SKATEBOARD TRAINING DEVICE

Abstract

A board training device for skateboards and the like comprises an elongated board having a pair of socket holes therein centered on a longitudinal axis of the board and spaced apart approximately the shoulder width of a user, each hole sized to capture and releasably hold a solid elastomeric ball of polymer, gum rubber or polyurethane. The training device enables balance training indoors over substantially the full range of pivotal motion encountered during maneuvers on a skateboard without actually skating and without damage to flooring or furniture.

Description

BACKGROUND

This invention relates to board training devices for assisting individuals in acquiring balancing skills, muscle strength and agility for board sports and activities such as skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing and the like, and more particularly to a board training device that simulates the full range of pivotal motion required by such activities.

Sports and activities involving boards on which a user rides such as skateboards, snowboards and surfboards require a combination of balancing skills, muscle strength and agility that are frequently difficult and time-consuming to acquire and maintain. Without adequate training and experience there is a risk of the user falling and being injured. This is particularly true of advanced skateboards maneuvers which are performed on hard surfaces. Moreover, balancing skills, muscle memory, strength and agility may degrade rapidly if they are not used regularly, and these must be relearned unless they are maintained through consistent activity. It is a problem to maintain regular boarding activities, such as skateboarding, during foul weather conditions or after daylight hours when indoor skate facilities may not be available. Thus, an alternative training arrangement is necessary.

One approach to addressing this problem is to use one of the common well known balance boards. A wide variety of different balance boards exist, but they generally have limited functionality and are inadequate for skateboard training for number of reasons. One known balance board which is intended primarily as a training device for surfing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,276 to Robinson. The disclosed balance board comprises an oval shaped board member which sits atop a cylindrical roller that supports the board member on the floor for reciprocal movement either in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the board or in the direction of a lateral axis of the board. Pairs of stop members are removably attached to the underside of the board to limit the range of reciprocal motion of the roller in the selected direction. To change the direction of movement, the rider must stop and change the orientation of the cylindrical roller relative to the board member and the locations of the pairs of removable stops. This arrangement does not permit the full range of continuous pivotal motion and precise control experienced by actual skateboarders. It does not afford the full continuous circular and rotational articulation of the various muscles in the foot and leg, including coordinated motions of the fibula, tibia and femur that are occasioned by uninterrupted change of direction and are required to maintain precise positions on the board and balance.

Another possible approach to skateboard training is to use a normal skateboard indoors. However, this is not practical because the wheel and truck assemblies of the board can cause damage to flooring and furniture. It is also not effective to render a conventional skateboard stationery for training by removing or immobilizing the wheels because the resulting apparatus would be too stable to simulate an actual skateboard activity or to afford a good exercise for the required muscles.

There is a need for a board training device that addresses the foregoing and other problems of known board training devices, and that simulates actual boarding activities by affording the full continuous circular and rotational articulations and coordinated motions of the foot and leg muscles that are necessary to develop the balance, muscle strength and agility required by skateboarding. The training device must additionally be convenient to use indoors when an actual board terrain is inaccessible or the outdoor conditions are not suitable for actual boarding. It must further enable frequent and regular exercising. The invention provides a board training device that satisfies these needs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a skateboard training device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the skateboard training device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the skateboard training device of FIGS. 1 and 2, the view being the same from opposite ends of the training device;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view looking from the bottom of the skateboard training device;

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the skateboard training device of FIG. 1 taken approximately along the lines 5A-5A; and

FIG. 5B is a partial cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 5 of an alternative embodiment of the skateboard training device.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention is particularly well adapted to a skateboard training device for training riders for skateboarding activities, and will be described in that context. It will become apparent, however, that this is illustrative of only one utility of the invention, and that the principles of the invention are applicable to training devices for other types of activities.

Referring to the figures, an embodiment of a training device in accordance with the invention is illustrated. As shown, the training device comprises an elongated board 10 having an upper surface 12, a lower surface 14 and a central longitudinal axis 16. The board may be formed of different materials, such wood, plastics or metal, for example, and may have a variety of different shapes and dimensions. In a preferred embodiment, the board has the shape and size of a conventional skateboard, comprising an elongated board having a length (e.g., 30 inches) greater than the shoulder's width of a user, a width wider than about one-half the length of the user's foot, and having rounded ends 18, 20. A central portion 22 of the board may be generally planar, and the ends 18 and 20 may curve upwardly relative to the planar central portion 22 of the board, as best shown in FIG. 2.

