AU2011331897B2 - Sports training device - Google Patents

Abstract

A training device (10) including a ball (11), an anchor (22) and an elongate and flexible cord (12). The cord (12) is connected to the ball (11) and to the anchor (22). A support (14) is spaced from the anchor (22) and the cord (12) extends away from the anchor (22) to the support (14) intermediate the anchor (22) and the ball (11). The ball (11) extends downwardly from the support (14) to a position suitable for the ball (11) to be engaged by a user of the device (10) in a training activity.

Description

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 1 SPORTS TRAINING DEVICE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sports training device which is intended to permit 5 repetitive training in relation to small ball sports, such as cricket and tennis. The invention has been developed principally for training in relation to cricket skills, in particular batting skills, and it will be convenient to describe the invention in relation to that activity. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that activity and can extend to training in relation to other cricket skills such as fielding, or 10 other sports, such as tennis as mentioned above or larger ball sports such as Australian Rules football, rugby and soccer. BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION A reference herein to a patent document or other matter which is given as prior art is 15 not to be taken as an admission that that document or matter was known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims. It will be convenient to describe the background to the invention mainly in relation to 20 cricket training, although it will be appreciated that training for other sports is within the scope of the present invention and brief reference will therefore be made to other sports as well. Training that takes place in relation to cricket usually involves what is known as "net" 25 practice, in which a batsman is positioned at one end of a net enclosure and bowlers bowl to the batsman from the other end. The net can be a metal mesh such as known in some places as "cyclone fencing" or it can be a polymer netting. The net serves to contain the ball for most of the shots that the batsman might play, so that no fielders are required while the batsman trains. However, the training still requires at 30 least one bowler, although it is preferable to have more than one bowler so that the batsman can face a greater frequency of bowled balls than is possible with only a single bowler. It is often the case that between three and five bowlers are assigned to a particular net to achieve an acceptable frequency of balls being bowled.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 2 Net training forms an important part of the training regime for batsmen who wish to improve their game or who wish to work on a particular aspect of their game. For maximum benefit, the batsman normally would want to be in the net for some time. However, for most cricket teams, the amount of time one particular batsman can have 5 in a net is limited by the need for other batsmen in the side to have their turn in the net. Also, as bowlers tire from bowling at what is usually a higher bowling frequency than normal, the availability of bowlers will decrease and replacement bowlers might be second tier bowlers not of the same quality as the leading bowlers. 10 For batsmen who want to have more time in the net than can be allocated to them, an alternative training arrangement can be employed in which a mechanical bowling machine is used. These mechanical bowling machines are typically machines that have been developed for baseball training and while they offer an alternative to the type of training described above, there are still disadvantages. For example, the use 15 of a bowling machine still requires at least one person in addition to the batsman. That person is required to feed the bowling machine with rubber balls (not cricket balls) and to collect balls which have been discharged from the machine. The feeding process is not difficult, but it has to be taken seriously as the balls which are discharged from the bowling machine are discharged at high speed (upwards of 20 130kph) and if the direction of discharge is not closely monitored, the ball can be discharged in a manner dangerous to the batsman, such as towards the batsman's head. The use of a bowling machine can also be very repetitive in terms of the trajectory of 25 the ball which is discharged, because a bowling machine will discharge the ball at the same trajectory each time unless the direction the bowling machine faces is changed. Changing the direction the bowling machine faces requires some skill so that the next ball which is discharged is not discharged in a manner dangerous to the batsman as discussed above. Accordingly, usually only very small changes are made to the 30 trajectory of discharge from ball to ball, so that a major change is avoided and the potential for harm to the batsman is minimised. Thus, the use of a bowling machine does not typically simulate net training, or actual game conditions, where wide variation in the trajectory of successive bowled balls is normal. A batsman therefore can get used to the relatively constant trajectory and therefore one of the desirable WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 3 skills of a batsman, that of being able to judge the length and line of the ball being bowled, is not normally a skill that can be improved by practice with a bowling machine. 5 In relation to soccer, goal keeper training is often undertaken by several players taking shots at a goal while a goal keeper is in place to defend the goal. The intention of the training is for the goal keeper to face a high frequency of shots, thus the need for more than a single player shooting at the goals. 10 In relation to basketball, passing training is often undertaken between players, while in relation to tennis, training is mainly between two players, or sometimes against a wall. In other sports, training devices have been developed. In baseball for example, a 15 training device exists in which a baseball is supported on a post and the hitter hits the ball from the post. The device is specific to baseball and does not readily extend to other sports. Moreover, devices, but not necessarily training devices, exist in which a ball is 20 connected by a cord or a swivelling arm to an upstanding rod which is embedded in the ground or which is connected to a base and the user of the device can hit the ball with a bat or racquet. The cord causes the ball to be returned for the next hit. This type of device is not necessarily a training device, but rather is more usually an entertainment device, creating its own ball game. The device certainly does not 25 simulate typical movement of a ball of any of the sports mentioned above. In addition, the anchor point of the device is usually close to the user of the device, so that the user can often become entangled in the cord to which the ball is connected. The inventor has recognised that sports training devices, for cricket training in 30 particular, have limitations and has sought to develop a new training device that provides advantages not available in the current devices, or at least those devices described above.

