Ball skills training equipment

Abstract

To enhance the effectiveness of training equipment for ball games. [Solution] The ball game training device 100 of the present invention comprises a shaft 101 having a tip and a base, a flexible strip material 104 formed to be longer than the shaft, and a mounting structure 103 for attaching the strip material to the tip of the shaft, wherein the mounting structure 103 is characterized by comprising a rotating connection part 103B for attaching the strip material to the shaft in a manner that allows it to rotate around the axis 101x of the shaft.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a practice device for ball games.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, by attaching a flexible strip or belt such as a ribbon to the tip of a shaft provided with a grip imitating a golf club or club, the golf swing is corrected by observing the extending posture of the belt during the swing, other guidance is provided, or it is used to help oneself grasp the feeling during the swing. Golf practice devices are known (see Patent Documents 1 and 2 below).

[0003] Among the above practice devices, there are some configured such that when the shaft is swung, a sound such as "pan" is generated due to a sudden change in the posture of the belt. In this case, it is possible to determine whether an appropriate swing is being made by observing the timing and volume of this sound, and there are also explanations that it helps to acquire the feeling of one's own swing.

[0004] By the way, in the above conventional practice device, a mounting portion for the belt is provided at the tip of the shaft provided with a grip, and the tip of the belt is attached to the mounting portion in various ways. At this time, a large impact is applied to the belt during practice, but depending on the attachment mode of the tip of the belt, there are problems such that the extending posture of the belt during the swing may not be preferably formed, or a large, crisp sound may be difficult to produce. Such practice devices can be used not only for golf but also for other ball games such as tennis and badminton.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0006] Therefore, the present invention solves the above problem, and its objective is to enhance the training effect in a training device for ball games by improving the mounting structure between the attachment part at the tip of the shaft and the band material. Specifically, the objective is to realize a mounting structure that tends to result in a good extended position of the band material during the swing, or a mounting structure that tends to produce a relatively good sound. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the ball game training device according to the present invention comprises a shaft having a base end and a tip, a flexible strip material formed to be longer than the shaft, and a mounting structure for attaching the strip material to the tip of the shaft, wherein the mounting structure includes a rotating connection part for attaching the strip material to the shaft in a manner that allows it to rotate around the axis of the shaft.

[0008] According to the present invention, the strip material is rotatably attached around the shaft axis by the rotating connection part of the mounting structure, which suppresses the strip material from curling or becoming unstable in its extension during the swing. This makes it easier to achieve a good extension posture of the strip material during the swing, or to generate a good sound. As a result, the extension posture of the strip material during the swing is more likely to be good, or a relatively good sound is more likely to be generated.

[0009] In the present invention, it is preferable that the mounting structure further comprises an edge-holding portion that holds the edge of the strip material in a state expanded in the width direction. With this, the mounting structure having an edge-holding portion and a rotatable connection portion maintains the edge of the strip material in a state expanded in the width direction, and the strip material is mounted so as to be rotatable around the axis of the shaft, so that the extended position of the strip material during swing is further improved, or a better sound is more likely to be generated. In this case, it is preferable that the edge-holding portion comprises an edge-mounting portion that extends in the width direction so as to be able to mount the edge of the strip material in a state expanded in the width direction, and a connecting portion between the edge-mounting portion and the rotatable connection portion. In particular, it is even more preferable that the connecting portion is composed of connecting members that connect both ends of the edge-mounting portion to the rotatable connection portion.

[0010] In the present invention, it is desirable that the rotatable connecting portion comprises a first portion fixed to the strip material in a rotational direction about the axis, and a second portion rotatably connected to the first portion about the axis and fixed to the shaft in the rotational direction. This makes it possible to reliably mount the first portion and the second portion rotatably about the axis of the shaft through the connecting structure. In this case, it is desirable that one of the first portion and the second portion includes a connecting member and a linking member, and the other of the first portion and the second portion includes a retaining member attached to the connecting member via the linking member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to this invention, in a training device for ball games, the effectiveness of training can be enhanced by a mounting structure that attaches the tip of the shaft to the strap material. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram and a side view showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of a ball game training device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view and a side view (partially enlarged view) showing the cross-sectional structure of the main part, including the mounting structure, of the embodiment. [Figure 3] This is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing the rotating connection portion of the mounting structure of the same embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows the end view A (a), the cross-sectional view B (b), and the cross-sectional view C (c) of the same embodiment. [Figure 5] These are a perspective view (a), a cross-sectional view (b), and an end view (c) of the base end of the tip component (connecting member) that constitutes the first part of the mounting structure of the same embodiment. [Figure 6] These are a perspective view (a), a cross-sectional view (b), and an end view (c) of the base end component (holding member) that constitutes the second part of the mounting structure of the same embodiment. [Figure 7] This is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view showing a rotating connection portion of a mounting structure of another embodiment, which shows a different modification from the same embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Next, an embodiment of the ball game training device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. First, the overall configuration of the embodiment of the ball game training device according to the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, a golf club, or a golf training device designed based on a structure equivalent to a golf club, will be described as an example of the ball game training device.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of the training device 100 of this embodiment. The training device 100 has a shaft 101, and a grip 102 is provided at the base end of the shaft 101. A mounting structure 103 is connected to the tip of the shaft 101, and a ribbon 104 is attached to the tip of the shaft 101 by this mounting structure 103.

