GB2576189A

GB2576189A - Football training aid and method of manufacturing

Info

Publication number: GB2576189A
Application number: GB1812906.4A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Elleray William
Original assignee: Football Coaching Equipment Ltd
Current assignee: Football Coaching Equipment Ltd
Priority date: 2018-08-08
Filing date: 2018-08-08
Publication date: 2020-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 2038-08-08
Also published as: GB201812906D0; GB2576189B

Abstract

A football training aid 100 comprises a frame 110 comprising an upper structure 120 and a support means 130, the upper structure defines a mouth for receiving a football and the support means is configured to carry the upper structure so that the mouth opens in a generally upwards direction. The support structure is preferably a plurality of legs that include feet and splay outwards to define a trapezoidal shape. The feet may include studs and one pair of feet may include rollers that do not contact the ground when the training aid is in use. A curtain may be provided to obscure the view of a net fitted to the mouth. A method of manufacturing a football training aid from TIG welded aluminium is also disclosed.

Description

FOOTBALL TRAINING AID AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING

FIELD [01] The present disclosure relates in general to training equipment for use in sports and particularly to a football training aid and a method of manufacturing thereof.

BACKGROUND [02] Ball delivery is a factor which may be critical to the outcome of a sports match of, for example, football. In order to achieve a specific ball trajectory which will place the ball at the desired location, a player may be required to apply force to a football in a very particular way, i.e. kick the ball, which may require both skill and experience. Players may find it certain ball trajectories more straightforward to achieve, particularly where it suffices to kick the ball into a particular direction at great speed but without a need for high accuracy. Another relatively straightforward example may require a player be to kick the ball into the air so that it may travel over an obstacle, such as players of the opposing team.

[03] The desired ball trajectory will generally depend on the situation, so that a particular situation in a match may call for a rather specific ball trajectory that may be difficult to achieve. In particular, such a trajectory may require a careful application of force to determine the shape of the trajectory, the location of its peak, and the point where the ball impacts the pitch. An exemplary type of trajectories relates to the Magnus effect, such as a topspin free kick. However, targeted training of ball delivery involving such ball trajectories may be difficult, not least because a football may travel at significant speed. This makes it difficult to visually follow the ball in order to discern the particular ball trajectory actually achieved by the player.

[04] Targeted training of ball delivery may be improved using a training aid. Known training aids include solid barriers provided with holes for players to aim for. However, the benefit of this particular example of a known training aid may be limited, because any ball trajectory will suffice so long as the ball passes through a hole in the solid barrier at some point on the trajectory it follows. As there may be many possible trajectories taking the ball through the hole in the barrier, e.g. varying widely with respect to the location of impact, the size of the hole may be made relatively small so as to increase the difficulty of the exercise. The resulting training exercise may find little applicability to an actual football match due to the practising of a relatively artificial scenario.

[05] Hence a football training aid for improved training of ball delivery is highly desirable.

SUMMARY [06] According to the present disclosure there is provided an apparatus and a method as set forth in the appended claims. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the dependent claims, and the description which follows.

[07] Accordingly there may be provided a football training aid, comprising: a frame comprising an upper structure and a support means, the upper structure defining a mouth for receiving a football, and the support means is configured to carry the upper structure so that the mouth opens in a generally upwards direction.

[08] The football training the support means may comprise a plurality of legs extending from the upper structure, each leg terminating in a foot; wherein the feet of the legs define a quadrilateral area which is larger than the area of the mouth.

[09] The plurality of legs may comprise a first pair of legs and a second pair of legs, and the spacing between the feet of the first pair of legs is smaller than the spacing between the feet of the second pair of legs so that the quadrilateral area is trapezoidal.

[10] The plurality of legs may be splayed outwards with respect to the upper structure.

[11] The plurality of legs may comprise a set of four legs extending into four different directions.

[12] The feet of the legs may be provided with studs configured to extend downwardly when the training aid rests on the feet.

[13] A pair of adjacent feet may be provided with rollers, the rollers located outside of the quadrilateral area and configured to extend upwardly when the training aid rests on the feet; the training aid being configurable between a resting configuration and a transportation configured, wherein in the resting configuration the training aid is carried on the feet, and in the transportation configuration the training aid is carried on the rollers.

