Baseball Training Aid
A baseball is provided with indicia to aid a batter in visualizing direction and loft of a batted ball. By providing a series of projected lofts, a batter can train to hit a ball of varying lofts, ranging from ground balls, to line drives, to pop-ups and any range in between. In addition to projected lofts, one or more projected directional indicators can also be marked on the training ball.
This application claims the benefit of co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/587,748, filed 17 Nov. 2017, and this application is a continuation of U.S. Design Patent Application Ser. No. 29/624,618, filed 2 Nov. 2017.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to the field of sports, and more specifically, training devices used to train baseball/softball players to swing a bat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONA baseball is provided with indicia to aid a batter in visualizing direction and loft of a batted ball. By providing a series of projected lofts, a batter can train to hit a ball of varying lofts, ranging from ground balls, to line drives, to pop-ups and any range in between. In addition to projected lofts, one or more projected directional indicators can also be marked on the training ball.
The baseball is then placed on a preferably stationary tee and a batter can try to match the trajectory of a swung bat to the intended trajectory of the ball.
Although the disclosure hereof is detailed and exact to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, the physical embodiments herein disclosed merely exemplify the invention which may be embodied in other specific structures. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention.
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In an alternative embodiment, ball 10 could be covered with different colors in various areas between loft markings 15. For instance, the ball 10 could be colored in green in an area of 20-30 degrees loft from horizontal to indicate a positive outcome swing path such as a line drive, and/or covered in red in the area above 35 degrees to indicate a negative outcome such as a pop-up.
In a preferred embodiment, one loft indicator line 14 could indicate a horizontal oriented line, so that the ball could be correctly positioned on tee 22. In one embodiment, the actual degrees of angles illustrated by loft indicators 14 can be varied the degrees of the angle that are shown on the ball 10 to reflect, for instance, a −7 degree angle of an oncoming pitched ball 10.
In an alternative embodiment, ball 10 can be used in conjunction with tee options where the ball is held at a different angle, such as a commercially available “Backspin Tee” from www.backspintee.com (incorporated herein by reference).
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Furthermore, because numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described. While the preferred embodiment has been described, the details may be changed without departing from the invention, which is defined by the claims.
Claims
1. A ball comprising:
- a horizontal alignment marker;
- a first loft indicator designating a first loft from horizontal; and
- a directional indicator marking.
2. A ball according to claim 1, the horizontal alignment marker comprising tee positioning suggestion placed on a bottom area of said ball.
3. A ball according to claim 1 in combination with a tee for carrying said ball.
4. A ball according to claim 4, said tee carrying said ball at said horizontal alignment marker.
5. A ball according to claim 1, said first loft indicator intersecting said directional indicator marking at a first position below an equator of said ball as said ball rests on said bottom area of said ball.
6. A ball according to claim 5, said ball further comprising a second loft indicator designating a second loft from horizontal.
7. A ball according to claim 6, said second loft indicator intersecting said directional indicator marking at a second position below said equator of said ball as said ball rests on said bottom area of said ball, said second position closer to said bottom of said ball below said equator of said ball than said first position below said equator of said ball.
Type: Application
Filed: Apr 27, 2018
Publication Date: May 2, 2019
Inventor: Daniel Jay Mueller (Pewaukee, WI)
Application Number: 15/964,873