[0015] The shaft 101, together with the grip 102, is composed of an axial portion, although not particularly limited, and it is preferable that at least the grip portion has a structure similar to that of ball game equipment such as clubs and rackets, in this case a golf club. The length of the shaft 101 (the axial portion including the grip 102) is shorter than that of ball game equipment and is preferably in the range of 400-500 mm, although not particularly limited. The axial portions of the shaft 101 and grip 102 are particularly preferably cylindrical in shape.

[0016] The mounting structure 103 includes an edge holding portion 103A and a rotating connecting portion 103B. As shown in Figure 2, the edge holding portion 103A is provided with an edge mounting portion 103a that is extended in the width direction so that the edge 104a of the strip material 104, which will be described later, can be attached in a bent state (see the enlarged side view in Figure 2), and a connecting member 103b made of a wire, rope, or other wire, strip, or string material that is inserted into the edge mounting portion 103a. Furthermore, the rotating connection portion 103B is provided with an axial portion 103d extending along the axis 101x of the shaft 101, formed by joining both ends of the connecting member 103b in parallel by a fixing tube 103c made of a cylindrical crimping material or the like; a connecting member 103g (tip part, or first part) that holds this axial portion 103d; and a holding member 103j (base end part, or second part) that is rotatably attached to the connecting member 103g. Here, both ends of the connecting member 103b that are led out from both ends of the edge attachment portion 103a extend diagonally toward the axial portion 103d. This extended portion of the connecting member 103b constitutes a connecting portion that connects the edge attachment portion 103a and the rotating connection portion 103B. In the illustrated example, the connecting member 103b is configured in a triangular frame shape in the edge holding portion 103A.

[0017] The end portion 103e of the shaft-like portion 103d has an outer diameter larger than that of other portions (the axially distal end side, that is, the portion on the left side in the drawing) due to the presence of the fixing body 103c made of a metal cylinder or the like that binds the connecting member 103b. The shaft-like portion 103d is inserted into a protective cylinder 103f having flexibility or elasticity such as a resin tube in a range (a small-diameter portion 103h1 described later) that can contact at least the inner surface of the shaft hole 103h of the connecting component 103g. The protective cylinder 103f prevents problems such as cutting caused by wear between the shaft-like portion 103d (the connecting member 103b) and the inner surface (the small-diameter portion 103h1, particularly the opening edge thereof) of the shaft hole 103h of the connecting member 103g during the use of the training device 100. If the protective cylinder 103f is made of a transparent material such as a transparent tube, it becomes easier to check the state of the shaft-like portion 103d and the connecting member 103b disposed therein.

[0018] The shaft-like portion 103d is inserted into the shaft hole 103h of the connecting member 103g. In the shaft hole 103h, a small-diameter portion 103h1, an intermediate portion 103h2 having a larger diameter than the small-diameter portion 103h1, and an engaging portion 103h3 provided on the base end side of the intermediate portion 13h2 are provided in order from the axially distal end side. And the end portion 103e of the shaft-like portion 103d is prevented from coming off to the axially distal end side by the small-diameter portion 103h1 while being accommodated in the intermediate portion 103h2. A structure (female thread) that can be engaged with a connecting member 103i such as a bolt by screwing or the like is formed in the engaging portion 103h3.

[0019] The holding member 103j is fixed to the tip of the shaft 101 by press-fitting or adhesion or the like. The connecting member 103i is rotatably inserted into the shaft hole 103k of the holding member 103j and is engaged in the axial direction by screwing with the engaging portion 103h3 of the shaft hole 103h of the connecting member 103g described above. At this time, the connecting member 103i is prevented from coming off to the axially distal end side by the head thereof abutting against the opening edge on the base end side of the shaft hole 103k in the holding member 103j. In the case of the illustrated example, the tip of the connecting member 103i may abut against the edge of the end portion 103e of the shaft-like portion 103d.