[14] The upper structure may comprise a lower front portion and an upper rear portion so that the mouth is provided at an inclination, the upper rear structure being at a higher elevation than the lower front portion when the training aid rests on the support means.

[15] The lower front portion may be at an elevation of approximately 2 metres and the upper rear portion at an elevation of approximately 2.5 metres.

[16] The football training aid may comprise a net carried by the frame and spanning the mouth; wherein the net is configured to retain a football received into the mouth on a downwards trajectory.

[17] The football training aid may comprise a curtain carried by the frame, the curtain configured to obstruct a view onto the net.

[18] The upper portion may have a generally quadrilateral shape with rounded corner portions, and the support means is connected to each of the rounded corner portions.

[19] The mouth may have an extent along a first direction of approximately 2.5 metres and an extent along a second direction of approximately 2.75 metres, the first direction being different from the second direction.

[20] The frame may be made from aluminium, and the upper structure and the support means are joined by a tungsten-inert-gas weld.

[21] According to another example there is provided a method of manufacturing a football training aid. The method comprises: providing an upper structure defining a mouth for receiving a football, the upper structure being made from aluminium; providing a support means for carrying the upper structure, the support means comprising a plurality of legs made from aluminium; securing the support means to the upper structure by tungsten-inert-gas welding so that the plurality of legs is splayed outwards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS [22] For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how example embodiments may be carried into effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the exemplary training aid;

Figure 2 is a front view of the exemplary training aid;

Figure 3 is a side view of the exemplary training aid;

Figure 4 is a top view of the exemplary training aid;

Figure 5 shows a side view of an exemplary training aid and a football following along a trajectory;

Figure 6 is a side view of the exemplary training aid illustrating forces acting on the training aid; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the exemplary training aid including a curtain.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS [23] The present disclosure relates to a training aid for use in sports practice, such as various forms of football.

[24] Figures 1 to 4 show an example training aid 100. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the training aid 100. Figure 2 is a side view, while Figure 3 is a front view. Figure 4 is a top view of the training aid 100.

[25] The training aid 100 (or ‘implement’) is a piece of playing field equipment configured so that players may develop ball delivery in training sessions.

[26] The training aid 100 comprises a frame 110. The frame 110 comprises a plurality of tubular members 112 joined together to form the training aid 100.

[27] The frame 110 comprises an upper structure 120 and a support means 130. The upper structure 120 is configured to rest on the support means 130 or, conversely, the support means 130 is configured to carry, i.e. support, the upper structure 120. Accordingly, the upper structure and the support means are connected or joined so that one may be carried by the other.

[28] The upper structure 120 (or ‘goal piece’) of the frame 110 defines a mouth 140. The mouth 140 is an opening, which is bounded by the upper structure 120, for receiving a football. The mouth 140 may have any suitable shape, such as circular, elliptical or polygonal. According to the present example, the mouth 140 has a generally rectangular shape. The mouth 140 may have a depth of a third of the size of a goalmouth.

[29] The mouth 140 opens in a generally upwards direction. Generally upwards is understood to describe an inclination which is more horizontal than it is vertical, i.e. an inclination which of less than 45 degrees. The inclination may be defined with respect to the horizontal, e.g. the surface on which the training aid 100 rests, or the support means 130 or a structural feature of the support means, such as struts or feet. According to the present example, the mouth 140 has an orientation offset from the horizontal by approximately 35 degrees. More generally, the mouth 140 may have an inclination of approximately 30 degrees to 40 degrees.

[30] The upper structure 120 comprises a front portion 122, a rear portion 124, and a pair of side portions 126 extending between the front portion 122 and the rear portion 124, joined together by corner portions 128. The mouth 140 is defined by this set of portions, which is configured to completely bound the mouth 140.

[31] According to the present example, the front portion 122 is at a lower elevation and the rear portion is at a higher elevation. The front portion 122 is therefore also referred to as a lower front portion, and the rear portion 124 as a higher rear portion. The elevation of the may be defined with respect to the horizontal, e.g. the surface on which the training aid 100 rests, or the support means 130 or a structural feature of the support means, such as feet.

