FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of training devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to the field of batting swing improvement devices.
BACKGROUND There are certain sports and games, such as baseball and softball, which require a person to swing a bat at a thrown ball. These sports are enjoyed by people of different ages and skill levels all over the world. There are organizations, such as leagues, that range from youth play to professional play. Often teams of people compete in scheduled tournaments or local games. In order to prepare for the games, people practice different aspects of the games to develop their skills. Flitting a thrown ball is a significant aspect of the games and is often practiced for significant periods of time. The goal of practicing swinging a bat at a thrown ball is to develop the proper mechanics and timing so that when you play the game you can hit the various thrown balls properly. In addition, the person swinging the bat needs to be able to recognize when not to swing at a thrown ball.
There are clear advantages to engaging in the proper mechanics when hitting a thrown ball, such as increasing the distance the ball travels after being hit. To achieve the maximum benefit, the swing needs to be level and properly timed. There have been many previous attempts to create a device used to develop a proficiency in the proper mechanics of hitting a thrown ball. For instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,131 and 6,435,990 disclose devices that attempt to train the proper swing, however, the ball is stationary and does not teach the necessary timing. Furthermore, they do not teach when not to swing or adequately replicate the experience of hitting a thrown ball. There have also been attempts to alter the bat such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,923,738 and 6,565,462, however, altering the bat alone does not necessarily train the person to properly swing the bat in order to hit the ball. In addition, altering the bat alone requires a pitcher to throw the ball and requires the pitcher to properly throw the ball every time. None of the previous attempts to create a device used to train the proper mechanics of swinging a bat require a level swing, train the proper timing, accurately replicate hitting a thrown ball by various pitches, and can be used to train when not to swing at a thrown ball.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
The present batting swing improvement device meets the need in the art to replicate hitting various pitches of a thrown ball and to train the proper mechanics of hitting a thrown ball. The batting swing improvement device provided comprises a line and a bat having a slot wide enough to span the line. In one embodiment, the line may be a cable coated in plastic and lubricated. In addition, the line may have at least one ball strung on the line. The line may also have at least one removable clamp connected to each end of the line. At least one elastomer may be connected to the first end of the line and at least one rope may be connected to the second end of the line. The elastomer and the rope are then secured to fixed objects to make the line taut. A person using a rod may thrust the ball along the line toward the person with the bat. When the bat is properly swung and the swing is properly timed the bat engages the line and the ball is hit. The line may be positioned to replicate different pitches, hence, training the proper mechanics of hitting a thrown ball by various pitches.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates an elevational view of the batting swing improvement device with the line connected to an elastomer on the first end of the line and a rope on the second end of the line. In the preferred embodiment the elastomer and rope are attached to opposite posts. The distance “H” from the ground represents the elevation of the line at the center of the strike zone.
FIG. 2 illustrates an elevational perspective view of the bat. The bat is a bat of normal size with a slot that at least spans the width of the line.
FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of elastomers, line, and rope. Wherein the line has a number of balls strung along the line and a clamp at each end of the line creating an eyelet. The elastomers are connected to the eyelet at the first end of the line and the rope is connected to an eyelet at the second end of the line.
FIG. 4 illustrates an end view of the line depicting the steel cable, plastic coating, and lubrication.
FIG. 5 illustrates an elevational view of the balls strung along the line, one of the clamps creating an eyelet at the second end of the line, and the rope connected to the second end of the line.
FIG. 6 illustrates an elevational view of a person in mid swing. The ball has been thrust along the line and is about to be hit by the bat. The bat has a slot for the line which forces the first person to keep the bat level and teaches the proper swing.
FIG. 7 is the first elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person with the bat, a second person having a rod used to thrust a ball along the line, and a third person positioning the line to replicate different pitches. FIG. 7 illustrates the first person waiting for the ball to travel along the line after the second person has used the rod to thrust the ball along the line.
FIG. 8 is the second elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person with the bat, a second person having a rod used to thrust a ball along the line, and a third person positioning the line to replicate different pitches. FIG. 8 illustrates the ball getting closer to the first person and the third person positioning the line to replicate a specific type of pitch.
FIG. 9 is the third elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person with the bat, a second person having a rod used to thrust a ball along the line, and a third person positioning the line to replicate different pitches. FIG. 9 illustrates the first person properly swinging the bat and the slot straddling the line during the swing forcing the first person to keep the bat level throughout the swing.
FIG. 10 is the fourth elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person with the bat, a second person having a rod used to thrust a ball along the line, and a third person positioning the line to replicate different pitches. FIG. 10 illustrates the first person completing the swing and the hit ball returning to the first end of the line close to the second person with the rod.
