SPORTS BALL THROWING TRAINING APPARATUS

Abstract

A sports ball throwing training apparatus includes an article of clothing worn by a user, and an elongated sleeve detachably coupled to an abdominal region of the article of clothing. The sleeve forms a hollowed interior for receiving and encompassing a portion of the user's arm. The arm sleeve is configured to permit the user's arm, along with a sports ball held by the user, to translate axially through the hollowed interior as the user withdraws their arm from the arm sleeve and winds-up to throw the ball forward. The position of the arm sleeve relative to the article of clothing indicates whether or not the user is throwing the sports ball with proper form.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure claims the benefit of priority with U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/925,056, entitled “SPORTS BALL THROWING TRAINING APPARATUS AND METHOD,” filed Oct. 23, 2019, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure generally relates to a sports ball training apparatus and method and, more particularly, a sports ball training system and method incorporated into an article of clothing or tethered to the body.

BACKGROUND

When a baseball or softball player throws a ball at full force, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on both the elbow and shoulder joints. For example, a 85 mile per hour pitch typically generates over 350 pounds per square inch (p.s.i.) of pressure on the shoulder area. Athletes are rarely taught the proper mechanics of how to throw a sports ball. Many amateur and professional pitchers throw a ball in a manner that creates unnecessary strain on the shoulder and elbow joints by leading with the elbow and snapping the arm through the throwing motion. However, throwing a ball with proper mechanics not only increases ball speed and the thrower's accuracy, but it preserves arm strength and health and reduces the chance of injury.

Sports trainer Dave Coggin has developed a specific throwing style and instruction regimen currently called, the “pocket, whip and stick,” which describes the most fluid and stress-free overhand throwing motion resulting in the highest velocity and highest spin rate in baseball and softball throws. Coggin's “pocket, whip and stick” regime is further discussed in an article entitled, “Arm Action: What Is It, and How to Improve It,” by Lennon Richards, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

According to Coggin's regime, “pocket” describes how players control arm path sequencing by eliminating wasted movement when, for example, a baseball pitcher winds-up (i.e., when the ball is removed or separated from the pitcher's glove) and translates the ball along an arm path before ball release and launching the ball forward (also known as “arm spiral”). It's called the “pocket,” because baseball pitchers often remove the ball from their gloves and begin their throwing motion near their front pocket. Coincidentally, Coggin once took a ball quickly out of a pocket of his jersey to throw the ball to someone and noticed that the ball followed his elbow path and quickly fell into arm layback and ball release, resembling the natural arm spiral path that high-level professional baseball players take.

“Whip” describes the whip-like motion of the thrower's arm forward after the elbow reached a position at or slightly above the armpit plane. With proper arm path sequencing, the arm may spring freely and easily out of a scapula load position (also referred to as “horizontal abduction”) into external rotation, also referred to as “forearm layback.” Forearm layback occurs in the late arm-cocking phase of the throwing motion, where, for example, a pitcher is in full stride and the pitcher's forearm is rotated clockwise relative to the upper arm (i.e., humerus) such that the pitcher's forearm is substantially parallel to the ground with the ball facing upwards towards the sky. When a pitcher is in forearm layback, rotation of the thrower's hip provides the torque necessary to rotate the thrower's forearm forward. After reaching maximum layback, the arm now whips forward to release and throw the ball forward.

“Stick” is a phrase coined to describe the landing of the thrower's front leg onto the mound or ground in a firm, braced position. If the pocket (referring to initial-hand separation and arm path with the ball following the elbow path) is good, the thrower will be able to keep their weight back and have better, easily repeatable timing between the planting of the front foot and the location of the ball hand along the arm path. Proper timing allows for maximum energy to transfer from the upper body and arm to propel the ball forward. However, if the timing is bad, one can compare visually to a pole vaulter who produces a substantial amount of speed and power during their approach towards the pole vault standard, but places the pole in the planting box poorly. It has been noted that pitchers most naturally land in a strong “stick” position when they are well-timed, with the “pocket” phase of arm path being performed correctly.

After an athlete has created sufficient muscle memory in performing the “pocket, whip and stick” throwing style, trainers have noticed that athletes tend to achieve a “stress-free” ball release. Athletes who have completed Coggin's training program have consistently found that their ball spin rate and ball velocity increased substantially, and their arm health improved.

