, where: the mechanical resistance attachment guide provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing; and at least a portion of the mechanical resistance attachment guide remains within a vertical anchor plane throughout the rotational athletic swing, where the vertical anchor plane is defined by the axis of rotation of the athlete and an anchor point located perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the athlete.

An apparatus includes a harness attachable circumferentially around a waist area of an athlete; a rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide coupled to the harness and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness is worn by the athlete, where: the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete when the harness is attached to the waist area of the athlete; the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to the axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing; and at least a portion of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide remains within a vertical anchor plane throughout the rotational athletic swing, where the vertical anchor plane is defined by the axis of rotation of the athlete and an anchor point located perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the athlete; and at least one pivotal element that couples the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide to the harness and where the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide automatically adjusts by pivoting at the at least one pivotal element; and a mechanical resistance element coupled to the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide at a first end and to the anchor point at a second end, where the first end of the mechanical resistance element moves along the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide throughout the rotational athletic swing, and where the mechanical resistance element further comprises: an elastic portion providing variable resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete; a non-elastic portion comprising an adjustable element; a rotatable coupling mechanism forming a portion of the first end of the mechanical resistance element; a first removable coupling mechanism removably coupled to the rotatable coupling mechanism and the non-elastic portion to allow the mechanical resistance element to be removably coupled to the rotatable coupling mechanism; and a second removable coupling mechanism forming a portion of the second end to allow the elastic portion of the mechanical resistance element to be removably coupled to the anchor point via the removable coupling mechanism.

A method includes enabling an athlete to be tethered via a harness and a mechanical resistance apparatus to an anchor point positioned approximately perpendicularly to and below a hip of the athlete; allowing the athlete to rotate through a rotational athletic swing with an approximately constant radius moveable attachment location to the harness for a first end of the mechanical resistance apparatus relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete; and providing resistive feedback to lateral and vertical movement of the athlete during the rotational athletic swing relative to the anchor point via the mechanical resistance apparatus to train the athlete to maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout the rotational athletic swing.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate the scope of the present invention and realize additional aspects thereof after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments in association with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a batter with a bat in a neutral position ready to swing the bat and using an example of an implementation of a swing stability training system for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the batter of FIG. 1 in the neutral position using the swing stability training system for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the batter of FIG. 2 in a rotated position after having swung the bat and using the swing stability training system for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of the swing stability training system of FIG. 1 through FIG. 3 according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 5 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the swing stability training system of FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, without the batter, shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 6 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the swing stability training system of FIG. 5 in a rotated orientation of approximately ninety (90) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 5, such as after a rotational athletic swing has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 7 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of a portion of a rigid swing stability training system according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 8 is a top view of the example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system of FIG. 7, without the batter, shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 9 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system of FIG. 8 in a rotated orientation of approximately ninety (90) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 8, such as after a rotational athletic swing has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of a portion of a rigid swing stability training system that allows for rotation of an athletic swing beyond ninety (90) degrees without interfering with lateral or vertical resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 11 is a top view of the example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system of FIG. 10, without the batter, shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 12 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system of FIG. 11 in a rotated orientation of approximately one hundred and ten (110) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 11, such as after a rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 13 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of a portion of a rigid swing stability training system that allows for rotation of an athletic swing beyond ninety (90) degrees without interfering with lateral or vertical resistance relative to an anchor point and that allows an athlete to change between left and right stances without adjustment of the rigid swing stability training system according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 14 is a top view of the example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system of FIG. 13 without the batter shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter;

FIG. 15 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system of FIG. 14 in a rotated orientation of approximately one hundred and ten (110) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 14, such as after a rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter; and

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an example of an implementation of a combined mechanical resistance element that includes both an elastic portion for variable resistance and a non-elastic adjustable portion to allow adjustment for both a height of the athlete and a distance from an anchor point according to an embodiment of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The examples set forth below represent the necessary information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention and illustrate the best mode of practicing the invention. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the invention and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure and the accompanying claims.

The subject matter described herein provides rotational swing stability training for athletes, such as baseball players, golfers, and other types of athletes, that use rotational swings to improve rotational energy accumulation and transfer during a rotational athletic swing. An apparatus for training in rotational swing stability includes a harness with a mechanical resistance attachment guide that moveably couples a first end of a mechanical resistance element to the harness. A second end of the mechanical resistance element is coupled to an anchor point. The mechanical resistance attachment guide provides an approximately constant radius attachment point for the first end of the mechanical resistance element relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing. The apparatus allows the athlete to rotate relative to the anchor point with approximately constant resistance to lateral and vertical movement provided by the mechanical resistance element when lateral and vertical rotational stability is maintained. Resistive feedback is provided to the athlete when a lateral or a vertical movement occurs during the rotational athletic swing by sensing changes in resistance of the mechanical resistance element. As such, the apparatus trains the athlete through resistive feedback to maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout the rotational athletic swing to improve rotational energy accumulation and transfer during the rotational athletic swing.

The mechanical resistance attachment guide may be flexible or rigid and automatically adjusts vertically for a height of the athlete and a distance from the anchor point. Selectable resistance for the mechanical resistance element may be based upon weight or body mass of the athlete. The mechanical resistance element may include an elastic portion and a non-elastic portion. The non-elastic portion may further be adjustable to allow the athlete to adjust a length of the mechanical resistance element for a height of the athlete or for a distance from the anchor point. Additionally, the athlete may adjust the mechanical resistance element to increase or decrease lateral and vertical resistance created by the combined elastic and non-elastic mechanical resistance element for weight or body mass of the athlete.

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a batter 10 with a bat 12 in a neutral position ready to swing the bat 12 and using an example of an implementation of a swing stability training system 100 for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. It should be understood that the example batter 10 will be used herein to describe certain examples of the present subject matter without intent to limit the application of the present subject matter to batting within the sport of baseball. For example, the present subject matter may also be usable by pitchers or other athletes within the sport of baseball without departure. Additionally, the present subject matter may be usable by any athlete during athletic activities that involve a rotational swing, such as golf or other athletic activities, for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. As such, many possibilities exist for use of the present subject matter and all are considered within the scope of the following description.