FIG. 11 is an elevational perspective view of a rod used to thrust the ball along the line.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION The following provides one or more examples of embodiments of a batting swing improvement device 100. For ease of discussion and understanding, the following detailed description and illustrations refer to the batting swing improvement device 100 connected to posts 110, 120. It should be appreciated that the batting swing improvement device 100 may be connected to anything that allows for the necessary height and tension, including but not limited to, trees, gates, poles, fences, or buildings.
FIG. 1 illustrates an elevational view of the preferred embodiment of the batting swing improvement device 100 connected to the first post 110 and the second post 120. The first post 110 is connected to an elastomer 130. In the preferred embodiment the elastomer 130 is a bungee cord or multiple bungee cords connected together. The elastomer 130 is also connected to a line 140 near the line's first end 150. A first removable clamp 160 is located at the line's first end 150 creating a first eyelet 170. In the current embodiment, the elastomer 130 connects to the first eyelet 170. A second removable clamp 180 located near the line's second end 190 creates a second eyelet 200. The second eyelet 200 at the line's second end 190 is connected to a rope 210. The rope 210 is also connected to the second post 120. In other embodiments the line 140 may be directly connected to the posts 110, 120 or directly connected to anything that allows for the necessary height and tension. In FIG. 1 the height represented by H is the height of the strike zone. H will depend on the height of the first person 290 being trained by the batting swing improvement device 100.
FIG. 1 illustrates seven balls 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 strung along the line 140. It is contemplated that no balls or any number of balls may be strung along the line 140. In the preferred embodiment, the balls are plastic baseball wiffle balls. In other embodiments, the balls 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 may be made out of any material suitable for the purpose of being strung on a line and hit by a bat. It is anticipated that actual baseballs and softballs with a bore throughout may be used. The balls may be of different sizes and shapes sufficient to support the operation of the batting swing improvement device. Generally, one ball will be strung along the line when there is a second person available to thrust the ball along the line (as shown in FIGS. 7-10) and more than one ball will be strung along the line when the apparatus is only being used by one person as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 further illustrates the first person 290 using a bat 300 to hit the balls 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 one at a time. The bat 300 has a slot 310 wide enough to span the width of the line 140. When the bat 300 is properly swung, line 140 will run through the slot 310 (as shown in FIG. 6) and force the first person 290 swinging the bat 300 to maintain a level swing.
FIG. 2 illustrates an elevational perspective view of the bat 300. In the preferred embodiment, the bat 300 is a regulation bat that may range from 28 inches to 35 inches and is metal with a slot 310 approximately 0.75 inches wide by 14 inches long. The bat 300 also has a handle area 320. The handle 320 is similar to known bat handles in the art. In other embodiments, the bat 300 may be made out of any material currently known or that will be developed sufficient to support the operation of the batting swing improvement device 100 (shown in FIG. 1) including, but not limited to, wood or plastic. The bat 300 and the slot 310 may also be of different sizes and shapes and is not limited to the size and shape of the preferred embodiment. The bat 300 should be developed to closely resemble the feel of the bats used in the sport for which the person is training.
FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of elastomers 130, line 140, removable clamps 160, 180, balls 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 and rope 210. In FIG. 3 the line 140 is not connected to the posts 110, 120. In the preferred embodiment, line 140 is a 50 foot long ⅛ inch wide plastic coated steel cable. FIG. 4 illustrates an end view of the line 140 depicting the steel cable 330, plastic coating 340, and lubrication 350. The line 140 could be longer or shorter. The line 140 could also be made of any material sufficient to support the operation of the batting swing improvement device including, but not limited to, rope, wire, and plastic. In one or more embodiments, the line 140 may not be coated at all or may be coated by another material. In addition, the lubrication 350 may or may not be applied and may be of any known type of lubrication or lubrication developed in the future.
FIG. 5 illustrates an elevational view of the balls 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 strung along the line 140, the second removable clamp 180 creating the line's second eyelet 200 at the second end of the line 190, and the rope 210 connected to the second end of the line 190. Either of the removable clamps 180, 160, (shown in FIG. 3) may be removed and the balls 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280 may be removed from the line 140 or additional balls may be added. Then the removable clamps 180, 160 can be reattached to the line 140 creating the eyelets 200, 170 (shown in FIG. 3) and the elastomer 130 (shown in FIG. 3) may be reattached to the line's first end 150 (shown in FIG. 3) and the rope 210 may be reattached to the line's second end 190. In the preferred embodiment, the rope 210 is approximately 10 feet long. Rope 210 is known in the art and readily available to the public. The rope 210 is used to attach the line's second end 190 and to adjust the connection to create the proper tension. In other embodiments, the rope 210 may not be necessary or could be replaced by any means of adequately connecting line 140.