-P SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a training device including: a ball, 5 an anchor, an elongate and flexible cord connected to the ball and to the anchor at spaced apart positions along the cord, and a support spaced from the anchor, the anchor being fixed in place and the cord extending away from the 10 anchor to the support and being supported by the support intermediate the anchor and the ball, the support being movably mounted on a further flexible cord for movement forward and away relative to the anchor and along the further cord from side to side relative to the anchor, 15 the ball extending downwardly from the support to a position suitable for the ball to be engaged by the user of the device in the training activity undertaken by the user. The above description describes the training device in an assembled form. It 20 will be appreciated however that the invention can be provided in a kit of parts for assembly when required. In fact, the training device of the invention is readily suppliable in a kit form comprising a ball, an anchor, an elongate and flexible cord connectable to the ball and to the anchor, and a support. Once assembled, the training device takes the form described above. 25 In a training device of the above kind, the support can be positioned forward of a standing position at which a user of the device would stand when using the device relative to the facing direction the user of the device would face when using the device and the anchor can be positioned rearward of the standing 30 position. This is the position that can be adopted for cricket training for example or for soccer goal keeper training. Alternatively, the support can be positioned forward of a standing position at which a user of the device would stand when using the device relative to the facing direction the user of the device would face when using the device and the anchor can be positioned on the other side of the support from the user of the device. This is the position that can be adopted for training for other sports such as soccer goal shooting for example.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 5 The training device of the invention advantageously can be used in a netting facility of the kind used in cricket training. In that environment, the anchor can be fixed to the rear of the net and the support can be fixed to the roof of the net, or it can be 5 suspended between opposite sides of the net. Likewise, the training device of the invention can be used proximate to the frame of a soccer goal, so that in some arrangements, the anchor can be located behind the goal and the support in front of the goal or at the goal, and the user of the device can 10 be positioned on the opposite side of the support to the anchor to practice shooting for goal. Alternatively, each of the anchor and the support can be located in front of the goal with the user of the device being positioned between the support and the anchor. In these examples in relation to soccer, the goal frame can be employed for the support or the support can be attached to the goal frame. The anchor can be 15 fixed to any suitable structure such as a permanent structure that might already exist (a wall for example or the net of the goal) or suitable temporary supports could be erected such as posts or poles supported by guy ropes or bases or embedded in the ground. In fact each of the anchor and the support can be fixed to a support structure that is erected just to support the training device of the invention. 20 The training device can be used in a wide variety of sports training, or just for entertainment purposes, and it is envisaged that training can be made in relation to aspects of cricket, tennis, basketball, soccer, Australian Rules football, rugby, baseball, lacrosse and other sports not mentioned here. 25 The ball which is used in the training device of the invention can thus be a cricket ball or any other ball that is appropriate, such as a baseball or a tennis ball, or larger balls such as varieties of footballs, or basketballs. 30 The anchor is used to anchor the end of the cord remote from the ball. The anchor can be configured to attach to a netting facility, or to a solid wall or other structure. The anchor can be permanently attached to the structure or it can be removably attached. The anchor can be used to adjust the length of the cord extending from the anchor and for this the anchor can include a spindle about which the cord can be WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 6 wound. The winding can be simply by manually winding the cord about the spindle or the spindle can be rotatable and lockable in position when the desired cord extension has been reached. The winding can alternatively be motorised for ease of adjustment. 