Within FIG. 1, a vertical axis of rotation 20 and a horizontal axis 22 are shown. The vertical axis of rotation 20 represents a center of rotation of an athlete, such as the batter 10, during a rotational athletic swing. As such, there is no requirement that the vertical axis of rotation 20 remain plumb or perpendicular relative to the horizontal axis 22. The horizontal axis 22 intersects with the vertical axis of rotation 20 and is oriented to travel through an anchor point 24. The anchor point 24 may be a tent stake, screw hook, or other element attachable to the ground or to a backstop or other device for attaching mechanical resistance elements to, as described in more detail below. A vertical anchor plane 26 is defined by the vertical axis of rotation 20 and the anchor point 24. It should be noted that, because the vertical axis of rotation 20 is not limited to a plumb or perpendicular orientation, there is additionally no requirement that the vertical anchor plane 26 be plumb. It is understood that the horizontal axis 22 may lie within the vertical anchor plane 26. Accordingly, within all figures described herein, the vertical axis of rotation 20 and the vertical anchor plane 26 are shown in a plumb orientation for ease of illustration purposes. A perpendicular horizontal axis 28 is shown oriented and going into the perspective of the view of FIG. 1, such as traveling from a centerline of the batter 10 across a home plate (not shown) relative to the batter 10. However, even though the perpendicular horizontal axis 28 and the vertical anchor plane 26 are depicted in an approximately perpendicular arrangement for ease of illustration purposes, it is understood that there is no requirement for the perpendicular horizontal axis 28 be perpendicular to the vertical anchor plane 26. The perpendicular horizontal axis 28 is shown in more detail beginning with FIG. 2 below.

As described above, the batter 10 is shown using the swing stability training system 100 for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. The swing stability training system 100 includes a harness 102 attachable at least circumferentially around a waist area of an athlete, such as the example batter 10. The harness 102 may include any type of fastening system (not shown within FIG. 1) suitable for attaching the harness 102 around the waist area of an athlete. For example, the harness 102 may include a harness that approximates a belt with a buckle or other fastening system, and may also include leg, torso, shoulder, or arm straps that allow the harness 102 to be further fastened to and worn by an athlete, such as the example batter 10. Furthermore, there is no requirement that the harness 102 approximate a belt. Any harness that may be fastened to an athlete and attachable circumferentially around a waist area of an athlete via leg, torso, shoulder, or arm straps, even without a closure mechanism around the waist area is considered within the scope of the present subject matter. As such, the examples described herein illustrate a harness that may be fastened around the waist area of an athlete for ease of illustration purposes. The harness 102 may be constructed of any reasonably durable material, such as leather, nylon, plastic, metal, or any other material, either alone or in combination with one another.

The harness 102 includes a flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 coupled to the harness 102 via any suitable mechanism. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 is oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the batter 10. With reference to the vertical anchor plane 26, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 provides a guide around at least a portion of the waist area of the batter 10 that allows the batter 10 to rotate relative to the anchor point 24 with at least a portion of the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 remaining within or proximate to the vertical anchor plane 26 throughout a rotational athletic swing. Additionally, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 automatically adjusts vertically based upon its flexible nature to accommodate differences in height of an athlete or distance to an anchoring system, such as the anchor point 24.

The flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 may be constructed of any reasonably durable material, such as leather, nylon, plastic, metal, or any other material, either alone or in combination with one another to allow a flexible attachment mechanism to the harness 102. For example, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 may include a cloth or wire rope, a cloth or wire rope covered with plastic or other tubing, or a nylon webbed strap. Many other possibilities exist for achieving a flexible construction for the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

It should be noted that while the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 is shown in association with the example swing stability training system 100 as coupled to the harness 102 at two locations, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 may be coupled to the harness 102 at two points different from those shown in FIG. 1 or may be attached at a single point without departure from the scope of the present subject matter. Accordingly, any arrangement for location and fastening of the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 to the harness 102 may be used as long as at least a portion of the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 remains within or proximate to the vertical anchor plane 26 during a rotational athletic swing.

It should also be understood that, while the vertical axis of rotation 20 is illustrated within FIG. 1 in a location relative to the anchor point 24 and on a centerline of mass of the batter 10, the vertical axis of rotation 20 may move laterally within the vertical anchor plane 26 relative to the anchor point 24 as the batter 10 moves during a rotational athletic swing. As will be described in more detail below, the present subject matter provides resistance to this lateral movement as feedback to the batter 10 to provide lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training to improve rotational energy accumulation and transfer from the batter 10 or any other athlete using the subject matter described herein during a rotational athletic swing.

A mechanical resistance element 106 is shown coupled to the harness 102 via a rotatable coupling element 108 and a removable coupling element 110 to the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104. The mechanical resistance element 106 is also shown coupled via a removable coupling element 112 to the anchor point 24. The mechanical resistance element 106 may be constructed of any material that may provide resistance to lateral and vertical movement of an athlete. For example, the mechanical resistance element 106 may be constructed from rubberized compounds, elastic compounds, rope, wire, cable, or any other material capable of being fastened to the respective locations described herein. Further, for implementations where lateral or vertical movement of an athlete are acceptable, the mechanical resistance element 106 may be constructed of a material with longitudinal elastic properties. The longitudinal elastic properties may be selected based upon an extent of allowable lateral and vertical movement and for weight or mass of the athlete. For implementations where lateral or vertical movement of an athlete are not desirable, the mechanical resistance element 106 may be constructed of a material without longitudinal elastic properties. In either situation, the mechanical resistance element provides either varying or fixed resistance, respectively, to lateral and vertical movement of the athlete.

The rotatable coupling element 108 is represented within this example as a pulley wheel system. The rotatable coupling element 108 may be constructed as a metal pulley wheel system, an alloy pulley wheel system, a plastic pulley wheel system, or a composite pulley wheel system. Other possibilities exist for construction of the rotatable coupling element 108 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter. It should also be noted that the rotatable coupling element 108 may be configured in any suitable fashion to allow the mechanical resistance element 106 to move along the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 during a rotational athletic swing and provide resistance to lateral and vertical movement of the athlete relative to the anchor point 24 to provide feedback to the athlete.

