GB2300362A - Ball game practice aid - Google Patents

Abstract

Ball game players practice aid or system (10; 30) comprises a ground or attachable support (11; 31) with target space (16, 17; 36, 37, 42) defining frames (18, 19, 23; 38, 39 43) preferably attachable and detachable at, different heights and positions of the support (11; 31) to extend upwards and/or sideways and/or to the ground. One frame may be in the form of a ground engaging hoop.

Description

BALL GAME PRACTICE AID This invention relates to ball games, particularly to provision and use of aids for practice or training useful to players in testing or improving accuracy of delivery of a ball.

So-called "Soccer" or "Association Football" (which will be referred to simply as "football") is a very wellknown and popular ball game in this country and worldwide.

Knowledge of basics of football is assumed, including importance attaching to accuracy of shooting and passing the ball using feet, if not also heading the ball. This is the case both in free play, and at so-called "set plays", perhaps increasingly so at free-kicks as awarded for infringements of rules of play, and at corners, as well as at penalties and throw-ins. Ability to judge the direction and/or aspects of trajectory of delivery of the ball is extremely important. No matter how naturally talented a player may be, practice is generally considered to be essential to improving skills and making progress, but not always easy to judge and assess clearly as to its results or progress in objective terms.

It is an object of this invention to facilitate such practice and assessment of results or progress.

According to one aspect of this invention, there is provided a ball game players practice aid comprising a support carrying at least one target in the form of a frame defining a space through which a game ball can pass with a desired clearance. Preferably, there are several targets carried by the support at different positions.

The support may be an upright stand having plural targets at different heights and advantageously extending upwards and/or sideways, as conveniently provided for and from a generally central stand. A suitable such stand has ground-engaging base extension(s), which can further have appropriate provision(s) for either or both of temporary or permanent positive ground securement. Alternatively, the stand may be intendedly movable or portable whether after releasing of temporary ground securement(s) and any desired remaking of such securement(s), or otherwise. A stand to be movable without ground securement should have a base large and heavy enough for stability even when hit at its highest position by a fiercely delivered ball.

A system of this invention may comprise support means and a repertoire of attachable and detachable target space defining frames of various sizes and/or shapes.

Preferred targets need not all be of the same size or shape; and/or may be attachable and detachable relative to the support, thus readily replaceable by a similar or different target space defining frame; and/or be adjustable at to position, say along a support member, conveniently at least as to height above ground level.

It is generally preferred, at least for targets at a height above ground, for their target space defining frames to be complete, i.e. closed all round. It is, however, feasible for at least some target frame or frames to be incomplete, for example at ground level so as not to interfere with ball delivery rolled along the ground. A substantially central upright stand as said support can have target frames at matching heights to each side, and include at least one above the top of the stand.

Specific exemplary implementation for this invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which Figure 1 is an outline drawing indicating a front view of one embodiment; Figure 2 is a side view of that embodiment, and Figure 2A shows detail for frame-to-stand attachment; and Figure 3 is an outline drawing indicating a front view of another embodiment, and Figure 3A shows detail for frame-to-stand attachment.

In Figures 1 and 2, a football players' practice or training aid 10 comprises a support part as a stand 11 shown with a ground-engaging base extensions 12A,B fore and aft of uprights 13 and 14 that are connected together by a top rail 15. To each side of the stand 11, targets 16A,B and 17A,B are shown defined as spaces, respectively, by frames 18A,B and 19A,B extending sideways from the uprights 13 and 14. The frames 18A,B and 19A,B can complete closed rectangular shapes, actually shown square, with parts of the uprights 13 and 14 conveniently forming one side of each frame. The frames 18A,B and 19A,B bounding correspondingly shaped target spaces 16A, B and 17A, B are paired at different heights. The lower frames 18A, 19a are shown substantially flush with bottoms of the uprights and the fore and aft base extensions 12A,B.The bottom rails of the lower frames 18A, 19A could be omitted in order more smoothly to take a rolling ball. The upper frames 18B and 19B are shown spaced at 20A,B from the lower frames 18A and 19A, actually finishing substantially flush with the tops of the uprights 13, 14 and the top rail 15.

It will be appreciated that the gaps 20A,B between the upper and lower frames could be treated as further target spaces, even completed by outer vertical rails (see dashed at 21A,B) to full or (as shown) only part extent of the frames 18A,B and 19A,B. Although all of the sideways extending frames 18A,B and 19A,B are shown the same size, they could be of two or more different sizes and/or shapes.

Also, the frames 18A,B and 19A,B need not be at matching heights, even if of the same or similar sizes and/or shapes.

A different size and shape of top target space 22 is indicated bounded in dashed lines, as an option or variant, by further frame 23 extending the full width of the upper side frames 18B and 19B, albeit extending to a lesser extent vertically. The space between the uprights 13, 14 and the top rail 15 could be cross-braced and/or strengthened by one or more plates, or even constitute or present at least one other framed target, more if divided as may also contribute to strengthening.

