Golf Hand Brace for Wrist Extension and Deviation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Golfers face challenges in improving their short game skills, particularly in controlling wrist movements during chipping and pitching, which require precise hand positioning and angle of attack.
Innovation Solution
A hand brace comprising a shell with integrated guards to restrict wrist movement and a wrist strap for securing the device, aiding in maintaining a shallow angle of attack and wide swing arc.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a golfer uses traditional training methods without physical constraints, then they have full freedom of wrist movement, but they cannot achieve precise control over wrist extension and radial deviation angles
Solution Approach 1:
The hand brace acts as an intermediary device between the golfer's hand and the golf club. It provides physical constraints through guards that limit wrist extension to less than 20 degrees and radial deviation to less than 10 degrees, while still allowing the golfer to perform chipping and pitching motions. This mediator enables precise angular control without completely restricting movement freedom.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the operational parameters of wrist movement by imposing specific angular limits. The first guard restricts wrist extension angle to less than 20 degrees, and the second guard restricts radial deviation to less than 10 degrees. These parameter changes transform uncontrolled movement into precisely controlled movement within defined angular ranges.
2Manufacturing precision
If a golfer places their dominant hand lower on the grip for improved chipping and pitching, then they achieve better angle of attack control, but they lose proper hand positioning control
Solution Approach 1:
The hand brace is segmented into distinct functional components: a shell that conforms to the hand shape, a first guard for wrist extension control, a second guard for radial deviation control, and a wrist strap for secure attachment. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function while maintaining overall structural manageability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shell of the hand brace is constructed from flexible material that can be formed to match the contours of the golfer's hand. This flexible shell provides a comfortable fit while supporting the rigid guards inside, combining flexibility for adaptation with rigidity for constraint enforcement.
3Productivity
If a golfer practices short game skills without wrist movement restrictions, then they maintain natural swing mechanics, but they cannot develop shallow angle of attack and wide swing arc techniques
Solution Approach 1:
The hand brace is applied before practice sessions to pre-establish the correct wrist movement constraints. By wearing the brace during practice, the golfer's wrist movements are automatically constrained to the desired angular ranges, allowing them to develop proper short game mechanics without conscious effort to maintain correct form.
Solution Approach 2:
The hand brace serves the dual purpose of both constraint enforcement and skill development. As the golfer practices with the brace, their muscles adapt to the constrained movement pattern, and the brace automatically maintains proper wrist positioning throughout the swing, making the training self-correcting and efficient.
Data Source
AI summary
A hand brace to improving a golfer's short game is disclosed. The brace comprises a shell, a first guard and a second guard. The shell is flexible and configured to cover at least a back portion of the golfer's dominant hand, top of the wrist and lower forearm. The first guard is physically associated with the shell extending along the back of the golfer's dominant hand from and between proximately the second knuckles of the index and ring fingers, over the top of the dominant wrist and lower forearm. The first guard substantially restricts maximum extension of the golfer's dominant wrist to less than approximately 20 degrees. The second guard is physically associated with the shell extending along the back of the golfer's thumb from the nailbed to the first knuckle to substantially restrict radial deviation of the golfer's dominant wrist to less than approximately 10 degrees.