The removable coupling element 110 and the removable coupling element 112 are illustrated within the example swing stability training system 100 as carabiners. However, it is understood that any suitable fastening mechanism may be used to allow an athlete, such as the batter 10, to readily connect the harness 102 to and disconnect the harness 102 from him or herself and from the anchor point 24 during rotational athletic swing training sessions. The removable coupling element 110 and the removable coupling element 112 may be constructed of any suitable material, such as metal, plastic, cloth rope, wire rope, or any other material. Accordingly, any such fastening mechanism or material is considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

It should be noted that while the present example swing stability training system 100 shows the mechanical resistance element 106 coupled to the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 and the anchor point 24 via additional elements, there is no requirement for any of these additional elements to be provided within any given implementation of a swing stability training system, such as the swing stability training system 100. Accordingly, the mechanical resistance element 106 may be coupled to the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 at one end and to the anchor point 24 at the other end in any fashion that allows the mechanical resistance element 106 to move along the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 during a rotational athletic swing and provide resistance to lateral and vertical movement of an athlete relative to the anchor point 24 to train the athlete to maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout the rotational athletic swing.

For purposes of the present description, it is understood that the mechanical resistance element 106 and other mechanical resistance elements described apply a resistive force to lateral and vertical movement of an athlete, such as the batter 10. A longitudinal force vector 30 is illustrated in FIG. 1 to represent the direction of the resistive force applied to lateral and vertical movement of the batter 10. The longitudinal force vector 30 may be broken down into a horizontal force component 32 and a vertical force component 34. As such, the mechanical resistance element 106 provides resistive feedback to an athlete, such as the batter 10, for lateral and vertical movement through the horizontal force component 32 and the vertical force component 34, respectively.

For example, if the batter 10 moves away from or toward the anchor point 24 laterally during a rotational athletic swing, the batter 10 will sense a corresponding increase or decrease in lateral resistance applied by the horizontal force component 32 of the longitudinal force vector 30. Similarly, if the batter 10 extends or lowers vertically during a rotational athletic swing, the batter 10 will sense a corresponding increase or decrease in resistance applied by the vertical force component 34 of the longitudinal force vector 30. Accordingly, an athlete may be trained to respond to changes in resistive feedback to minimize or strengthen any lateral or vertical movement that may be desired for a given sport to improve rotational energy accumulation and transfer during a rotational athletic swing.

It is understood that the longitudinal force vector 30 is represented with an arbitrary vector length within FIG. 1 for ease of illustration purposes and that a magnitude of the longitudinal force vector 30 will vary based upon selection of resistive material properties for the mechanical resistance element 106 and other mechanical resistance elements described. The magnitudes of the horizontal force component 32 and the vertical force component 34 will also vary depending upon the magnitude of the longitudinal force vector 30.

The longitudinal force vector 30, the horizontal force component 32, and the vertical force component 34 are not illustrated in subsequent figures for ease of illustration purposes. However, it is understood that the forces discussed above provide resistive feedback to lateral and vertical movement of an athlete when attached to an anchor point at a level other than horizontal to a hip of an athlete. It should also be noted that, while the present subject matter is described to apply both lateral and vertical resistance to movement of an athlete, the present subject matter may also be used to provide lateral resistance alone by placing an anchor point at a level horizontal to a hip of an athlete.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the batter 10 of FIG. 1 in the neutral position using the swing stability training system 100 for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the harness 102 is shown as a dashed-line representation around the waist area of the batter 10. The vertical axis of rotation 20 is shown coming out of a plane of the sheet of FIG. 2 and the anchor point 24 is shown along the horizontal axis 22 to the right of the batter 10. The perpendicular horizontal axis 28 is shown vertically-oriented within the perspective of FIG. 2.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 is shown to be pulled toward the anchor point 24 by the mechanical resistance element 106. Accordingly, the mechanical resistance element 106 provides resistance to lateral and vertical movement of the batter 10 relative to the anchor point 24 to provide resistive feedback throughout a rotational athletic swing. The mechanical resistance element 106 may be selected to have a resistance appropriate for a weight of an athlete, such as the batter 10, to provide an amount of resistance suitable for training the athlete in lateral and vertical rotational swing stability without throwing the athlete off of balance throughout a rotational athletic swing. As will be described in association with FIG. 16 below, an adjustable mechanical resistance element may also be provided to allow the athlete to adjust the resistive feedback during a training session.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the batter 10 of FIG. 2 in a rotated position after having swung the bat 12 and using the swing stability training system 100 for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the harness 102 is again shown as a dashed-line representation around the waist area of the batter 10. The flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 is also shown again to be pulled toward the anchor point 24 by the mechanical resistance element 106. As described above, the mechanical resistance element 106 provides resistance to lateral and vertical movement of the batter 10 relative to the anchor point 24 to provide resistive feedback throughout a rotational athletic swing. However, within FIG. 3, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 has flexed into a shape to allow the mechanical resistance element 106 to maintain an approximately constant resistance throughout the rotational athletic swing when lateral and vertical movement of the batter 10 is minimized. Accordingly, the example swing stability training system 100 provides an approximately constant resistance throughout the rotational athletic swing to assist the batter 10 in maintaining a center of rotation throughout the rotational athletic swing. As described above, the vertical axis of rotation 20 may move relative to the anchor point 24 during a rotational athletic swing, but the swing stability training system 100 reinforces maintaining a center of rotation along the vertical axis of rotation 20 to improve rotational energy accumulation and transfer from the batter 10 or any other athlete during a rotational athletic swing. Additionally, rotational energy accumulation and transfer from the batter 10 may be improved when the batter 10 maintains vertical positioning throughout the rotational athletic swing. Accordingly, the swing stability training system 100 reinforces maintaining a vertical center of mass within the vertical axis of rotation 20.