A pair of spaced socket holes 26, 28 are formed in the board centered on the longitudinal axis 16. The socket holes, which are described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 5A and 5B, may be spaced apart approximately the user's shoulder width, about 14-16 inches, for example, and may be sized to capture solid elastomeric spherical balls 30, 32 on the underside of the board and firmly seat the balls so that they remain in the socket holes as the user exercises on the board, while releasably holding the balls so that they may be easily removed. The balls support the board on a hard surface 36 such as the floor, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and serve as pivot points so that the board may rotate in a variety of different directions in use. The balls may be formed of a material having sufficient flex to seat firmly in the socket holes and to maintain their spherical shape under the full body weight of the user, and to have sufficient grip to provide stability under body weight on a hard floor. In a preferred embodiment, the balls may comprise gum rubber, polyurethane or another polymer having a durometer hardness of approximately 50 A to 70 A. They have a diameter (of about 2.4 inches) that is approximately that necessary to correctly simulate an average skateboard height when seated in the socket holes. Moreover, the balls are made from materials that will not mark or damage a floor or furniture, enabling the training device to be used indoors.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate two different embodiments of the socket holes which may be employed. As shown in FIG. 5A, a socket hole 26, for instance, may comprise a generally cylindrically shaped hole through the board 10 and have a hole diameter sized such that when the ball 30 is seated in the hole, the top of the ball is flush with or slightly below the upper surface 12 of the board. As shown, the lower circular edge 40 formed by the hole sidewall and the bottom surface 14 of the board engages the surface of the ball, and under body weight may cause the ball surface to flex slightly to frictionally engage and releasably capture the ball within the hole. Alternatively, the socket hole 26 may have a truncated cone shape, being tapered from the upper surface 12 to the lower surface 14 of the board.

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, the sidewall of the socket hole 42 may be contoured to match the curvature of the spherical surface of the ball 44. This embodiment affords greater surface area contact between the ball and the hole sidewall in the board. This distributes the body weight of the user over a greater surface area of the ball, and can facilitate maintaining the ball seated within the hole during board movements, as well as recapturing the ball when the board is pivoted slightly upwardly from the ball during use.

To use the training device, the balls 30 and 32 are placed firmly in the socket holes 26 and 28, respectively, on the bottom of the board, and the board is placed on the floor resting on the balls and leaning onto one edge of the board that contacts the floor. To mount the board, the user places the ball of one foot firmly on the top center line (longitudinal axis) of the board adjacent to one of the socket holes, and rotates the board to a neutral position parallel to the floor. The user may then step onto the board with the other foot on the center line and adjacent to the other socket hole, and attempt to maintain balance with the board in the neutral position parallel to the floor. In doing so, the board may rock back and forth pivoting on the balls about the center line, while the user attempts to maintain balance with the board in the neutral position by coordinated movement of the muscles of the legs and feet to shift his weight accordingly. This strengthens and trains the user's muscles and balancing skills.

Various movements are possible with the training device. For instance, with the board balanced in the neutral position, the user may intentionally rock the board back and forth pivoting on the balls about the longitudinal axis to simulate a turning motion on a skateboard while shifting his weight to compensate for the movement of the board to maintain balance. The user may also rock the board fore and aft, pivoting on the balls about a lateral axis normal to the longitudinal axis, by shifting his weight back and forth between a front foot to a back foot. Advantageously, the user may change directions of pivoting movement smoothly and continuously by merely shifting his weight and position on the board without having to stop to adjust the board to allow for changes in direction.

Furthermore, more advanced movements are also possible with the training device to simulate other skateboard scenarios by making a variety of adjustments to body position, weight distribution and muscle force to pivot the board on one or both balls about multiple different axes. For instance, with the board balanced in the neutral position, the user may shift his weight slightly to one foot to pivot on the adjacent ball and execute a circular motion about an inclined axis (relative to horizontal) through the adjacent ball while sliding the other ball across the floor. Additionally, the user may remove one ball completely and pivot on a variety of different axes through the remaining ball to execute continuous circular and rotational motions with the board at varying angles to the floor.

