Practice, exercise, and strengthening device for batting and similar swinging motions

Abstract

A device is disclosed for batting practice, by baseball players in batting practice; it can also be adapted for use by golfers, tennis players, etc., for practice and exercise in swinging other types of clubs, racquets, etc. It comprises a horizontal base, a vertical neck assembly that allows height adjustment, and a “head” component that encloses a set of “flaps” made of a stiff-but-yielding material, such as rubberized materials commonly used to make conveyor belts. Roughly a dozen to twenty rectangular segments of resistive material are mounted within the head in a generally vertical direction, from the top and bottom surfaces in the head, spaced apart from each other a suitable distance. As the end of a bat is swung through the head assembly, it encounters substantial resistance from the flaps, which generate a level of resistive force that provides good exercise.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] This invention is in the field of mechanical devices and sporting equipment, and relates to devices that baseball players, golfers, tennis and racquetball players, and others can use to strengthen muscles and develop skills in batting or in swinging other types of clubs, rackets, etc. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] Various types of mechanical devices have been developed to help people exercise and strengthen specific muscle groups, and to practice various repetitive skills, that are useful in various types of sporting and / or leisure activities. [0003] For purposes of describing and illustrating this invention, the discussion below will focus on baseball, and on baseball players who wish to develop, practice, and enhance their batting skills. However, this description and illustration is not intended to be limiting, and those skilled in the art will recognize that the device described herein can be adapted to helping golfers, tennis and racquetball p...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] A device is disclosed for use by baseball players in batting practice (and which can be adapted to enable use by golfers, tennis players, etc., for practice and exercise in swinging various other types of clubs, racquets, etc.). This device comprises: (i) a horizontal base, which preferably should be provided with wheels, skids, or other components that will enable it to be moved conveniently by one person without requiring any special equipment, but which will also provide stability during use; (ii) a vertical neck (strut, support, etc.) assembly that is adjustable, to allow any user to adjust the height of the device to any desired location; and, (iii) a “head” component that encloses a set of “flaps”, which are rectangular segments made of a stiff-but-yielding

Problems solved by technology

That approach also can provide some amount of exercise, but it is not “high quality” exercise that can rapidly strengthen muscles, and the impacts that are created when a bat actually hits a tire and bounces off can causes harmful stresses and even injuries to the wrists and forearms of young players.

These can indeed provide good strengthening exercise, but they suffer from several limitations, including: (i) they typically require an exercise area that is roughly the size of an entire room; (ii) they do not allow a baseball player to move the bat at a high speed, and instead require the player to swing the bat at an artificially slow speed, which impedes the development of an overall coordinated approach that heavily involves the legs and lower abdomen; and, (iii) they are expensive, and typically can be afforded only by athletes who play in the major leagues, or by collegiate or minor league teams that must divide and allocate any practice time on such equipment among roughly 30 players.

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