As such, lateral and vertical feedback is provided to the batter 10 via the approximately constant resistance when the batter 10 maintains lateral and vertical rotational stability. Additionally, feedback is also provided to the batter 10 via changing resistance when the batter 10 does not maintain lateral or vertical rotational stability and imparts lateral or vertical movement to a rotational athletic swing. It should be noted that, while the present subject matter describes minimizing lateral or vertical movement of the athlete during a rotational athletic swing, it is understood that certain sports require lateral or vertical movement of the athlete during a rotational athletic swing. In such endeavors, an increasing or decreasing resistance to that lateral or vertical movement may be provided as feedback to the athlete to assist that athlete in gauging how much lateral or vertical movement is being performed. As such, the present subject matter may be used to provide varying feedback based upon such lateral or vertical movement of an athlete during a rotational athletic swing without departure from the scope of the present subject matter.

It should be noted that while the present example discusses use of an approximately constant resistance via the mechanical resistance element 106, material selection may also allow for variations, such as increasing or decreasing resistance based upon lateral or vertical movement of an athlete relative to the anchor point 24. As such, other variations in resistance are possible and considered to be within the scope of the present subject matter. Additionally, a mechanical resistance element may be selected to provide a resistance based upon weight or body mass of the athlete.

FIG. 4 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of the swing stability training system 100 of FIG. 1 through FIG. 3. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the harness 102 is formed such that it may be fastened via a buckle 114 around a waist area of an athlete, such as the batter 10. The flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 is shown coupled to the harness 102 via two fastening elements 116 and 118. The fastening elements 116 and 118 may be constructed of any suitable material capable of coupling the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 to the harness 102. For example, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 may include fabricated ends that form the fastening elements 116 and 118 and the fastening elements 116 and 118 may be stitched into or onto the harness 102. The fastening elements 116 and 118 may also be tied, riveted, grommeted, or fastened through holes in the harness 102. Many other possibilities exist for fastening the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 to the harness 102 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the swing stability training system 100 of FIG. 1 through FIG. 4, without the batter 10, shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the harness 102 and the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 for FIG. 1 through FIG. 4 are shown. However, the mechanical resistance element 106 of the swing stability training system 100 has been replaced by a mechanical resistance element 502 coupled at a first end to the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 and at a second end to the anchor point 24. The rotatable coupling element 108, the removable coupling element 110, and the removable coupling element 112 of the swing stability training system 100 are not illustrated to emphasize that these elements are not required within the example swing stability training system 100.

A tension radius arrow 504 is illustrated to show that the mechanical resistance element 502 applies resistance to lateral and vertical movement of batter 10 away from the anchor point 24. The tension radius arrow 504 may be oriented as the longitudinal force vector 30 of FIG. 1. As described in more detail below, the shape of the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 is adjusted by the resistance created by the mechanical resistance element 502 throughout a rotational athletic swing.

FIG. 6 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the swing stability training system 100 of FIG. 5 in a rotated orientation of approximately ninety (90) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 5, such as after a rotational athletic swing has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 6, the harness 102 is rotated to reflect completion of the rotational athletic swing. Additionally, the shape of the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 is again adjusted by the resistance created by the mechanical resistance element 502 relative to the anchor point 24. The tension radius arrow 504 is again shown directed toward the anchor point 24 and of approximately equal magnitude as that shown in FIG. 5.

Based upon the description above, without lateral or vertical movement of the athlete, the example swing stability training system 100 provides approximately constant resistance throughout the rotational athletic swing by allowing the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 to flex and reshape based upon the resistance applied by the mechanical resistance element 502 relative to the anchor point 24. Additionally, the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide 104 automatically adjusts radially based upon the rotational athletic swing to maintain an approximately constant radius arc of travel of the first end of the mechanical resistance element 502 relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete when the harness 102 is attached to the waist area of the athlete. The approximately constant radius arc of travel of the first end of the mechanical resistance element 502 allows the mechanical resistance element 502 to maintain approximately constant resistance throughout a rotational athletic swing when rotational stability is maintained relative to the vertical axis 20 and the anchor point 24. Accordingly, without lateral or vertical movement, the lateral and vertical resistance applied by the mechanical resistance element 502 relative to the anchor point 24, and thereby the feedback to the athlete, may remain approximately constant throughout the rotational athletic swing to improve and maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability of the athlete. Additionally, feedback may be provided to the athlete for any variations in lateral or vertical position throughout the rotational athletic swing.

FIG. 7 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of a portion of a rigid swing stability training system 700. A mechanical resistance element, such as the mechanical resistance element 106 or the mechanical resistance element 502, is not shown within FIG. 7 for ease of illustration purposes. However, it is understood that the example rigid swing stability training system 700 works in association with a mechanical resistance element to provide feedback for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. As can be seen from FIG. 7, a harness 702 is formed such that it may be fastened via a buckle 704 around a waist area of an athlete, such as the batter 10. As with other examples described above, the harness 702 may include also include leg, torso, shoulder, or arm straps that allow the harness 702 to be further fastened to and worn by an athlete, such as the example batter 10. The harness 702 may be constructed of any reasonably durable material, such as leather, nylon, plastic, metal, or any other material, either alone or in combination with one another.

A rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 is shown coupled to the harness 702 and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness 702 is worn by the athlete. The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing. As will be described in more detail below, at least a portion of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 remains within a vertical anchor plane 26 throughout the rotational athletic swing.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 (See FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 below) of the athlete when the harness 702 is attached to the waist area of an athlete, such as the batter 10. As will be described in more detail below, the approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 to provide an approximately constant attachment distance for a first end of a mechanical resistance element, such as the mechanical resistance element 106 or the mechanical resistance element 502, relative to the anchor point 24 when the athlete maintains lateral and vertical rotational stability.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 may be constructed from any suitable material that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 to maintain an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 throughout a rotational athletic swing. For example, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 may be constructed of metal, plastic, composite rubber, alloy, or any other compound that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 to maintain an approximately constant shape under tension relative to the anchor point 24 during a rotational athletic swing.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 is shown coupled to the harness 702 via two fastening elements 708 and 710. The fastening elements 708 and 710 may be constructed of any suitable material capable of coupling the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 to the harness 702. For example, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 may include fabricated ends that form the fastening elements 708 and 710 and the fastening elements 708 and 710 may be stitched into or onto the harness 702. The fastening elements 708 and 710 may also be tied, riveted, grommeted, or fastened through holes in the harness 702. The fastening elements 708 and 710 may also include a pivotal element, such as a hinge assembly, that couples the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 to the harness 702 and that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 to automatically adjust vertically based upon a height of the athlete when the harness 702 is worn by the athlete or a distance to the anchor point 24. Many other possibilities exist for fastening the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 to the harness 702 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system 700 of FIG. 7 without the batter 10 shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 8, the harness 702 and the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 of FIG. 7 are shown. A mechanical resistance element 802 is shown coupled at a first end to the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 and at a second end to the anchor point 24. As with FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the rotatable coupling element 108 and removable coupling elements 110 and 112 are not illustrated to emphasize that these elements are not required within the example rigid swing stability training system 700.

As described above, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete when the harness 702 is attached to the waist area of the athlete. As such, without lateral or vertical movement of the athlete, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 provides an approximately constant attachment distance for the first end of the mechanical resistance element 802 relative to the anchor point 24 throughout the rotational athletic swing to cause the mechanical resistance element 802 to provide an approximately constant resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete throughout the rotational athletic swing.

A tension radius arrow 804 is illustrated to show that the mechanical resistance element 802 applies resistance to lateral and vertical movement of an athlete, such as the batter 10, away from the anchor point 24. The tension radius arrow 804 may be oriented as the longitudinal force vector 30 of FIG. 1. As described above and in more detail below, the shape of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 is such that it creates an approximately constant resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete via the mechanical resistance element 802 throughout a rotational athletic swing when the athlete maintains lateral and vertical rotational stability.

FIG. 9 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system 700 of FIG. 8 in a rotated orientation of approximately ninety (90) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 8, such as after a rotational athletic swing has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 9, the harness 702 is rotated to reflect completion of the rotational athletic swing. Additionally, the shape of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 has remained relatively constant relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20. The tension radius arrow 804 is again shown directed toward the anchor point 24 and of approximately equal magnitude as that shown in FIG. 8.

Based upon the description above, without lateral or vertical movement of the athlete, the example rigid swing stability training system 700 provides approximately constant resistance to lateral and vertical movement throughout the rotational athletic swing by maintaining an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete when the harness 702 is attached to the waist area of the athlete. As such, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 706 provides an approximately constant attachment distance for the first end of the mechanical resistance element 802 relative to the anchor point 24 throughout the rotational athletic swing. Accordingly, without lateral and vertical movement, the lateral and vertical resistance applied by the mechanical resistance element 802 relative to the anchor point 24, and thereby the feedback to the athlete, may remain approximately constant throughout the rotational athletic swing to improve and maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability of the athlete. Additionally, feedback may be provided to the athlete for any variations in lateral or vertical position throughout the rotational athletic swing.

FIG. 10 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of a portion of a rigid swing stability training system 1000 that allows for rotation of an athletic swing beyond ninety (90) degrees without interfering with lateral and vertical resistance relative to the anchor point 24. A mechanical resistance element, such as the mechanical resistance element 106, the mechanical resistance element 502, or the mechanical resistance element 802, is not shown within FIG. 10 for ease of illustration purposes. However, it is understood that the example rigid swing stability training system 1000 works in association with a mechanical resistance element to provide feedback for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. As can be seen from FIG. 10, a harness 1002 is formed such that it may be fastened via a buckle 1004 around a waist area of an athlete, such as the batter 10. As with other examples described above, the harness 1002 may include also include leg, torso, shoulder, or arm straps that allow the harness 1002 to be further fastened to and worn by an athlete, such as the example batter 10. The harness 1002 may be constructed of any reasonably durable material, such as leather, nylon, plastic, metal, or any other material, either alone or in combination with one another.

A rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 is shown coupled to the harness 1002 and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness 1002 is worn by the athlete. The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing. As will be described in more detail below, at least a portion of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 remains within a vertical anchor plane 26 throughout the rotational athletic swing.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 (See FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 below) of the athlete when the harness 1002 is attached to the waist area of an athlete, such as the batter 10. As will be described in more detail below, the approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 to provide an approximately constant attachment distance for a first end of a mechanical resistance element, such as the mechanical resistance element 106, the mechanical resistance element 502, or the mechanical resistance element 802, relative to the anchor point 24 when the athlete maintains lateral and vertical rotational stability. In addition, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 is formed such that it allows for additional rotation of the athlete during a rotational athletic swing without interfering with tensioning, resistance, and feedback provided by an associated mechanical resistance element.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 may be constructed from any suitable material that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 to maintain an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 throughout a rotational athletic swing. For example, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 may be constructed of metal, plastic, composite rubber, alloy, or any other compound that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 to maintain an approximately constant shape under tension relative to the anchor point 24 during a rotational athletic swing.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 is shown coupled to the harness 1002 via two fastening elements 1008 and 1010. The fastening elements 1008 and 1010 may be constructed of any suitable material capable of coupling the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 to the harness 1002. For example, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 may include fabricated ends that form the fastening elements 1008 and 1010 and the fastening elements 1008 and 1010 may be stitched into or onto the harness 1002. The fastening elements 1008 and 1010 may also be tied, riveted, grommeted, or fastened through holes in the harness 1002. The fastening elements 1008 and 1010 may also include a pivotal element, such as a hinge assembly, that couples the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 to the harness 1002 and that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 to automatically adjust vertically based upon a height of the athlete when the harness 1002 is worn by the athlete or a distance to the anchor point 24. Many other possibilities exist for fastening the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 to the harness 1002 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

FIG. 11 is a top view of the example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system 1000 of FIG. 10, without the batter 10, shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 11, the harness 1002 and the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 of FIG. 10 are shown. A mechanical resistance element 1102 is shown coupled at a first end to the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 and at a second end to the anchor point 24. As with other examples shown above, a rotatable coupling element 108 and removable coupling elements 110 and 112 are not illustrated to emphasize that these elements are not required within the example rigid swing stability training system 1000.