5 Other forms of adjustment can be used at the anchor and for example, a cleat arrangement could be employed to allow quick and easy adjustment. The cord can be an elastic cord, or what is known sometimes as a "shock" cord. The 10 use of such a cord can store the kinetic energy imparted to the ball when it is struck by a person using the device through elastic extension of the cord and that energy can be returned to the ball for assisting return movement of the ball a manner that assists simulate the trajectory of the ball in the particular sport being practiced, for example a cricket ball which is bowled in the normal way. This also advantageously 15 returns the ball at a pace which is likely to be greater than if the cord was inelastic. The cord could however be an inelastic cord, particularly where alternative arrangements are employed to capture and release kinetic energy. For example, the anchor can include a mechanism to capture and release kinetic energy and in that 20 arrangement, the cord can be an inelastic cord. The cord can be a combination of elastic and inelastic cord. For example, the portion of the cord which connects to the ball and/or to the anchor can be an inelastic cord, while the rest of the cord can be elastic. 25 In addition, to accommodate twisting in the cord, one or more swivels can be employed, that allow portions of the cord to rotate relative to each other. In a preferred form of cord, the cord has a relationship with the type of ball that is 30 attached to it. For example, it can be desirable for the longitudinal length and elastic properties of the cord to match the dynamic mass characteristics of the ball that is attached to it.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 7 The support is intended to support the cord so that the cord can extend from the anchor to the support proximate to the person using the device. Preferably, the support is positioned at least about head height or above relative to the user of the device. In some forms of the invention, the person using the device will be positioned 5 between the anchor and the support, so that maintaining the cord above the person by positioning the support at least about head height or above, keeps the cord out of the way of the person so that there is limited possibility of the cord being entangled about the person. 10 The support is also intended to have the freedom to move relative to the anchor, both forward and away from the anchor as well as from side to side. That movement assists to provide simulation of the trajectory of a cricket ball which is bowled in the normal way. Moreover, where the support is above the head height of the person using the device, the return movement of the ball tends to be from a high position to a 15 lower position by the time the ball reaches the person so that this also assists to simulate the trajectory of a cricket ball which is bowled in the normal way. The support can be positioned in place forward of the training position of a person using the device in any suitable manner. In some forms of the invention, the support 20 is suspended substantially horizontally between opposite sides of a netting facility from a cord that extends to the opposite sides. This arrangement can include tension adjustment for the cord. In other arrangements, the support is suspended from a roof or ceiling of a netting facility. In still other arrangements, the support is suspended substantially horizontally between opposite sides of a structure, such as structure that 25 is erected using poles and guy ropes, that is other than a netting facility, or is suspended from a roof or ceiling of a structure that is other than a netting facility. In each of these arrangements the cord can be height adjustable. The support can form a closed loop through which the cord is passed to extend from 30 the anchor and the cord can extend substantially vertically from the support to position the ball for initial striking by the person using the device. As described earlier, the length of the cord can be adjusted so that the position at which the ball is positioned can also be adjusted.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 8 To extend the cord through the support, the ball can be passed through the opening in the support. Alternatively, the support can be formed with an opening for introducing the cord into the support and that opening can be permanent or it can be closable such as by a hinged gate, i.e. like a karabiner. 5 The material of the support and the cord is preferably such as to minimise wear of either part, but most particularly the cord. The support thus preferably has a smooth surface over which the cord passes during operation of the device. 10 Following from the above discussion, In one form of the training device of the invention, an assembly is provided in which a cord extends from an anchor to a support, with the cord being positioned above the head height of the person using the device, the cord then extends substantially vertically to position the ball attached to it at a suitable position for initial striking by the person. The manner in which the anchor 15 is arranged and the support is suspended advantageously enables the ball to simulate the trajectory of a cricket ball which is bowled in the normal way on the return movement of the ball once the ball has been struck. The support can take forms other than the forms described above, and in one form, 20 the support can be a rod which is suspended substantially horizontally from one side of the training area to the others and the cord can be extended from the anchor to be draped over the rod. The rod can be a hollow pole, such as an aluminium pole, or it can be a rigid plastic pole for example. The pole can be fixed in place at either end either to side wall netting of a cricket net for example, or to supporting poles which are 25 supported by guy ropes. Other supports for the rod of this embodiment can be provided. Accordingly, in the above embodiment in which the support is a rod, the cord can simply be draped over the rod and therefore can travel along the rod towards each 30 end of the rod, or restraints can be placed along the rod to restrain the amount of travel the cord has along the rod.