Coggin has modeled his sports ball throwing drills to reinforce a “pocket path arm action” throwing style, namely a throwing pattern that allows the ball to follow the thrower's elbow into scapula spring and layback. “External rotation” (also often referred to as forearm layback), is the position that puts the most stress on the elbow (valgus force), but is also one of the most important positions to high ball velocity. Like a rubber band, the forearm will layback—almost flat with the ball facing the sky. This creates external rotation that propels the ball forward after release. Athletes with less external rotation than others will exhibit a more pushy arm action. This phase starts when the athlete separates their hands. Although a relatively simple phase—athletes can seriously injure themselves if they repeatedly separate their hands improperly.

Coggin believes that a thrower's body aligns and kinetic energy is most efficiently transferred from the body to the ball when an athlete throws the ball in “the pocket.” When the thrower's timing or position is poor in “the pocket,” it takes an athlete longer and requires more energy (i.e., adds more stress to the user's shoulder) to bring the ball to its ball release point, as most of their body mass has now traveled further ahead of the arm. This misalignment leads to trainers advising the thrower to adjust their body posture, but such corrections are useless corrections if their pocket isn't adjusted. With the “pocket, whip and stick” throwing style, arm health, velocity, and control all improve—in that order.

A need presently exists for an apparatus that trains athletes how to throw sports balls with proper mechanics, as taught by Dave Coggin. This will enable athletes to throw sports balls with increased ball speed and accuracy, and preserve the athlete's strength and health and reduce the chance of injury. These advantages are currently unknown in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A sports ball throwing training apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an article of clothing worn by a user, and an elongated sleeve detachably coupled to an abdominal region of the article of clothing. The sleeve forms a hollowed interior for receiving and encompassing a portion of the user's arm. The arm sleeve is configured to permit the user's arm, along with a sports ball held by the user, to translate axially through the hollowed interior as the user withdraws their arm from the arm sleeve and winds-up to throw the ball forward. The position of the arm sleeve relative to the article of clothing indicates whether or not the user is throwing the sports ball with proper form. If the arm sleeve remains attached to the article of clothing during the user's throwing motion, as the user withdraws its arm from the arm sleeve, that indicates that the user is throwing the ball with proper form. If the arm sleeve detaches or rips away from the article of clothing during the user's throwing motion, that indicates that the user is throwing the ball with improper form.

In a second example, the sports ball throwing training apparatus includes a waistband adapted to be worn around the waist of a user, and an elongated sleeve detachably coupled to the waistband. The arm sleeve forms a hollowed interior for receiving and encompassing a portion of the user's arm. The arm sleeve is configured to permit the user's arm along with a sports ball held by the user to translate axially through the hollowed interior as the user withdraws their arm from the arm sleeve and winds-up to throw the ball forward. The position of the arm sleeve relative to the waistband clothing indicates whether or not the user is throwing the sports ball with proper form.

Other devices, apparatus, systems, methods, features and advantages of the disclosure will be or will become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages be included within this description, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The present invention may be better understood by referring to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosure. In the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating one example of a sports ball throwing training apparatus according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 1, taken along line 3-3.

FIG. 4A is a front view illustrating a user retracting their throwing arm through the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4B is a front view illustrating a user successfully withdrawing their throwing arm from the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 1, thus indicating that the user is throwing the ball along a proper arm path.

FIG. 4C is a front view illustrating a user ripping the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 1 away from the article of clothing, thus indicating that the user is not throwing the ball along a proper arm path.

FIG. 5 is a front view illustrating a second example of a sports ball throwing training apparatus according to the teachings of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the waistband of the training apparatus of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a front view illustrating how a user uses the training apparatus of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a front view illustrating how a user positions and adjusts the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a front view illustrating how a user withdraws their throwing arm from the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating how a user may position the arm sleeve of the training apparatus of FIG. 6, above the waist.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-10 illustrate examples of various implementations of a sports ball throwing training apparatus. Generally, the apparatus includes an arm sleeve detachably coupled to an article of clothing. The sleeve forms a hollowed interior wherein the forearm of the user may pass through to train the user how to throw a sports ball along a proper arm path, thus minimizing strain on the user's elbow and shoulder while providing maximum velocity and throwing accuracy.