As described above, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete when the harness 1002 is attached to the waist area of the athlete. As such, without lateral and vertical movement of the athlete, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 provides an approximately constant attachment distance for the first end of the mechanical resistance element 1102 relative to the anchor point 24 throughout the rotational athletic swing to cause the mechanical resistance element 1102 to provide an approximately constant resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete throughout the rotational athletic swing. Additionally, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 allows for rotation of an athletic swing beyond ninety (90) degrees without interfering with tensioning, resistance, and feedback provided by the mechanical resistance element 1102.

A tension radius arrow 1104 is illustrated to show that the mechanical resistance element 1102 applies resistance to lateral and vertical movement of an athlete, such as the batter 10, away from the anchor point 24. The tension radius arrow 1104 may be oriented as the longitudinal force vector 30 of FIG. 1. As described above and in more detail below, the shape of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 is such that it creates an approximately constant resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete via the mechanical resistance element 1102 throughout a rotational athletic swing when the athlete maintains lateral and vertical rotational stability.

FIG. 12 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system 1000 of FIG. 11 in a rotated orientation of approximately one hundred and ten (110) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 11, such as after a rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 12, the harness 1002 is rotated to an angle of approximately one hundred and ten (110) degrees to reflect completion of the rotational athletic swing greater than ninety (90) degrees. Additionally, the shape of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 has remained relatively constant relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20. The tension radius arrow 1104 is again shown directed toward the anchor point 24 and of approximately equal magnitude as that shown in FIG. 11.

Based upon the description above, without lateral or vertical movement of the athlete, the example rigid swing stability training system 1000 provides approximately constant resistance to lateral and vertical movement throughout the rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees by maintaining an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete when the harness 1002 is attached to the waist area of the athlete. As such, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1006 provides an approximately constant attachment distance for the first end of the mechanical resistance element 1102 relative to the anchor point 24 throughout the rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees. Accordingly, without lateral and vertical movement, the lateral and vertical resistance applied by the mechanical resistance element 1102 relative to the anchor point 24, and thereby the feedback to the athlete, may remain approximately constant throughout the rotational athletic swing to improve and maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability of the athlete. Additionally, feedback may be provided to the athlete for any variations in lateral or vertical position throughout the rotational athletic swing.

FIG. 13 is a detailed perspective view of an example of an implementation of a portion of a rigid swing stability training system 1300 that allows for rotation of an athletic swing beyond ninety (90) degrees without interfering with lateral and vertical resistance relative to the anchor point 24 and that allows an athlete to change between left and right stances without adjustment of the rigid swing stability training system 1300. A mechanical resistance element, such as the mechanical resistance element 106, the mechanical resistance element 502, the mechanical resistance element 802, or the mechanical resistance element 1102, is not shown within FIG. 13 for ease of illustration purposes. However, it is understood that the example rigid swing stability training system 1300 works in association with a mechanical resistance element to provide feedback for lateral and vertical rotational swing stability training. As can be seen from FIG. 13, a harness 1302 is formed such that it may be fastened via a buckle 1304 around a waist area of an athlete, such as the batter 10. As with other examples described above, the harness 1302 may include also include leg, torso, shoulder, or arm straps that allow the harness 1302 to be further fastened to and worn by an athlete, such as the example batter 10. The harness 1302 may be constructed of any reasonably durable material, such as leather, nylon, plastic, metal, or any other material, either alone or in combination with one another.

A rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is shown coupled to the harness 1302 and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness 1302 is worn by the athlete. The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing. As will be described in more detail below, at least a portion of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 remains within a vertical anchor plane 26 throughout the rotational athletic swing.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 (See FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 below) of the athlete when the harness 1302 is attached to the waist area of an athlete, such as the batter 10. As will be described in more detail below, the approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 to provide an approximately constant attachment distance for a first end of a mechanical resistance element, such as the mechanical resistance element 106, the mechanical resistance element 502, the mechanical resistance element 802, or the mechanical resistance element 1102 relative to the anchor point 24 when the athlete maintains lateral and vertical rotational stability. In addition, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is formed such that it allows for additional rotation of the athlete during a rotational athletic swing without interfering with tensioning, resistance, and feedback provided by an associated mechanical resistance element. The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is also formed to allow the athlete to switch between both right-handed and left-handed stances to train in both left and right rotational swings without reversing the harness 1302.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 may be constructed from any suitable material that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 to maintain an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 throughout a rotational athletic swing. For example, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 may be constructed of metal, plastic, composite rubber, alloy, or any other compound that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 to maintain an approximately constant shape under tension relative to the anchor point 24 during a rotational athletic swing.

The rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is shown coupled to the harness 1302 via two fastening elements 1308 and 1310. The fastening elements 1308 and 1310 may be constructed of any suitable material capable of coupling the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 to the harness 1302. For example, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 may include fabricated ends that form the fastening elements 1308 and 1310 and the fastening elements 1308 and 1310 may be stitched into or onto the harness 1302. The fastening elements 1308 and 1310 may also be tied, riveted, grommeted, or fastened through holes in the harness 1302. The fastening elements 1308 and 1310 may also include a pivotal element, such as a hinge assembly, that couples the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 to the harness 1302 and that allows the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 to automatically adjust vertically based upon a height of the athlete when the harness 1302 is worn by the athlete or a distance to the anchor point 24. Many other possibilities exist for fastening the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 to the harness 1302 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

FIG. 14 is a top view of the example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system 1300 of FIG. 13 without the batter 10 shown to illustrate certain aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 14, the harness 1302 and the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 of FIG. 10 are shown. A mechanical resistance element 1402 is shown coupled at a first end to the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 and at a second end to the anchor point 24. As with other examples shown above, the rotatable coupling element 108 and removable coupling elements 110 and 112 are not illustrated to emphasize that these elements are not required within the example rigid swing stability training system 1300.