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 9 For a better understanding of the invention and to show how it may be performed, embodiments thereof will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates a training device according to one embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is an illustration of the training device shown in Figure 1, but installed in a standard form of cricket net. 10 Figure 3 illustrates a training device according to the invention but installed in a standard form of soccer goal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 15 Figure 1 illustrates a training device 10 according to one embodiment of the invention and is suitable for use as a cricket training device for installation in standard cricket training nets of the kind commonly used for batting and bowling practice. The training device 10 is not illustrated to scale in figure 1. This has been done 20 deliberately in order to clearly show the components of the system. Figure 2 illustrates an actual installation of the device 10 in a cricket training net and the real scale is better illustrated in that figure. The training device 10 includes a ball 11, an elongate cord 12, which is connected to 25 the ball 11 through a loop attachment 13. The loop attachment 13 is simply a fabric or cord loop which is attached to the ball 11, such as by stitching, gluing or stapling, and to which one end of the cord 12 can be attached. It is to be appreciated however, that the attachment of the cord 12 to the ball 11 can be in any suitable form and for example, the cord 12 might itself be embedded within an opening formed in the ball 30 11 and glued into that opening. Other attachment mechanisms between the ball and the cord are within the scope of the present application. The device 10 further includes a support 14 which has a looped section 15 and a suspension section 16. The respective sections 15 and 16 are connected together to WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 10 form a closed loop through defining an opening 17 through which the cord 12 can travel. In addition, the opening 17 of the support 14 is sufficiently large to enable the ball 11 to be passed therethrough, so that by passing the ball through the opening, the cord is introduced into the opening 17. 5 An alternative to the closed loop arrangement of the support 14 is to provide a hinged gate, like a karabiner, which allows the loop section 15 to be opened so that the cord 12 can be inserted into the opening 17 through the open gate. In that form of arrangement, the opening 17 can be reduced to the point where the ball 11 does not 10 fit through the opening 17, as the cord can be introduced into the opening without having to pass the ball 11 through the opening 17 first. A further alternative is to construct the support 14 to have an opening which has a permanent break or inlet to allow the cord to enter the opening, but a difficulty with 15 that arrangement is that because the cord 12 can move within the support 14, it could occur, without careful design, that the cord 12 could jump out of the support 14 if the loop within which it is captured is not a complete loop. However, careful design should overcome this problem and therefore this type of arrangement is within the scope of the present invention. 20 The suspension section 16 is a hollow section of tube, so that a further section of cord 20 can extend through the suspension section 16 on opposite sides of the support 14. The cord 20 is a loose fit within the suspension section 16 so that the support 14 can shift along the cord 20. Further discussion of the relationship between the support 14 25 and the cord 20 will be made later herein. The suspension section 16 could alternatively be replaced by a pair of tube sections which extend from each end of the loop section 15, or the ends of the loop section 15 could be crimped over to form a loop. Other arrangements can be employed and are 30 within the scope of the present invention. What is intended is that the support 14 be mounted on the cord 20 for movement relative to or along the cord 20.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 11 It is to be noted that the support 14 could alternatively be fixed in place relative to the cord 20 and in that arrangement, the support could take further forms not resembling that illustrated or discussed above. 5 The cord 12 extends from the ball 11, through the opening 17 of the support 14, and to an anchor 22. With reference to Figure 1, the anchor 22 includes a base 23, an arm 24, a spindle 25 and a plate 26. The arm 24 is fixed to the base 23 in any suitable manner, such as by the rivets 27 10 shown, although they could easily be connected together by bolts, or by welding. The arm 24 extends away from the base 23 and the spindle 25 is mounted to the arm 24, in some forms, for relative rotation. A portion of the cord 12 is wrapped about the spindle 25 and the plate 26 prevents the cord 12 from escaping off the spindle 25. 