[0020] In this configuration, the connecting member 103i is configured to bottom out relative to the connecting member 103g, creating a gap (for example, about 0.1 mm to 2 mm) between the connecting member 103g and the holding member 103j. This ensures that the connecting member 103g and the holding member 103j (shaft 101 and grip 102) can rotate freely around the axis 101x of the shaft 101. In the illustrated example, the tip of the connecting member 103i abuts against the edge of the shaft portion 103d (end portion 103e), preventing the connecting member 103i from being screwed further into the connecting member 103g. However, it may also be configured to bottom out due to the structure of the engaging portion 103h3, or it may be configured to bottom out due to some other engaging structure other than screwing between the connecting member 103i and the engaging portion 103h3. Furthermore, a bottoming structure is not essential; as a result, it is sufficient that a structure is formed between the connecting member 103g and the linking member 103i and the holding member 103j that allows for free rotation around the axis 101x.

[0021] In the above structure, the connecting member 103g and the linking member 103i correspond to the first part described above, and the holding member 103j corresponds to the second part described above. The rotating connection part 103B is formed by the connecting member 103g, the linking member 103i, and the holding member 103j. Here, the first part is fixed to the strip material 104 in the rotational direction around the axis 101x, and the second part is fixed to the shaft 101 in the same rotational direction. This makes it possible to reliably configure the strip material 104 to rotate freely around the axis with respect to the shaft 101. In this rotating connection part 103B, the connecting member 103g, the linking member 103i, and the holding member 103j are arranged along the axis 101x. This makes it possible to construct the rotating connection part 103B compactly and simply around the axis.

[0022] The strip material 104 is made of a flexible material such as cloth or resin. Although not particularly limited, it is preferable that the width and thickness of the strip material 104 are constant in the length direction. In particular, a thin cloth, such as that used for ribbons, is desirable.

[0023] The golf practice aid 100 of this embodiment generates a sound, such as a "bang," from the strip material 104 at a timing and intensity corresponding to the swing speed (initial velocity) at the start of the swing, when the user grips the grip 102 and swings it, just like a normal golf club. In particular, timing and initial velocity are important for increasing distance, and the timing and intensity of the sound emitted from the strip material 104 can be used as a reference for learning the swing form at the start of the swing. Furthermore, during the swing, the strip material 104 extends in a posture corresponding to the swing trajectory and speed. The quality of the swing form at the start of the swing can also be judged by observing the extending posture of the strip material 104 during the swing.

[0024] In this case, by using a shaft 101 and grip 102 set within the range of 400-500 mm, compared to the typical length of a golf club (ball game equipment) of 800-1200 mm, the extension posture of the strip material 104, as well as the timing and intensity of the sound, can be favorably obtained. Also, for the same reason, the visibility of the extension posture and the volume can be improved. Generally, it is preferable that the length of the ball game training equipment 100 be within the range of 33-63% of the length of the original ball game equipment.

[0025] Furthermore, the length of the strip material 104 is preferably within the range of 1000-3000 mm, and more preferably within the range of 1500-2500 mm. By keeping the length of the strip material 104 within the above range, it is possible to ensure functions such as the extended position during use and the generation of sound, while also preventing any inconvenience caused by unnecessary length.

[0026] Furthermore, the width of the strip material 104 is preferably within the range of 5-100 mm, and more preferably within the range of 10-50 mm. By setting the width of the strip material 104 within the above range, it is possible to ensure functions such as the extended position during use and the generation of sound, and it is also possible to prevent the strip material 104 from being difficult to handle due to excessive width.

[0027] In this embodiment, the strip material 104 is rotatably attached to the shaft 101 and grip 102 around the axis 101x by the rotating connection part 103B of the mounting structure 103. This reduces the rotational load applied to the mounting structure 103 when the practice device 100 is in use, and also suppresses disturbances in the extended position and poor sound generation due to the strip material 104 wrapping around other parts of the device. In other words, this embodiment enhances the practice effectiveness of the practice device. Furthermore, this embodiment also improves the handling of the practice device during practice.

[0028] Furthermore, in the mounting structure 103, the edge 104a of the strip material 104 is held by the edge holding portion 103A in a manner that is spread in the width direction, which further reduces the likelihood of disturbances in the extending posture of the strip material 104, such as wrapping around it.