As described above, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete when the harness 1302 is attached to the waist area of the athlete. As such, without lateral or vertical movement of the athlete, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 provides an approximately constant attachment distance for the first end of the mechanical resistance element 1402 relative to the anchor point 24 throughout the rotational athletic swing to cause the mechanical resistance element 1402 to provide an approximately constant resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete throughout the rotational athletic swing. Additionally, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 allows for rotation of an athletic swing beyond ninety (90) degrees without interfering with tensioning, resistance, and feedback provided by the mechanical resistance element 1402. Additionally, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is formed to allow the athlete to switch between both right-handed and left-handed stances to train in both left and right rotational swings without reversing the harness 1302.

A tension radius arrow 1404 is illustrated to show that the mechanical resistance element 1402 applies resistance to lateral and vertical movement of an athlete, such as the batter 10, away from the anchor point 24. The tension radius arrow 1404 may be oriented as the longitudinal force vector 30 of FIG. 1. As described above and in more detail below, the shape of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 is such that it creates an approximately constant resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete via the mechanical resistance element 1402 throughout a rotational athletic swing when the athlete maintains lateral and vertical rotational stability.

FIG. 15 is a top view of an example of an implementation of the rigid swing stability training system 1300 of FIG. 14 in a rotated orientation of approximately one hundred and ten (110) degrees relative to that shown in FIG. 14, such as after a rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees has been completed, to illustrate additional aspects of resistance relative to the anchor point 24. As can be seen from FIG. 15, the harness 1302 is rotated to an angle of approximately one hundred and ten (110) degrees to reflect completion of the rotational athletic swing greater than ninety (90) degrees. Additionally, the shape of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 has remained relatively constant relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20. The tension radius arrow 1404 is again shown directed toward the anchor point 24 and of approximately equal magnitude as that shown in FIG. 14.

Based upon the description above, without lateral or vertical movement of the athlete, the example rigid swing stability training system 1300 provides approximately constant resistance to lateral and vertical movement throughout the rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees by maintaining an approximately constant radius arc relative to the vertical axis of rotation 20 of the athlete when the harness 1302 is attached to the waist area of the athlete. As such, the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide 1306 provides an approximately constant attachment distance for the first end of the mechanical resistance element 1402 relative to the anchor point 24 throughout the rotational athletic swing of greater than ninety (90) degrees. Accordingly, without lateral and vertical movement, the lateral and vertical resistance applied by the mechanical resistance element 1402 relative to the anchor point 24, and thereby the feedback to the athlete, may remain approximately constant throughout the rotational athletic swing to improve and maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability of the athlete. Additionally, feedback may be provided to the athlete for any variations in lateral or vertical position throughout the rotational athletic swing.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an example of an implementation of a combined mechanical resistance element 1600 that includes both an elastic portion for variable resistance and a non-elastic adjustable portion to allow adjustment for both a height of the athlete and a distance from an anchoring location, such as the anchor point 24 (not shown). As can be seen from FIG. 16, the combined mechanical resistance element 1600 includes a removable coupling element 1602 and a removable coupling element 1604 (shown as carabiners for ease of illustration purposes). The removable coupling elements 1602 and 1604 may be used to removably couple the combined mechanical resistance element 1600 to a harness, such as the harness 102 and the anchor point 24, respectively.

A non-elastic portion 1606 is shown coupled to an elastic portion 1608 via a coupling element 1610. It should be understood that the non-elastic portion 1606 and the elastic portion 1608 are shown as a nylon strap and an elastic strap for ease of illustration purposes only. Furthermore, it should be understood that, while the non-elastic portion 1606 is described as non-elastic relative to the elastic portion 1608, this is for ease of illustration purposes only. The non-elastic portion 1606 may have elastic properties without departure from the scope of the present subject matter. Additionally, the coupling element 1610 is shown without removable attachment capabilities. However, these representations should not be considered limiting. Many other possibilities exist for construction of non-elastic portion 1606, the elastic portion 1608, and the coupling element 1610 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

A buckle 1612 is shown integrated with the non-elastic portion 1606 with an exposed end 1614 that allows an athlete, such as the batter 10, to adjust a length of the combined mechanical resistance element 1600. The length may be adjusted by the athlete for a variety of reasons. For example, the athlete may wish to adjust the combined mechanical resistance element 1600 for the height of the athlete or for a distance from the anchor point 24. Additionally, the athlete may wish to increase or decrease lateral and vertical resistance and the resulting feedback created by the combined mechanical resistance element 1600 for weight or body mass of the athlete, or for other reasons. Accordingly, the adjustable nature of the combined mechanical resistance element 1600 allows flexibility in both distance from an anchoring location (not shown) and height of the athlete, and for weight or body mass of the athlete, without requiring components to be changed.

It should be noted that the elements of the combined mechanical resistance element 1600 may be constructed from a variety of materials. For example, the non-elastic portion 1606 may be constructed from leather, nylon, plastic, metal, or any other material, either alone or in combination with one another, such as a cable or a woven nylon material. Additionally, the elastic portion 1608 may be constructed from a spring or a rubberized compound. As well, the coupling element 1610 may be constructed from leather, nylon, plastic, metal, or any other material, either alone or in combination with one another. Many other possibilities exist for construction of the non-elastic portion 1606, the elastic portion 1608, and the coupling element 1610 and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

Additionally, it should be noted that any of the harness 102, the harness 702, or the harness 1002 may be reversed so that the respective mechanical resistance attachment guide is on the opposite hip from that shown within the respective figures so that either left-handed or right-handed athletes may use the respective swing stability training system. It should also be noted that the harness 1302 does not need to be reversed to allow an athlete to switch from a left-handed stance to a right-handed stance to train in a rotational athletic swing.