15 While the mechanism which enables the spindle 25 to rotate relative to the arm 24 is not illustrated, the mechanism is intended to be an adjustment mechanism, so that the length of the cord 12 which extends from the anchor 22 is adjustable. The adjustment mechanism thus could include a ratchet mechanism, or it could include a clutch type mechanism, or even a motor which is controlled by a user of the device or 20 by microprocessor, and whichever mechanism is chosen, the arrangement is simply to allow the maximum length of the cord 12 which extends from the anchor 22 to be set by a user of the device 10. While not illustrated, to assist with this, a small handle could be associated with the spindle 25 to allow the spindle 25 to be rotated. 25 The spindle 25 can alternatively be fixed relative to the arm 24 and adjustment of the cord 12 can be made by wrapping the cord about the spindle. This is a more simple form of adjustment, and provides a more simplified construction of the anchor 22. Returning to the cord 20, that cord extends between a pair of mounting members 30 30 and 31. Referring first to the mounting member 30, this includes a loop 32 at one end, a rigid or substantially rigid elongate body 33 extending from the loop 32 and a hook 34 at the end of the body 33 opposite the loop 32. Between the hook 34 and the body 33, the mounting member 30 includes a further loop 35.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 12 As indicated above, the body 33 of the member 30 is a rigid or substantially rigid body and can be of any suitable material, such as metal, hard rubber or plastic. Even wood could be employed, although plastic and metal are considered to be more appropriate for manufacture and for useful life expectancy. 5 The cord 20 passes through the loop 32 and then through the loop 35 and extends downwardly to a further hook 36. The form illustrated in Figure 1 is the installed form, so that each of the hooks 34 and 36 would be attached to a side wall of netting of a cricket netting facility (not illustrated). The side wall is illustrated in Figure 2 by 10 reference numeral 41. An opposite end of the cord 20 extends to the mounting member 31 and is connected to the loop 37 of that member 31. The member 31 also includes a rigid or substantially rigid elongate body 38 and a hook 39. The hook 39 connects to an 15 opposite side netting wall of cricket netting facility (not illustrated). The side wall is illustrated in Figure 2 by reference numeral 42. The arrangement of the cord 20, the mounting members 30 and 31 and the hook 36 provides a unique mounting arrangement for mounting the support 14. Referring to 20 the mounting members 30 and 31 first, these have been designed to enable the cord 20 to be easily installed at a position above the head height of a person who is using the training device 10. By including the elongate bodies 33 and 38 in the respective members 30 and 31, the hooks 34 and 39 can be positioned above the reach height of the person who is using the training device 10, or who is installing that device 10. 25 That is, a person who is installing the device 10 can grasp the mounting members 30, 31 at the ends remote from the respective hooks 34 and 39 and this allows the hooks 34 and 39 to be installed at the maximum reach height of the person installing the training device 10 plus the length of the respective body 33 and 38. This is advantageous for reasons which will be explained later herein. In practice, the length 30 of the bodies 33 and 38 is expected to be in the region of 30 to 50 centimetres so that the hooks 34 and 39 can be attached to the side wall netting at approximately 30 to 50 centimetres above the maximum reach height of the person installing the training device 10.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 13 With each of the hooks 34 and 39 connected to the side wall netting 41 and 42, the cord 20 can be tensioned by pulling it through the loop 35 in a downward direction as shown in figure 1. As the cord 20 is tensioned by the cord 20 being pulled downwardly, the respective bodies 33 and 38 swing upwardly away from the side wall 5 netting 41 and 42as shown by the arrows A in Figure 1. Passage of the cord 20 through the loop 32 ensures that the body 33 assumes the substantially horizontal position shown in Figure 1. When the required tension has been achieved, the hook 36 can be attached to the side wall netting 41 shown in Figure 2, and that completes installation of the cord 20. 10 The tension in the cord 20 can be set as required by a person using the training device 10. A suitable tension might be achieved as a result of trial and error and may vary depending on the type of training the person using the device 10 wishes to have. Resetting the tension in the cord 20 is simply a matter of shifting the position at which 15 the loop 36 engages the netting wall 41 and is a very simple quick and convenient method by which tension in the cord 20 can be altered. Returning to the anchor 22, this is connected to a rear netting surface 43 (see Figure 2) or other body by a pair of lips 40 (only one of which is illustrated in figure 1), which 20 can hook on to the netting of the rear netting wall. Alternative arrangements would enable the anchor 22 to be attached to a solid wall, such as a brick wall, or other suitable anchor point, such as the roof or ceiling netting 44. Accordingly, the manner by which the anchor is fixed in place is not of critical importance. 