JP4405380B2 - Leg positioning and training equipment for golfers - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to leg positioning and training equipment that helps golfers in achieving correct weight shifts during golf swings. The device of the present invention has a platform to which a rotatable foot base plate is attached. An ankle support extends upward from the foot base plate, and the ankle support is angle adjustable relative to a plane perpendicular to the foot base plate. The foot base plate and ankle support receive the golfer's hind legs and ankles when the golfer stands to address the ball. A strain gauge is operatively attached to the ankle support, which is responsive to pressure applied by the golfer to the ankle support during a golf swing. The strain gauge is operatively connected to a display attached to the platform so that it can be seen by the golfer during and after the golf swing. By calibrating the strain gauge to the series of lights on the display, the relative magnitude of the pressure applied to the ankle support during the golf swing is observed, and the shift in weight is necessary to correctly hit the golf ball. Necessary adjustments can be made as appropriate.

  Due to the extreme popularity of golf games around the world, literally hundreds, if not thousands, are being promoted to help golfers train their golfers to teach them the right swing or repeat the right swing. A variety of golf training aids can be easily found. Such instruments are readily available at retail stores and pro shops, and a number of prior art instruments are taught in previous patent literature. If some of the equipment is actually worn by the golfer, it can be said that the golfer stands almost in the “cage” while the golfer is practicing or improving the golf swing. Some are described.

  Despite the large number of such devices known in the prior art, there remains a need for a device that is simple, easily portable, durable, and that can provide virtually instantaneous feedback to the user. is there.

  The present invention specifically addresses the proper positioning of the golfer's hind legs and hind legs and provides a visual and immediate indication of weight shift to the hind legs during a golf swing. If the weight shift is excessive, the visual indicator can provide this information to the golfer to make corrections. If the weight shift is correct in getting the correct golf swing, an instantly visible indicator corresponding to the effect is displayed, allowing the golfer to continue his practice swing to complete the correct weight shift. .

The present invention is a leg positioning and training device for a golfer, which has a platform with a top surface and a bottom surface. A foot base plate is rotatably attached to the top surface of the platform, and an ankle support is attached to the foot base plate. The ankle support has a segment extending upward from the foot base plate, the segment being angle adjustable relative to a plane substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the platform. A strain gauge is operatively attached to the upstanding segment of the ankle support so that the force applied to it by the golfer is detected and measured by the strain gauge. An indicator is operatively connected to the strain gauge, positioned on the top surface of the platform so that it can be seen by the user of the instrument. The indicator has a plurality of lights, and one or more of these lights will be illuminated in response to the force applied to the strain gauge via the upright segment of the ankle support.
Therefore, the present invention has characteristics relating to the structure, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts exemplified in the configuration described below, and the scope of the present invention is defined based on the description of the claims.

  For a better understanding of the features and objects of the present invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Like reference symbols in the several drawings indicate like parts.
Referring to FIG. 1, the leg positioning and training device of the present invention is indicated generally at 10. The instrument 10 has a platform, generally indicated at 12, which is substantially rectangular in shape and has a top surface 14 and a bottom surface 16. A foot base plate 20 is rotatably attached to the top surface 14 by, for example, a pivot pin 18. An ankle support, generally indicated at 22, is attached to the foot base plate 20, which has a segment 24 that extends upwardly from the foot base plate 20. Also visible in FIG. 1 are a convenient handle 26 for transporting the instrument 10, an indicator 28 described in detail below, and a foot base plate lock 30 described in detail below.

  Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the instrument 10, and FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the instrument 10, showing the bottom surface 16. In FIG. 2, the rotation of the foot base plate 20 about the pivot pin 18 is indicated by an arrow A pointing in both directions. In this view, the foot base plate lock 30 has a locking tab 32 in this preferred embodiment, the locking tab 32 being in a operative relationship to the locking tab 32 and a locking detent formed on a segment of the foot base plate 20. It can also be seen that it can be releasably engaged. Depressing the lock tab 32 allows the foot base plate 20 to rotate as indicated by arrow A, and releasing the lock tab 32 results in engagement of the lock tab 32 with one or more of the lock detents 34. The base plate 20 becomes effectively “locked” in place.

  Considering both FIGS. 1 and 2, it can also be seen that the segment 24 of the foot support 22 has an inner surface 36 and an outer surface 38. Although not shown, it should be understood that the user's hind leg is placed on the foot base plate 20 such that the foot and ankle partially contact the inner surface 36 of the ankle support 22.