Accordingly, a method has been described including enabling an athlete to be tethered via a harness and a mechanical resistance apparatus to an anchor point positioned approximately perpendicularly to and below a hip of the athlete; allowing the athlete to rotate through a rotational athletic swing with an approximately constant radius moveable attachment location to the harness for a first end of the mechanical resistance apparatus relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete; and providing an resistive feedback to lateral and vertical movement of the athlete during the rotational athletic swing relative to the anchor point via the mechanical resistance apparatus to train the athlete to maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout the rotational athletic swing. Many variations on this method have been described above and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

As described above in association with FIG. 1 through FIG. 16, the example systems, apparatus, and processes provide resistive feedback for lateral and vertical movement of an athlete involved in a rotational athletic swing to train the athlete to improve and maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout the rotational athletic swing. Many other variations and additional activities associated with improving and maintaining lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout a rotational athletic swing are possible and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

Those skilled in the art will recognize, upon consideration of the above teachings, that certain of the above examples are based upon use of a harness, a mechanical resistance attachment guide, a mechanical resistance element, a rotatable coupling element, and removable coupling elements, such as the harness 102, the mechanical resistance attachment guide 104, the mechanical resistance element 106, the rotatable coupling element 108, and the removable coupling elements 110 and 112. However, the invention is not limited to such exemplary embodiments, since other embodiments could be implemented using hardware component equivalents to the described examples. Accordingly, any such hardware component equivalents are considered within the scope of the present subject matter. Similarly, many other material selection and construction possibilities exist and all are considered within the scope of the present subject matter.

Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the preferred embodiments of the present invention. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein and the claims that follow.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a harness attachable circumferentially around a waist area of an athlete; and

a mechanical resistance attachment guide coupled to the harness and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness is worn by the athlete, where: the mechanical resistance attachment guide provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing; and at least a portion of the mechanical resistance attachment guide remains within a vertical anchor plane throughout the rotational athletic swing, where the vertical anchor plane is defined by the axis of rotation of the athlete and an anchor point located perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the athlete.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, where the mechanical resistance attachment guide further comprises a flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide that automatically adjusts vertically based upon a height of the athlete.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, where the flexible mechanical resistance attachment guide automatically adjusts radially throughout the rotational athletic swing to provide the circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to the axis of rotation of the athlete throughout the rotational athletic swing.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, where the mechanical resistance attachment guide further comprises a rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to the axis of rotation of the athlete when the harness is attached to the waist area of the athlete.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, where the harness further comprises at least one pivotal element that couples the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide to the harness, where the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide automatically adjusts by pivoting at the at least one pivotal element.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, where the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide is coupled at a first end to the harness at a point approximating a front side of a left hip of the athlete when the harness is worn and at a second end to the harness at a point approximating a front side of a right hip of the athlete when the harness is worn and where the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide traverses across a back area of the athlete to form the approximately constant radius arc relative to the axis of rotation of the athlete when the harness is attached to the waist area of the athlete.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, where the harness further comprises a reversible harness capable of use during both left-handed rotational athletic swings and right-handed rotational athletic swings.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a mechanical resistance element coupled to the mechanical resistance attachment guide at a first end and to the anchor point at a second end, where the first end of the mechanical resistance element moves along the mechanical resistance attachment guide throughout the rotational athletic swing.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, where the mechanical resistance element further comprises an elastic portion and a non-elastic portion.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, where the non-elastic portion further comprises an adjustable element to allow adjustment of the non-elastic portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, where the non-elastic portion further comprises at least one of a cable and woven nylon material, and the elastic portion further comprises at least one of a spring and a rubberized compound.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, where the mechanical resistance element further comprises a resistive element selected based upon a weight of the athlete.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a removable coupling element coupled to the first end of the mechanical resistance element to allow the mechanical resistance element to be removably coupled to the mechanical resistance attachment guide.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a removable coupling element coupled to the second end of the mechanical resistance element to allow the mechanical resistance element to be removably coupled to the anchor point.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a rotatable coupling element coupled to the first end of the mechanical resistance element to allow the mechanical resistance element to move along the mechanical resistance attachment guide via the rotatable coupling element.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, where the rotatable coupling element further comprises a pulley wheel system.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, where the pulley wheel system further comprises at least one of a metal pulley wheel system, an alloy pulley wheel system, a plastic pulley wheel system, and a composite pulley wheel system.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

a harness attachable circumferentially around a waist area of an athlete;

a rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide coupled to the harness and oriented circumferentially relative to the waist area of the athlete when the harness is worn by the athlete, where: the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide is formed in an approximately constant radius arc relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete when the harness is attached to the waist area of the athlete; the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide provides a circumferentially moveable approximately constant radius attachment location relative to the axis of rotation of the athlete throughout a rotational athletic swing; and at least a portion of the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide remains within a vertical anchor plane throughout the rotational athletic swing, where the vertical anchor plane is defined by the axis of rotation of the athlete and an anchor point located perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the athlete; and

at least one pivotal element that couples the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide to the harness and where the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide automatically adjusts by pivoting at the at least one pivotal element; and

a mechanical resistance element coupled to the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide at a first end and to the anchor point at a second end, where the first end of the mechanical resistance element moves along the rigid mechanical resistance attachment guide throughout the rotational athletic swing, and where the mechanical resistance element further comprises: an elastic portion providing variable resistance to the lateral and vertical movement of the athlete; a non-elastic portion comprising an adjustable element; a rotatable coupling mechanism forming a portion of the first end of the mechanical resistance element; a first removable coupling mechanism removably coupled to the rotatable coupling mechanism and the non-elastic portion to allow the mechanical resistance element to be removably coupled to the rotatable coupling mechanism; and a second removable coupling mechanism forming a portion of the second end to allow the elastic portion of the mechanical resistance element to be removably coupled to the anchor point via the removable coupling mechanism.

19. A method, comprising:

enabling an athlete to be tethered via a harness and a mechanical resistance apparatus to an anchor point positioned approximately perpendicularly to and below a hip of the athlete;

allowing the athlete to rotate through a rotational athletic swing with an approximately constant radius moveable attachment location to the harness for a first end of the mechanical resistance apparatus relative to an axis of rotation of the athlete; and

providing resistive feedback to lateral and vertical movement of the athlete throughout the rotational athletic swing relative to the anchor point via the mechanical resistance apparatus to train the athlete to maintain lateral and vertical rotational stability throughout the rotational athletic swing.