25 The device 10 as described so far thus results in the ball 11 being suspended from the cord 12 which extends through the opening 17 of the support 14 to the spindle 25 of the anchor 22. The support 14 is slidable along the cord 20, while the tension in the cord 20 is adjustable through the position of the hook 36. The shifting movement of the support 14 on the cord 20 can be controlled, by the closeness of the 30 engagement of the cord 20 within the suspension section 16. Alternatively, section 16 can be crimped to provide greater frictional engagement with the cord 20. As indicated earlier, the device 10 as illustrated in Figure 1 is not shown to scale. In particular, the anchor 22 is intended to be positioned much further away from the WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 14 support 14 than is shown in Figure 1. For example, the anchor 22 can be positioned approximately 5m from the support 14. Moreover, the cord preferably extends between the support 14 and the anchor 22 above the head of the user of the device 10. This is evident in Figure 2. By this arrangement, the cord is kept out of the way 5 of the user of the device so that there is limited possibility of the cord being entangled about the user. In practice, the person using the device 10 is intended to be positioned intermediate the support 14 and the anchor 22. The person using the device is able to strike the 10 ball 11 with a cricket bat in the direction away from the anchor 22 and the ball is returned to the vicinity of the person using the device 10 so that that person can strike the ball 11 again. It will be appreciated, that a very fast pace of striking and returning for further striking can be achieved, so that the person using the device 10 can repeatedly strike the ball in a rapid fashion over and over again. 15 It is preferred that the cord 12 is an elastic cord, or what is known sometimes as a 'shock" cord. By using such an elastic cord, kinetic energy imparted to the ball 11 by being struck, can be stored through elastic extension of the cord 12 and returned as momentum to the ball 11 during return movement of the ball 11 to the person using 20 the device. This advantageously returns the ball 11 at a pace which is greater than if the cord 12 was inelastic. In addition, the trajectory of the ball is improved to the extent that it can approximately simulate the trajectory that the ball would have if it had been bowled by a bowler in the normal manner. 25 The cord 20, in contrast, can be an inelastic cord, although an elastic cord can be employed if desirable. An inelastic cord could be attached to a servo motor and extension and return controlled by a microprocessor. The anchor 22 has been described as being adjustable, and in an alternative 30 arrangement, the spindle 25 can be biased to rotate, so that it applies a load to the cord 12 when a ball 11 is struck in a direction away from the anchor to return the cord 12 under a spring influence. Such an arrangement can be employed with a cord 12 that is elastic, to enhance the return movement of the ball 11, or the cord 12 can be WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 15 replaced with an inelastic cord, so that the anchor has the effect of the elastic cord discussed above without employing an elastic cord. It will be appreciated that the arrangement of the cord 20 and the parts associated 5 with that cord could be replaced, if the support 14 was suspended from a roof or ceiling of the training facility, such as the roof or ceiling 44 which is a netting roof or ceiling. The support 14 could be suspended by a cord or a rigid rod or the like. If a cord is used, the cord could be a single cord that extends vertically from the roof or ceiling or the cord could extend from two or more points of the ceiling, such as in a V 10 configuration. It is also to be appreciated that while the training device 10 has been described as being for use in a netting facility, a stand alone arrangement cold be employed by the use of a suitable structure that might employ self supported poles. The poles could 15 for example be supported by guy ropes, or by being embedded in holes in the ground. The poles could be adjustable. Thus, the cord 20 could be suspended between opposing poles which are held in place by guy ropes, while the anchor 22 could likewise be suspended by that type of arrangement. Accordingly, while the device 10 has been described as being for use in a netting facility, the invention can be 20 employed in alternative arrangements which do not have a net facility. As indicated earlier, the invention cannot only be applied for cricket training, but can be useful for other ball sports. Figure 3 illustrates use of the invention with the frame of a soccer goal and reference will now be made to that figure. 25 In Figure 3, a training device 50 is illustrated installed in relation to the frame 51 of a soccer goal. The frame comprises a pair of upright members 52 and a cross member 50. 30 The training device 50 comprises a ball 54 which in this case, is a round soccer ball. The device 50 further includes an elongate cord 55, a support 56 and an anchor 57. The cord 55 extends from the ball 54 to the anchor 57 and is connected to each. The manner of connection between the ball 54, the cord 55 and the anchor 57 can be of any suitable form, such as the forms described earlier.

WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 16 The support 56 illustrated in Figure 3 is of the same form as the support 14 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. Accordingly, the support 56 includes a loop 58 through which the cord 55 extends, and includes a suspension section 59 through which a cord 60 5 extends. The cord 60 extends at either end to a support arrangement comprising a pair of mounting members 61 which attach to the upright members 52 and to the junction between those members 52 and the cross member 53. The mounting members 61 10 thus comprise an elongate member 62, a foot portion 63 which is curved to match the outside surface curve of the upright members 52, and a cord engagement portion 64 to which the cord 60 can be connected. Finally, the mounting members 61 include a loop portion 65 which connects to the corner of the frame 51 at the junction between the upright members 52 and the cross member 53. 15 It will be evident that tension in the cord 60 firmly fixes the mounting members 61 to the frame 51. The anchor 57 can be secure to any suitable fixture, such as an upright pole, wall, 20 netting facility, or it can even be fixed in place on the ground. It is thus not necessary for the cord 55 to extend horizontally from the support 56, but rather, an angled extension away from the support 56 is acceptable. The device 50 can operate in a similar way to the device 10 as described above in 25 relation to Figures 1 and 2. A person using the device can strike the ball 54, such as by kicking or heading the ball, and the ball will be returned to the user for further striking. Repeated and fast striking is made available to the user by this arrangement. Alternatively, with sufficient tension in the elastic cord the user could be able to practice juggling and other ball control skill sets. 30 The repeated striking of a tennis ball with movements to the fore and aft of the dynamic range is possible without the cord becoming entangled as can occur in prior art training devices that utilise tethered fixing at ground level. Furthermore, for tennis training, the device of the invention can allow a tennis ball to be tossed into the air WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 17 above the user for the purpose of serving practice. Thus, advantageously, the training device of the present invention is not only applicable for practicing ground strokes, but is also useful for serving practice. 5 The arrangement illustrated in Figure 3 shows how the device of the present invention can be utilised for installations other than in a cricket net. It will evident that the device can be used in relation to other goal structures, such as used in hockey, for example, or it is also evident that the device can be supported independently of existing goal or netting structures by suitable pole arrangements. For example, if the 10 device of the invention was to be used for rugby training, a pair of uprights similar to the uprights 52 of Figure 3 could be erected, and the device suspended between the uprights. The cross member 53 illustrated in Figure 3 would not be required for that training to take place. Poles of that kind could be embedded in openings in the ground surface, or guy ropes could be used to support the poles. 15 It will also be evident that the present invention could be employed for sports training such as basketball training, by the use of suitable side supports to which respective ropes 20 or 60 can be attached. Passing training could be a form of training that the device of the invention could be employed in basketball. 20 An important aspect of the present invention that contributes to many of the advantages that the invention provides, is the remote anchoring of the cords 12 and 55, and that the respective supports 14 and 56 can move along the cords 20 and 60. Moreover, lateral movement of the supports 14 and 56 by virtue of the flexibility of the 25 cords 20 and 60 assists to provide simulation of real ball trajectory of various sports. Returning to the use of the present invention for a cricket training facility, an advantage of the present invention is in relation to ability of the training device to simulate the trajectory of a cricket ball which has been bowled by an actual bowler. 30 The simulation can be quite close if the device is properly set up. This distinguishes the present invention from other devices which do not have that capability. In addition, the present invention has significant advantages over bowling machines of the kind discussed earlier, as the variation in the flight of the cricket ball of the WO 2012/065208 PCT/AU2011/001295 18 training device 10 can occur almost each time the ball 11 is struck, so that the repetitive motion that is associated with bowling machines is not necessarily apparent in a device according to the invention. 5 A significant advantage which is readily apparent from the above discussion, is that the training device 10 according to the invention can be operated by a single person only. Thus, there is no need for a second person to operate the device, or to assist the device to be used. 10 Still further, it will also be readily apparent that the device is relatively simple to erect or assemble, and in a basic form, is relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated. The invention described herein is susceptible to variations, modifications and/or additions other than those specifically described and it is to be understood that the 15 invention includes all such variations, modifications and/or additions which fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims (18)