[32] The front portion 122 may have an elevation of approximately 1.8 metres to 2.2 metres, and the rear portion 124 may have an elevation of approximately 2.3 metres to 2.5 metres. According to the present example, the front portion 122 has an elevation of approximately 2 metres, while the rear portion 124 has an elevation of approximately 2.45 metres. The elevation of the front portion 122 may thus correspond to a height to which a player may leap to gain head contact with a ball. These dimensions may be found suitable for adult male players, but may be adapted for adolescent players or female players. Such adaptation may result in a training aid 100 having reduced overall height, whilst maintaining the same ratios and angles as described herein.

[33] According to some examples, the mouth 140 defines an opening of at least 2 square metres. According to the present example, the mouth 140 extends approximately 2.5 metres along a first direction, and approximately 2.75 metres along a second direction. The first direction is different from the second direction. The first direction and the second direction are different directions and, according to the present example, perpendicular. For example, the first direction may be a depth of the mouth 140, i.e. the distance from the front portion 122 to the rear portion 124, while the second direction may be a width of the mouth 140, i.e. the distance between the side portions 126. The width of approximately 2.75 metres may correspond to the maximum distance a player can move in a crowded penalty-box, thus closely reflecting certain match situations.

[34] The support means 130 (or ‘support structure’ or ‘support assembly’) comprises a plurality of legs 132 (or ‘struts’). Each leg 132 extends from the upper structure 120 and terminates in a foot 134. Any suitable number of legs may be provided. Preferably at least three legs are provided. According to the present example, there is provided a plurality of four legs 132.

[35] As illustrated in Figure 4, the plurality of legs 132 is configured to define a quadrilateral area. That is to say, the plurality of legs 132 defines the vertices (or ‘corners’) of a quadrilateral shape, such as a rectangle or a trapezium. In other words, according to the present example each leg provides a corner of the quadrilateral area. The quadrilateral area is larger than the area of the mouth 140. That is to say, the legs are configured to extend generally outwardly so that the training aid 100 rests on an area which is larger than the upper structure 120. According to the present example, each leg 132 of the support means 130 is connected to a respective corner section 128 of the upper structure 120.

[36] According to the present example, the mouth 140 is generally parallel to the quadrilateral area defined by the feet. That is to say, the mouth 140 is provided at an inclination of less than 45 degrees relative to the quadrilateral area.

[37] The plurality of legs 132 comprises a first pair of legs 136 and a second pair of legs 138. According to the present example, the spacing between the legs of the first pair of legs 136 is smaller than the spacing between the legs of the second pair of legs 138. Thus a trapezoidal shape is defined by the legs.

[38] According to the present example, the plurality of legs 132 is splayed outwards with respect to the upper structure 120. That is to say, each leg 132 extends away from the upper structure 120 and extends away from the legs adjacent thereto. In other words, each leg is neither parallel to either of its neighbouring legs, nor does it extend towards either of its neighbouring legs. According to the present example, each leg 132 defines an angle of approximately 90 degrees, i.e. a right angle, with respect to each neighbouring leg.

[39] The feet 134 are provided with studs 135 configured to engage the ground on which the training aid 100 is placed. The studs 135 (or ‘tines’) are projections extending downwardly and so, in use, dig into the ground. The studs 135 may have a length of approximately 2 to 2.5 centimetres, which may provide improved stability whilst preventing excessive damage to the playing field, such as an artificial grass surface.

[40] Rollers 139 extend from the feet 134. According to the present example, a pair of adjacent legs, in this case the pair of rear legs is provided with a roller at each foot. The rollers extend upwardly from the feet and are configured to disengage the ground when the training aid 100 is in a resting configuration, i.e. resting on the feet, as depicted in the figures. The rollers are located outside of the quadrilateral area defined by the feet 134. The training aid 100 may be brought into a transportation configuration by rotating the training aid 100 onto the rollers 139. In the transportation configuration the rollers 139 engage the ground so that the training aid 100 may be relocated by pushing rather than carrying.

[41] Figure 5 illustrates a training session involving the training aid 100. Figure 5 is a side view of the training aid 100 and shows a football 200 traversing an example ball trajectory 202.