A satisfactorily robust structure can result where made from 50mm square section metal tubing, usually steel, say with heavy duty plate for the base 12, as generally indicated in Figure 2. However, open-work or lattice structure base extensions could be used; and any base construction may include locations for securing pegs, lugs or brackets to serve in temporary securement to ground and/or other anchorages for more permanent securement, even embedment. If the aid is to be permanently embedded in the ground the base parts may be contiguous and join the lower ends of the uprights 13 and 14. In this way the base part joining the uprights 13 and 14 will be at or below ground level and thus not interfere with the passage of a ball between those uprights. Alternatively, base extension provisions may be directed at allowing easy movement of the entire aid device 10 (or 30 below), whether as to size and weight large enough to give stability or perhaps as to accommodating stabilising weights, such as sand-bags.

The frames 16A,B and 17A,B could be complete, as units in themselves, by verticals at the uprights 13 and 14, see 16X shown for frame 16B only. At least then, the frames may be attachable and detachable. For example, see Figure 2A, cranked lugs 24A,B spaced on the frame side rail 16X can engage in U-shaped brackets 25 similarly spaced on the uprights 13 and/or 14. Further spaced brackets 25 (see dashed at 25A) up the height of the uprights 13 and 14 can permit a variety of possible heights for the frames 16A,B and 17A,B. So long as there is correlation of connecting lugs 24 and brackets 25, a system of this invention can comprise various different sizes of replaceable target defining frames can be provided and used.It is further feasible for the uprights 13 and 14 to have series of through-holes to cooperate with pins going through other corresponding holes in cheeks of re-positionable brackets 25, see dashed at 27.

An alternative to brackets such as referenced 25, can be holes through webs of channel- or I-section uprights 13, 14 or short subsidiary internal webs to take the lugs 24.

A further alternative frame connection system could involve pins through flanks of channel- or I-section uprights 13, 14 and through-holes in the frame rails 16X. Such channelor I-section uprights can, of course, wholly or partly receive or hide the frame rails 16X, preferably with a snug fit.

Turning to Figure 3, a variant 30 is shown using, for similar or equivalent parts or components to those of Figure 1, reference numbers by twenty. In this embodiment, the sideways and upwards extending targets are all shown as closed round frames 36A,B, 37A,B and 39. Moreover, Figure 3A shows attachment provisions partly along the lines already indicated above for channel- and I-section uprights. Here, I-section upright 33 has its open channel 46 facing frame mounts 48 closed off at intervals by plates 49 that can each cooperate with the web of the upright 33 to receive and retainingly engage attachment lug 44 of the frame mount 48, thereby affording alternative attachment positions for the same or different sizes and shapes of target space defining frames.

Uppermost, top-mounting target space defining frames 23 and 43 will usually attach differently to the stands 11 and 31, for example by spigot-and-socket provisions at 23X,Y and 43X.

It will be appreciated that, in use, the positioning of a stand 11 or 31 relative to players, i.e. close or along desired ball trajectory or at intended ball arrival for such trajectory, could have an effect on the desired size of the stand 11 or 31, as well as on sizes and shapes of frames 16, 17 or 36, 37 defining targets, considered best for practice/training. Use within, including repositionable within, a goal frame could well be useful for practising taking of penalty kicks.

Typical sizes for football practice aids can be about six feet (just under two metres) height of the stands 11 and 31, though up to two feet (over half-metre) shorter or higher is envisaged; about 18 inches (half-metre) width and height of frames 16, 17 or diameter of frames 36, 37 and 43, though sizes from half or less up to two or three or more times such dimension are envisaged, see about 15-inch by over 4 feet (about 40cm x 140cm) for frame 23; and about 15-inch (around 40cm) width of the stands 11 and 31, though they could clearly be more if required in whole or in divided parts as other targets.

It is seen as feasible for modified versions of this invention, particularly as to sizes and shapes of stands and frames, to be used in relation to other games and balls, for example as used in tennis or cricket or baseball or golf, or whatever.

Claims (15)

1. Ball game players practice aid comprising a support carrying at least one target in the form of a frame defining a space through which a game ball can pass with a desired clearance.

2. Ball game players practice aid according to Claim 1, wherein the support carries a plurality of the target frames at different positions.

3. Ball game players practice aid according to Claim 2, wherein the target frames are of various sizes and/or shapes.

4. Ball game players practice aid according to any preceding Claim, wherein the or at least one said target frame is attachable and detachable relative to the support.

5. Ball game players practice aid according to any preceding Claim, wherein the or at least one said target frame is completely closed all round a defined target space.

6. Ball game players practice aid according to any preceding Claim, wherein the or at least one said target frame at ground level is incompletely closed so as not to interfere with ball delivery along the ground.

7. Ball game players practice aid according to any preceding Claim, wherein the or each said target frame is adjustable in its attachment to the support.

8. Ball game players practice aid according to Claim 2, wherein adjustability of target frame attachment to the support is at least as to height above ground level.

9. Ball game players practice aid according to Claim 2, wherein the support comprises an upright stand and the plural targets are at different heights of the stand.

10. Ball game players practice aid according to any preceding Claim, wherein the stand has ground-engaging base extension.

11. Ball game players practice aid according to Claim 4, wherein the ground-engaging base extension has provision(s) for either or both of temporary or permanent positive ground securement.

12. Ball game players practice aid according to any preceding Claim, wherein at least one of the target frames extends upwards from the support.

13. Ball game players practice aid according to any preceding Claim, wherein at least one of the target frames extends sideways from the support.

14. Ball game players practice aid system comprising support means and a repertoire of target space defining frames attachable and detachable to the support means at various position.

15. Ball game players practice aid or system arranged and adapted for use substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.