1. A training device including: 5 a ball, an anchor, an elongate and flexible cord connected to the ball and to the anchor at spaced apart positions along the cord, and a support spaced from the anchor, 10 the anchor being fixed in place and the cord extending away from the anchor to the support and being supported by the support intermediate the anchor and the ball, the support being movably mounted on a further flexible cord for movement forward and away relative to the anchor and along the further cord 15 from side to side relative to the anchor, the ball extending downwardly from the support to a position suitable for the ball to be engaged by the user of the device in the training activity undertaken by the user. 20

2. A training device according to claim 1, the support being positioned forward of a standing position at which a user of the device would stand when using the device relative to the facing direction the user of the device would face when using the device and the anchor being positioned rearward of the standing position. 25

3. A training device according to claim 1, the support being positioned forward of a standing position at which a user of the device would stand when using the device relative to the facing direction the user of the device would face when using the device and the anchor being positioned on the other side of the 30 support from the user of the device.

4. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the ball being selected from one of a cricket ball, a baseball, a tennis ball, a football, or a basketball. 20

5. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the anchor being attachable to a netting facility.

6. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the anchor being 5 adjustable to adjust the length of the cord.

7. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the cord being an elastic cord. 10

8. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, the cord including an elastic section and an inelastic section.

9. A training device according to claim 8, the inelastic section being provided at the point of attachment of the cord to the anchor. 15

10. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the cord including one or more swivels throughout the length thereof.

11. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the support 20 including an opening through which the cord extends.

12. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the support being positioned at least about head height or above relative to the user of the device. 25

13. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the support being positioned in a training facility that includes opposite side walls and the support being suspended by the further cord from the opposite side walls. 30

14. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, the tension in the further cord being adjustable.

15. A training device according to claim 13 or 14, the training facility being a netting facility and the opposite side walls being netting side walls. 21

16. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the support being suspended by the further cord between poles that are fixed to or supported on a floor or ground surface on which the training device is used. 5

17. A training device according to claim 16, the poles being adjustable to adjust the height of the support.

18. A training device according to any one of claims 1 to 17, the support 10 including an opening large enough to allow the ball to fit through.