As used herein, “wind-up” refers to a throwing motion where a person translates their arm backward before translating their air forward to propel or throw the ball forward. The “arm path” refers to the path that a person's arm takes from the start of one's throwing motion until ball release.

FIG. 1 is a front view of one example of a sports ball throwing training apparatus 100 of the present disclosure. The apparatus 100 generally includes an arm sleeve 102 detachably coupled to an article of clothing 110. As better shown in FIG. 2, the arm sleeve 102 comprises a cylindrical tube 202 of fabric having a first open end 204, a second open end 206, and an annular wall 208 defining a longitudinal axis 209. In some implementations, the cylindrical tube 202 may have dimensions of seven inches to ten inches in length and an inner diameter of approximately four inches. The cylindrical tube 202 may be made of fabric such as neoprene, rubber, cloth, or any other suitable material.

In some implementations, the cylindrical tube 202 may be formed from molded rubber. In other implementations, the cylindrical tube 202 may be made from a piece of rolled material having ends that are sewn, glued, fused, or other otherwise bonded together to form the cylindrical tubing shape.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the arm sleeve 102. As shown, the annual wall 208 includes an outer wall 302 and an inner wall 304 defining a hollowed interior 306. The hollowed interior 306 forms a channel for receiving and encompassing a user's forearm, as shown in FIG. 1.

Returning to FIG. 2, the arm sleeve 102 further includes an elongated strip of hook and loop fastening material 210 that is sewn, glued, or otherwise affixed to a portion of the outer wall 302 (FIG. 3) of the cylindrical tube 202. The hook and loop fastening material 210 may comprise either a loop or hook component. In the present example, the hook and loop fastening material 210 may comprise a hook material commonly known as Velcro®. Velcro® is a trademark owned by Velcro Industries B.V., a Netherlands Limited Liability Company. Velcro® is commonly used as a material fastener in association with securing objects to or in association with clothing, furnishings, and equipment.

The strip of hook and loop material 210 is affixed to the outer wall 302 such that it axially extends substantially along the length of the cylindrical tube 202, between the first open end 204 and the second open end 206. The hook and loop material 210 detachably couples the arm sleeve 102 to the article of clothing 110.

Referring now back to FIG. 1, the article of clothing 110 may be any garment made of cloth including a t-shirt, sweatshirt, or hoodie. In some implementations, the article of clothing 110 may consist of an athletic jersey 112 having an overlay 114 of hook and loop fastening material, for example, a loop or pile Velcro® fabric, sewn or stitched to the front of the jersey 112. The jersey 112 may be made of cotton, fleece, polyether, spandex, or any other suitable material.

The apparatus 100 of the present disclosure is configured to train users, in particular baseball pitchers, how to throw a sports ball with proper mechanics. In use, a user may begin their throwing motion by placing their forearm through the arm sleeve 102, as shown in FIG. 1. As the user winds-up to throw the ball forward, the ball held in the user's throwing hand is axially translated through the hollowed interior 306 of the arm sleeve 102, from the first open end 204 towards the second open end 206, as shown on FIG. 4A. Proper throwing mechanics requires the throwing hand to come into the thrower's body during the throwing rotation. As such, when a user throws the ball with proper mechanics, following a proper arm path (i.e., as the user pulls or retracts their arm through the arm sleeve 102 close to the user's body), the ball and the user's throwing arm is permitted to pass through the sleeve interior 306 with minimal resistance and the user is able to withdraw its arm from the arm sleeve 102 such that the arm sleeve 102 remains attached to the article of clothing 110, as shown in FIG. 4B. Once the ball is removed from the arm sleeve 102, according to the teaching of the present disclosure, the ball will be in a suitable throwing position for the user to throw the ball more accurately and efficiently. According to the teachings of the present disclosure, the trajectory of a sports ball during the throwing motion follows the path of the thrower's elbow when the thrower throws the ball with proper mechanics.