[42] A player kicks the ball 200 to traverse along the trajectory 202. Following an initial section of the trajectory 202 which lifts the ball 200 to a peak elevation, the ball 200 begins to descend. On this downward section of the trajectory 202, the ball 200 passes through the mouth 140 which opens upwardly. Thus a player will be required to ensure that the ball 200 is imparted a trajectory 202 which sees the ball 200 not only pass through a particular location, in this case the mouth 140, but also ensure that the ball 200 impacts the playing field in a well-localised area. A particular example trajectory relates to the Magnus effect.

[43] A net 150 is carried by the frame 110. The net 150 may collect footballs 200 which successfully passed through the mouth 140, and so aid assessing the performance of a player. The net 150 spans the mouth 140, i.e. covers an area corresponding approximately to the area of the mouth 140.

[44] According to the present example, the net 150 is fastened to the upper frame 120. The net 150 is configured to retain a football received into the mouth 140 on a downwards trajectory.

[45] The training aid 100 may allow for the targeted practising of particular match situation, for example when a football 200 is played from a corner. In such a match situation the opposing team may be arranged to prevent ball trajectories taking the ball before the goal. Thus the opposing team may physically block the football 200 on a trajectory with little elevation, such that a trajectory taking the football 200 above the opposing team may be desirable. However, if said trajectory takes the ball too high, then it may not land in the vicinity of the goal.

[46] The training aid 100 simulates such a situation in that a player will be required to impart a trajectory onto the football 200 which takes the ball above a first height, as specified by the lower front portion 122, but not higher than a second height, as specified by the higher rear portion 124. Moreover, the football 200 will need to pass through the mouth 140, requiring an element of accuracy for determining where the ball impacts the football pitch.

[47] Figure 6 is a side view of the training aid 100 and illustrates a set of forces acting on the training aid 100.

[48] The training aid 100 may be required to meet certain safety standards applicable to training aids, such as BS EN 748:2004 or BS 8462:2005, according to which it must be ensured that the training aid 100 is capable of withstanding test loads without toppling. According to such safety standards the training aid 100 may be required to withstand a horizontal force of 110 kilograms applied to the top centre of the front portion 122 or rear portion 124 of the upper structure 120. This test force is illustrated in Figure 6 by the arrow T, while the gravitational force acting on the training aid 100 is illustrated by the arrow G. According to the present example, the training aid 100 has a mass of approximately 43 kilograms. The resulting force, indicated by the arrow F, is therefore in a downwards direction offset by approximately 22 degrees from the horizontal, or 68 degrees from the vertical. Accordingly, the resultant force is along at least one of the legs 132 of the support means. By contrast, conventional playing field equipment may require additional masses of about 150 kilograms in order to meet these safety requirements.

[49] Figure 7 shows an example of the training aid 100 including a curtain 160 carried by the frame 110. The curtain 160 is configured to obstruct a view onto the net 140, which may help simulate a match situation where the player kicking the ball may not have a line of sight onto the location to which the football is to be delivered, and may require increased distance judgement. The curtain 160 is made from a flexible material, such as a fabric, which at least partially but optionally fully obstructs the view onto the net 140. That is to say, the curtain 160 makes it more difficult to view the net 140. According to the present example, the curtain 160 is fastened to the lower front portion 122.

[50] There is provided a method of manufacturing a football training aid according to the present disclosure.

[51] The method comprises providing components of the frame 110. The frame 110 may be made from any suitable material. According to the present example, the frame 110 is made from aluminium. More particularly, tubular aluminium members may be fitted together, for example by inserting one member into another member, and secured to one another. Hence, the method comprises providing an upper structure defining a mouth for receiving a football, the upper structure being made from aluminium. The method further comprises providing a support means for carrying the upper structure, the support means comprising a plurality of legs made from aluminium. Furthermore, the method further comprises securing the support means to the upper structure by means of tungsten-inert-gas welding so that the plurality of legs is splayed outwards.

[52] By providing the football training aid 100 with the mouth 140, which opens in an upwardly direction, it may be possible to improve targeted practice skills relating to ball delivery, such as distance judgement. A particular type of ball trajectories which may be practised relates to the Magnus effect, such as a topspin free kick.