  With reference to FIGS. 4-7, side and end views of the instrument 10 are shown. Referring first to the end view of FIG. 7, the instrument 10 further includes means for allowing the segment 24 of the ankle support 22 to be angularly adjusted relative to a plane substantially perpendicular to the top surface 14 of the platform 12. is doing. This angle adjustment is indicated by arrows B pointing in both directions in FIGS. The adjustment is accomplished by turning the adjustment knob 40 so that a screw (not shown) attached to the knob 40 presses or moves away from the strip 42 extending along the height of the outer surface 38 as shown in FIG. This is achieved by causing an angular movement of the ankle support 22 as a result as indicated by the arrow B. This adjustment ensures correct engagement of the user's foot with the base plate 20 and ankle support 22 as well as the rotatable adjustment around the pivot pin 18.

  Moreover, the strain gauge 44 is visible in FIG. The strain gauge 44 is preferably attached to a strip 42 on the outer surface 38 of the ankle support 22 and receives the force applied to the ankle support 22 by the user of the device 10 during a golf swing. Is supposed to measure. This force is transmitted to the strain gauge 44 by the pressure applied to the inner surface 36 of the ankle support 22 by the user's foot and ankle during a golf swing. The strain gauge 44 may be any selected from a variety of such instruments that are well known and readily available on the market.

  The output of the strain gauge 44 is sent to the display 28 via a conductor (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2, the indicator is provided on the top surface 14 of the platform 12 so that it can be easily seen by the user of the instrument 10 when practicing a golf swing. Indicator 28 preferably comprises a plurality of indicator lights 46. The circuit is configured to illuminate at least one light 46 when the user is correctly positioned on the device 10 with his or her hind legs properly positioned on the base plate 20 and adjacent to the ankle support 22. . During a golf swing, the weight shifts to the user's hind legs, thereby creating pressure on the inner surface 36. This pressure is detected by the strain gauge 44 and a signal is sent to the indicator 28, thereby illuminating one or more additional lamps 46. In a preferred embodiment, the first series of lights 46 is preferably green and the second series of lights 46 is yellow. One or more of the lamps 46 may be red. In use, a weight shift during a golf swing sufficient to illuminate a green light represents a correct weight shift during the golf swing. One or more yellow light illuminations represent a greater weight shift, but are still at an acceptable level. If the weight shift is too great, the resulting pressure on the inner surface 36 will be very high, which will be displayed as a reject level by one or more red light illuminations. Of course, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to any particular number of lights and is not limited to these colors. In contrast, the structure of the device of the present invention is intended to provide the user with relatively instantaneous feedback on the user's swing balance, weight shift and leg movement. In this preferred embodiment, after each swing, the indicator light 46 is then lit for a period of time sufficient for the user to observe these conditions and the weight shift characteristics of the swing measured by the strain gauge 44. It remains. Next, a circuit is configured in which the display 28 and the strain gauge 44 are reset in preparation for the next swing. The instrument 10 may be battery powered or directly connected to a power source. Electrical connections and circuit configurations are current in the art and are readily available. As the most common example, the preferred embodiment is battery powered to increase the portability and utility of the instrument 10.

Thus, among the objects that have become apparent from the above description, the above objects have been achieved effectively, and certain changes can be made to the above examples without departing from the scope of the present invention, so they are included in the above description. It should be understood that all technical matters shown in the attached drawings or the attached drawings are illustrative and do not limit the present invention.
Further, the claims include all the features related to the genus and species of the present invention described, and all descriptions of the scope of the present invention considered to be included in the claims. It should also be understood.

1 is a perspective view of a leg positioning and training instrument of the present invention. FIG. It is a top view of the instrument shown in FIG. It is a bottom view of the instrument shown in FIG. It is a right view of the instrument shown in FIG. It is a left view of the instrument shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is an end view seen from below the instrument shown in FIG. 2. It is the end view seen from the instrument shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Leg positioning and training apparatus 12 Platform 14 Top surface 16 Bottom surface 18 Pivot pin 20 Foot base plate 22 Ankle support 28 Indicator 30 Lock 32 Lock tab 40 Adjustment tab

Claims (1)

A leg positioning and training device for golfers,
A platform with a top surface and a bottom surface;
A foot base plate rotatably attached to the top surface of the platform;
An ankle support attached to the ankle base plate, the ankle support having a segment extending upward from the ankle base plate, wherein the segment of the ankle support is perpendicular to the top surface of the platform. Can be adjusted with respect to a flat surface,
The golfer's leg positioning and training device further comprises:
A strain gauge operatively attached to the segment of the ankle support and capable of detecting a force applied to the segment of the ankle support;
An indicator operatively coupled to the strain gauge, the indicator being provided on the top surface of the platform so as to be visible to a user of the instrument, and by the user, the indicator of the ankle support. You can observe the display of the force applied to the segment,
The segment of the ankle support has an inner surface and an outer surface, and the strain gauge allows the strain gauge to detect a force applied to the inner surface of the segment of the ankle support. A leg positioning and training device for a golfer, characterized in that it is provided on said outer surface of a segment .

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