On the other hand, if the user throws the ball improperly, for example, if the user does not bring their hand straight down, or if the user flips their forearm open, the arm sleeve 102 will detach from the article of clothing 110 (i.e., rip or pull away from the jersey), as shown in FIG. 4C. In this way, the arm sleeve 102 provides a learning cue to the user and/or the user's trainer or coach that the user's throw/arm path is wrong. A key learning cue for users of apparatus 100, and particularly baseball pitchers, is that if the baseball does not follow the thrower's elbow smoothly out of the arm sleeve 102 during the throwing motion so the user's elbow ends up at or near shoulder height and, instead, either stabs down with the ball or flips the user's forearm and hand up and back, the arm sleeve 102 will detach from the article of clothing 110, prompting the user to try again.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a second example of a sports ball throwing training apparatus 500 of the present disclosure. In this example, the arm sleeve 102 is detachably coupled to an article of clothing, namely, a waistband 502 that may be worn about the user's body, over the user's jersey. As shown in FIG. 6, the waistband 502 may comprise an elongated body 602 having opposing ends 604 and a central body portion 606 extending therebetween. The waistband 502 may be made of canvas, Kevlar, neoprene, nylon, or any other suitable material. The central body portion 606 may be made of hook and loop material, for example, a loop or pile Velcro® fabric, or, in the alternative, may include an overlay of hook and loop material may be sewn or stitched to the central body portion 606.

The waistband 502 may be secured about the user's body by a hook and loop fastener, belt-buckle, snap buckle, or any other suitable fastener configured to couple the opposing ends 604 together. The waistband 502 should be firmly secured about the user's waist to resist any shear or pulling force generated by the strip of hoop and loop material 210 (FIG. 2), as the arm sleeve 102 is pulled away from the waistband 502.

Referring back to FIG. 5, the central body portion 606 of the waistband 502 is configured to extend across the abdomen of the user. In this way, the arm sleeve 102 may stick to and be detachably coupled to the central body portion 606 of the waistband 502 the same way the arm sleeve 102 is coupled to article of clothing 110. Once coupled to the waistband 502, the arm sleeve 102 trains the user how to throw a ball with proper mechanics the same way it trains the user as described with apparatus 100.

In any implementation, the adjustment and positioning of the arm sleeve relative to the article of clothing is a matter of choice. For example, as shown the FIG. 7, adjustment and positioning of the arm sleeve 102 relative to the article of clothing starts with the user placing the arm sleeve 102 over the user's forearm. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the user may attach the arm sleeve 102 to, for example only, the waistband 502 of the apparatus at a desired angle, based on the desired training. For instance, a baseball pitcher typically starts their throwing motion by holding the baseball low, near their beltline at an angle between 30° and 60°, but more preferably 45° relative to the beltline of the user before the user winds-ups up the ball to throw it forward. On the other hand, an infielder typically holds a baseball higher, near their chest, and starts their throwing motion near the upper torso, with their forearm at a position more parallel to the ground than a pitcher before wind-up and forward motion.

One way to utilize the present disclosure for training sports ball throwers, particularly baseball infielders, is to slide the user's throwing hand through the hollowed interior 306 to pre-assemble the arm sleeve 102 about the user's forearm. Once the arm sleeve 102 is assembled about the user's forearm, a trainer may toss or roll a baseball towards the user and, as the user fields the ball by scooping or funneling the ball up from the ground, the user would pull the arm sleeve 102 towards the user's body, as infielders are taught to bring the baseball into their chest before throwing the baseball. As the user brings the baseball towards their body, the arm sleeve 102 is configured to stick or attach itself to the hook and loop material on the user's jersey or waistband. As such, the arm sleeve 102 will then be positioned and adjusted according to the user's natural throwing motion.

Once the arm sleeve 102 is attached to the article of clothing, the arm sleeve 102 operates as described above for apparatus 100 and as shown in FIG. 9. Therefore, if the user withdraws their arm out of the arm sleeve 102 follows the correct throwing path during windup, the arm sleeve 102 will remain attached to the user's jersey or waistband as the user withdraws their arm out of the arm sleeve 102 prior to throwing the ball forward. But if the user is either bringing their hand straight down or flipping their forearm open, the sleeve arm 102 will detach or otherwise rip away from the jersey or waistband, providing a learning cue indicating to the user and/or trainer that the user's throw/arm path is incorrect.