[53] The stability of the training aid 100 may be improved, as set out above, by resting the training aid on a quadrilateral area exceeding the area of the mouth 140. In particular, a trapezoidal area may improve stability in response to forces against the training aid 100 in a specific direction.

[54] Stability may be improved or further improved by providing the upper structure 120 with rounded corner portions 128 from which the legs 132 extend.

[55] Providing the outwardly splayed legs 132 may improve or further improve the stability of the training aid 100. In particular, splayed legs 132 may increase the stability of the training aid 100 against forces from any direction, i.e. front, rear or either side. By arranging the splayed legs 132 uniformly about the upper structure, such that each leg 132 defines the same angle with respect to the neighbouring legs, stability may be improved or further improved uniformly about the training aid 100.

[56] Stability may be improved or further improved by means of the studs 135 added to the feet 134.

[57] According to the present example, the upper structure 120 is generally flat and carried at an inclination to form the lower front portion 142 and the higher rear portion 144. According to other examples, the upper structure 120 is configured to form the lower front portion 142 and the higher rear portion 144, for example by the higher rear portion 144 may be raised relative to the lower front portion 142.

[58] In summary, exemplary embodiments of a sports training aid have been described. The described exemplary embodiments provide for an improved sports training aid. Additionally, the described exemplary embodiments are convenient to manufacture and straightforward to use.

[59] The training aid may be manufactured industrially. An industrial application of the example embodiments will be clear from the discussion herein.

[60] Although preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A football training aid, comprising:

a frame comprising an upper structure and a support means, the upper structure defining a mouth for receiving a football, and the support means is configured to carry the upper structure so that the mouth opens in a generally upwards direction.

2. The football training aid according to claim 1, wherein the support means comprises a plurality of legs extending from the upper structure, each leg terminating in a foot;

wherein the feet of the legs define a quadrilateral area which is larger than the area of the mouth.

3. The football training aid according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of legs comprises a first pair of legs and a second pair of legs, and the spacing between the feet of the first pair of legs is smaller than the spacing between the feet of the second pair of legs so that the quadrilateral area is trapezoidal.

4. The football training aid according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the plurality of legs is splayed outwards with respect to the upper structure.

5. The football training aid according to claim 4, wherein the plurality of legs comprises a set of four legs extending into four different directions.

6. The football training aid according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the feet of the legs are provided with studs configured to extend downwardly when the training aid rests on the feet.

7. The football training aid according to claim 6, wherein a pair of adjacent feet is provided with rollers, the rollers located outside of the quadrilateral area and configured to extend upwardly when the training aid rests on the feet;

the training aid being configurable between a resting configuration and a transportation configured, wherein in the resting configuration the training aid is carried on the feet, and in the transportation configuration the training aid is carried on the rollers.

8. The training aid according to any previous claims, wherein the upper structure comprises a lower front portion and an upper rear portion so that the mouth is provided at an inclination, the upper rear structure being at a higher elevation than the lower front portion when the training aid rests on the support means.

9. The training aid according to claim 8, wherein the lower front portion is at an elevation of approximately 2 metres and the upper rear portion at an elevation of approximately 2.5 metres.

10. The football training aid according to any previous claim, comprising:

a net carried by the frame and spanning the mouth;

wherein the net is configured to retain a football received into the mouth on a downwards trajectory.

11. The football training aid according to claim 10, comprising:

a curtain carried by the frame, the curtain configured to obstruct a view onto the net.

12. The football training aid according to any previous claim, wherein the upper portion has a generally quadrilateral shape with rounded corner portions, and the support means is connected to each of the rounded corner portions.

13. The training aid according to any previous claim, wherein the mouth has an extent along a first direction of approximately 2.5 metres, and the mouth has an extent along a second direction of approximately 2.75 metres, the first direction being different from the second direction.

14. The training aid according to any previous claim, wherein the frame is made from aluminium, and the upper structure and the support means are joined by a tungsten-inert-gas weld.

15. A method of manufacturing a football training aid, the method comprising:

providing an upper structure defining a mouth for receiving a football, the upper structure being made from aluminium;

providing a support means for carrying the upper structure, the support means comprising a plurality of legs made from aluminium;

securing the support means to the upper structure by tungsten-inert-gas welding so that the plurality of legs is splayed outwards.