FIG. 6 illustrates an elevational view of the first person 290 in mid swing. The ball 220 has been thrust along the line 140 and is about to be hit by the bat 300. When the bat 300 has been properly swung the line 140 engages slot 310 which guides the person to keep the bat 300 level and teaches the proper swing. The person swinging the bat 300 must also have the proper timing to hit the ball 220. The combination of the swinging the bat 300 at the ball 220 that is actually moving similar to a thrown ball realistically and effectively teaches the proper swing and timing.
FIG. 7 is the first elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person 290 with the bat 300, a second person 360 having a rod 370 used to thrust the ball 220 along the line 140, and a third person 380 manipulating and thereby positioning the line 140 to replicate different pitches. FIG. 7 illustrates the first person 290 waiting for the ball 220 to travel along the line 140 after the second person 360 has used the rod 370 to thrust the ball 220 along the line 140. Generally, the first person 290 stands next to the line 140 with the bat 300 no higher than the strike zone, their fanny pushed out to lock hips, knees bent a little, and feet shoulder with apart.
FIG. 8 is the second elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person 290 with the bat 300, a second person 360 having a rod 370 used to thrust the ball 220 along the line 140, and a third person 380 manipulating and thereby positioning the line 140 to replicate different pitches. FIG. 8 illustrates the ball 220 getting closer to the first person 290 and the third 380 person manipulating and thereby positioning the line 140 to replicate a specific type of pitch. For example, to replicate an inside pitch the third person 380 would pull the line 140 closer to the first person 290 as the ball 220 traveled along the line 140. This effectively allows the batting swing improvement device 100 to train how to properly hit different pitches types of pitches or when the first person 290 should not swing at a pitch.
FIG. 9 is the third elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person 290 with the bat 300, a second person 360 having a rod 370 used to thrust the ball 220 along the line 140, and a third person 380 manipulating and thereby positioning the line 140 to replicate different pitches. FIG. 9 illustrates the first person 290 properly swinging the bat 300 and the slot 310 straddling the line 140 during the swing guiding the first person 290 to keep the bat 300 level throughout the swing.
FIG. 10 is the fourth elevational illustration in a series of four elevational illustrations that depicts a first person 290 with the bat 300, a second person 360 having a rod 370 used to thrust the ball 220 along the line 140, and a third person 380 manipulating and thereby positioning the line 140 to replicate different pitches. FIG. 10 illustrates the first person 290 completing the swing and the hit ball 220 returning to the line's first end 150 close to the second person 360 with the rod 370.
FIG. 11 is an elevational perspective view of the rod 370 used to thrust the ball 220 (shown in FIGS. 7-10) along the line 140 (shown in FIGS. 7-10). In the preferred embodiment, the rod 370 is an approximately 40 inch long plastic cylinder with a handle 390. In other embodiments, the rod 370 may be made out of any material and may or may not have a handle 390. When the rod 370 is used to thrust the ball 220 (shown in FIGS. 7-10) along the line 140 (shown in FIGS. 7-10) speeds similar to that of actual professional baseball pitches may be obtained. The rod 370 is not necessary to thrust the ball 220 along the line 140 and it is anticipated that other means of thrusting the ball 220 along the may be implemented. Generally, second person 360 sets the rod 370 on top of the line 140 behind the ball 220 and snaps their wrist to thrust the ball 220 towards a first person 290 who hits the ball 220 back to the second person 360. The actions are repeated until the batting swing of the first person 290 has been improved.
The foregoing embodiments provide advantages over currently available devices. In particular the batting swing improvement device 100 and associated features described herein allows for the accurate reproduction of the batting experience. The bat 300 used in conjunction with the line 140 forces the person swinging the bat 300 to keep the bat 300 level and properly swing the bat 300 to hit the ball 220. In addition, the batting swing improvement device 100 provides for the thrusting of a ball 220 along the line 140 by a second person 360. This advantageously allows a user to experience the real feel of a ball being pitched and teaches the proper timing needed to accurately hit a ball 220. Furthermore, a third person 380 may manipulate and thereby position the line 140 to replicate different types of pitches including, but not limited, to a curveball or a slider. This allows the batting swing improvement device 100 to be used to train the proper swing no matter what type of pitch is being thrown and to not swing at bad pitches.
Although various representative embodiments of this invention have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the inventive subject matter set forth in the specification and claims. All directional references, including but not limited to, upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, and horizontal are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader's understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention unless specifically set forth in the claims. Joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements. As such, joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other.
In some instances, components are described with reference to “ends” having a particular characteristic and/or being connected with another part. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention is not limited to components which terminate immediately beyond their points of connection with other parts. Thus, the term “end” should be interpreted broadly, in a manner that includes areas adjacent, rearward, forward of, or otherwise near the terminus of a particular element, link, component, part, or member. In methodologies directly or indirectly set forth herein, various steps and operations are described in one possible order of operation, but those skilled in the art will recognize that steps and operations may be rearranged, replaced, or eliminated without necessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not limiting. Changes in detail or structure may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