In certain instances, a user, for example, a baseball pitcher in a “set” or “stretch” pitching position, may wish to start their throwing motion above the belt, at mid-chest level. As shown in FIG. 10, the arm sleeve 102 may be coupled to the article of clothing 110 above the abdomen. In this way, the user's forearm would be positioned substantially parallel to the beltline and the ground as the user starts their throwing motion.

According to the teachings of the present disclosure, if a user throws a sports ball following a path defined by the longitudinal axis 209 (FIG. 2), once the user withdraws or pulls their forearm out of the arm sleeve 102 (with the ball following the same path as the user's elbow), the ball will be held by the user in a suitable position for the user to propel the ball forward in a throwing motion that causes minimal strain on the user's elbow and shoulder and provides maximum velocity and accuracy of the throws. While the present invention is described in relation to throwing baseballs, the present disclosure may apply to train users to throw other sports balls, such as footballs and the like.

In general, terms such as “coupled to,” and “configured for coupling to,” and “secured to,” and “configured for securing to” and “in communication with” (for example, a first component is “coupled to” or “is configured for coupling to” or is “configured for securing to” or is “in communication with” a second component) are used herein to indicate a structural, functional, mechanical, electrical, signal, optical, magnetic, electromagnetic, ionic or fluidic relationship between two or more components or elements. As such, the fact that one component is said to be in communication with a second component is not intended to exclude the possibility that additional components may be present between, and/or operatively associated or engaged with, the first and second components.

Although the previous description illustrates particular examples of various implementations, the present disclosure is not limited to the foregoing illustrative examples. A person skilled in the art is aware that the disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents can be applied in various further implementations and modifications. In particular, a combination of the various features of the described implementations is possible, as far as these features are not in contradiction with each other. Accordingly, the foregoing description of implementations has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above description.

Claims

1. A sports ball throwing training apparatus, comprising:

an article of clothing worn by a user; and

an elongated sleeve detachably coupled to an abdominal region of the article of clothing, the sleeve forming a hollowed interior for receiving and encompassing a portion of the user's arm;

wherein the arm sleeve is configured to permit the user's arm and a sports ball held by the user to translate axially through the hollowed interior as the user withdraws its arm from the arm sleeve and winds-up to throw the ball forward; and

wherein the position of the arm sleeve relative to the article of clothing indicates whether or not the user is throwing the sports ball with proper form.

2. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm sleeve is made of neoprene.

3. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm sleeve comprises a strip of hook and loop material for attaching to the article of clothing.

4. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 3, wherein the article of clothing comprises a T-shirt overlaid with hook and loop material for attachment with the strip of hook and loop material on the arm sleeve.

5. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm sleeve is configured to remain coupled to the article of clothing as the user withdraws its arm from the arm sleeve if the user is throwing the sports ball along a proper arm path.

6. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm sleeve is configured to detach from the article of clothing as the user withdraws its arm from the arm sleeve if the user is throwing the sports ball along an improper arm path.

7. A sports ball throwing training apparatus, comprising:

a waistband adapted to be worn around the waist of a user; and

an elongated sleeve detachably coupled to the waistband, the sleeve forming a hollowed interior for receiving and encompassing a portion of the user's arm;

wherein the arm sleeve is configured to permit the user's arm along with a sports ball held by the user to translate axially through the hollowed interior as the user withdraws their arm from the arm sleeve and winds-up to throw the ball forward; and

wherein the position of the arm sleeve relative to the waistband indicates whether or not the user is throwing the sports ball with proper form.

8. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 7, wherein the arm sleeve is made of neoprene.

9. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 7, wherein the arm sleeve comprises a strip of hook and loop material for attaching to a portion of the waistband.

10. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 9, wherein the waistband is overlaid with hook and loop material for attachment with the strip of hook and loop material on the arm sleeve.

11. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 7, wherein the arm sleeve is configured to remain coupled to the waistband as the user withdraws its arm from the arm sleeve if the user is throwing the sports ball along a proper arm path.

12. The sports ball throwing training apparatus of claim 7, wherein the arm sleeve is configured to detach from the waistband as the user withdraws its arm from the arm sleeve if the user is throwing the sports ball along an improper arm path.