[0029] Figure 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the rotating connection portion 203B of a mounting structure of another embodiment showing a modified example of the above embodiment. In this rotating connection portion 203B, the edge 203fa of the protective cylinder 203f is made to protrude onto the end face on the axial base end side of the end 203e of the shaft-shaped portion 203d, which has been enlarged in diameter by the fixing body 203c, etc., and this edge 203fa is sandwiched between the end 203e of the shaft-shaped portion 203d and the tip of the connecting member 103i. In this mounting structure, the connecting material 103b, connecting member 103g, connecting member 103i, and holding member 103j are the same as those in the mounting structure 103 of the previous embodiment and are therefore indicated by the same reference numerals. The protective cylinder 203f is held inside the connecting member 103g by sandwiching the base end edge 203fa of the protective cylinder 203f between the edge of the end 203e and the tip end edge of the connecting member 103i.

[0030] In the rotating connection part 203B of this mounting structure, the protective cylinder 203f is held in the direction of the axis 101x by the clamping of the edge 203fa between the end 203e of the shaft portion 203d and the tip of the connecting member 103i. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the protective cylinder 203f from coming out toward the tip side of the shaft portion 203d as the protective cylinder 203f repeatedly bends between the shaft portion 203d and the inner surface of the shaft hole of the connecting member 103g in response to the movement of the strip material 104 due to repeated use of the training device 100.

[0031] Furthermore, the ball game training equipment according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, training equipment used for golf was described as an example of ball game training equipment, but the present invention can be applied to training equipment for various ball games other than golf, such as tennis, table tennis, badminton, hockey, baseball, cricket, etc., using rackets, clubs, bats, and other ball game equipment.In addition, in the above embodiments, the equipment is based on a training shaft (rod-shaped member) having a different structure at the tip from the golf club described above, but the invention is not limited to this form, and training equipment with a structure similar to ball game equipment such as a golf club (for example, a structure in which a strip material is attached to the tip of ball game equipment via an attachment structure) may also be used.

[0032] Furthermore, in each of the above embodiments, the rotating connection parts 103B and 203B are provided with a connecting member 103g and a linking member 103i in the first part fixed to the strip material 104 in the rotational direction, and a holding member 103j in the second part fixed to the shaft 101 in the rotational direction. However, conversely, the first part may be provided with a holding member, and the second part may be provided with a connecting member and a linking member. Note that the linking member 103i is not limited to screws or bolts, but may also be a rivet, a crimping structure, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 100...Training equipment for ball games, 101...Shaft, 102...Grip, 103...Mounting structure, 103A...Edge retaining part, 103B,203B...Rotating connection part, 103a...Mounting part (sleeve or mounting ring), 103b...Connecting material, 103c...Fixing tube, 103d...Shaft-shaped part, 103e...End (of shaft-shaped part), 103f...Protective cylinder, 103g...Connecting member, 103h...Shaft hole, 103h1...Small diameter part, 103h2...Intermediate part, 103h3...Engaging part, 103i...Connecting member, 103j...Retaining member, 103k...Shaft hole, 104...Strip material, 104a...Edge

Claims

1. A shaft having a tip and a base, A flexible strip formed to be longer than the aforementioned shaft, The system comprises a mounting structure for attaching the strip material to the tip of the shaft, The mounting structure is characterized by comprising a rotating connector that attaches the strip material to the shaft in such a manner that it can rotate around the axis of the shaft, and is a training device for ball games.

2. The mounting structure further includes an edge-holding portion that holds the edge of the strip material in a state that is widened in the width direction. The training equipment for ball games according to claim 1.

3. The edge holding portion comprises an edge attachment portion that extends in the width direction so that the edge of the strip material can be attached in a state that it is widened in the width direction, and a connecting portion between the edge attachment portion and the rotating connecting portion. The training equipment for ball games according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned connecting portion is composed of connecting members that connect both ends of the edge attachment portion to the rotating connecting portion. The training equipment for ball games according to claim 3.

5. The rotating connection portion has a first portion fixed to the strip material in the rotational direction around the axis, and a second portion that is rotatably connected to the first portion in the rotational direction around the axis and fixed to the shaft in the rotational direction. A training device for ball games according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. One of the first and second parts includes a connecting member and a linking member, The other of the first and second parts includes a retaining member that is attached to the connecting member via the connecting member, The training equipment for ball games according to claim 5.

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