As will be appreciated from the foregoing, a board training device in accordance with the invention has a simple construction, is easy to operate, and allows simulating the full range of continuous pivotal motion and control experienced by skate and other boarders during advanced maneuvers, motions that are not possible with known balance boards. Additionally, it will be appreciated that while the invention has been described with reference to particular preferred embodiments, changes to these embodiments may be made without departing from the principles of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A board training device comprising:

an elongated board having an upper side, a lower side, opposing end sections and a longitudinal axis extending between said end sections, and having a pair of socket holes formed therein, the socket holes being spaced apart and formed in the lower side of the board centered on the longitudinal axis; and

a pair of spherically shaped balls of elastomeric material, one of said balls being releasably received in each of said socket holes for supporting the board on a hard surface;

each of said socket holes being formed to capture said one of said balls through engagement of an edge of said socket hole at said lower side with a surface of said one ball, the elastomeric material of said balls being selected to flex sufficiently upon engagement with said edge to firmly seat said balls in said socket holes and to support the body weight of a user on said upper surface while maintaining the spherical shape of said balls, and

wherein said balls through contact with said hard surface comprise pivots that enable said user balancing on said board to pivot said board in multiple directions to simulate actual motions experienced during boarding activities.

2. The board training device of claim 1, wherein said socket holes are spaced apart a distance corresponding to approximately said user's shoulder width.

3. The board training device of claim 2, wherein said board has a generally planar center section between said opposing end sections and said end sections curve upwardly away from said center section, and wherein said socket holes are located in said center section adjacent to said end sections.

4. The board training device of claim 3, wherein said user by exerting weight on one end section of said board causes the board to pivot on one ball adjacent to said one end section and enables the user to engage in a pivoting motion about said one ball.

5. The board training device of claim 1, wherein said socket holes have a diameter such that when said balls are seated therein, the surface of said balls in said socket holes does not extend above said upper surface of said board.

6. The board training device of claim 1, wherein said elastomeric material of said balls comprises has a durometer hardness in the range of about 50 A to 70 A.

7. The board training device of claim 6, wherein said elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of polymers, gum rubber and polyurethane.

8. The board training device of claim 1, wherein said socket holes comprise cylindrically shaped holes that extend through said board, and said edge of said socket hole that engages said surface of said ball comprises a circular edge of said cylindrically shaped hole formed between the lower side of said board and a sidewall of said cylindrically shaped hole.

9. The board training device of claim 1, wherein said socket holes comprise holes having curved sidewalls with a curvature corresponding to a curvature of the spherical surface of said balls, and wherein said curved sidewalls engage said spherical surface of said balls to capture the balls within said socket holes.

10. A board training device comprising:

an elongated board having a shape corresponding to a skateboard, and having a first and second socket holes formed therein, the socket holes being spaced apart and centered on a longitudinal axis of said board; and

first and second spherically shaped balls of elastomeric material received in said first and second socket holes, respectively, for supporting the board on a hard surface;

said socket holes having sidewall surfaces that engage a surface of said balls received in said socket holes to releasably capture and firmly seat said balls in said socket holes, the elastomeric material of said balls being selected to support the body weight of a user balancing on an upper surface of said board while maintaining the spherical shape of said balls, and being selected to grip said hard surface during pivoting motions of said board;

wherein said balls through contact with said hard surface comprise pivots that enable said user balancing on said board to pivot said board in multiple directions to simulate actual motions experienced during skateboarding activities.

11. The board training device of claim 10, wherein said elastomeric material comprises a material having a durometer hardness in the range of about 50 A to 70 A.

12. The board training device of claim 10, wherein said elastomeric material is selected from the group consisting of polymers, gum rubber and polyurethane.

13. The board training device of claim 10, wherein said socket holes are cylindrical holes, and said hole sidewall surfaces that engage said balls comprise a circular edge of said socket hole formed at a lower surface of the board by a cylindrical hole.

14. The board training device of claim 10, wherein said hole sidewalls are curved to have a shape corresponding to the spherical shape of said balls to distribute said body weight of the user over a portion of the spherical surface of the balls.