WO1998011957A1

WO1998011957A1 - Training aid for tennis and similar sports

Info

Publication number: WO1998011957A1
Application number: PCT/GB1997/002503
Authority: WO
Inventors: Hedley Stewart Grist; Michael William Gibbs
Original assignee: Hedley Stewart Grist; Michael William Gibbs
Priority date: 1996-09-18
Filing date: 1997-09-17
Publication date: 1998-03-26
Also published as: GB9619466D0; AU4216097A; GB2317345A

Abstract

A racquet sports training aid to develop the correct sensory-motor skills of the player in order to properly execute the forehand drive and backhand drive comprises a member (1) to locate the players hand, wrist and forearm in the correct spatial relationship, for each type of stroke, relative to the racquet handle and racquet head. The device has a simple means of attachment which does not interfere with the stroke being played. The device is proactive in the sense that the necessary relationship of the arm/wrist/hand and racquet position is held throughout the stroke thus eliminating incorrect or spontaneous movements that would otherwise inhibit the correct execution of the stroke.

Description

TRAINING AID FOR TENNIS AND SIMILAR SPORTS

This invention relates to a physical training aid for the coaching of racquet sports, especially tennis. Training aids are a common feature of many leading tennis clubs and training establishments. These include ball machines, target markers, video cameras, existing machines and special racquets. Such aids rely on the player understanding and interpreting the coach's verbal instructions and descriptions in order to practice and successfully execute the correct stroke. The problem of coaching a player, especially beginners and improvers, is the tendency of the player to make incorrect spontaneous movements in the execution of the stroke, despite being told not to do so by the coach.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a training aid comprising a substantially rigid device which is attached to or worn by the player and grippable onto the peripheral surface of the handle of the racquet, the aid setting the correct spatial relationship of the players hand, wrist and forearm to the racquet for a given type of stroke, e.g. fore-hand drive or back-hand drive. The use of such an aid can develop the correct feel for the stroke and develop the correct sensory motor skills of the player. Such an aid can be designed to reduce or prevent involuntary or spontaneous movements which tend to open the racquet face and will thus enhance and accelerate the players learning curve.

The aid can be designed to be universal in that it can fit all racquet grip sizes, be suitable for male and female beginners, improvers and intermediates, with scope for advance coaching, and be designed for training both fore-hand and back-hand drives. The change from fore-hand to back-hand can be achieved by rotating the grip through a suitable angle (say approximately 65 degrees) .

Means may be provided to secure the device to the handle. However, advanced trainees can be coached to play rallies using both fore-hand and back-hand drives with the racquet handle loosened from the aid - relying on natural hand grip.

Such an aid can also be designed to enable advanced training in developing acute racquet angle strokes for slow court surfaces such as clay and acrylic .

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a racquet sports training aid comprising a substantially rigid first portion having means by which it can be attached to the user's arm and/or wrist and a second substantially rigid portion extending relative to the first portion so that it can be positioned on the peripheral surface of a racquet handle beneath the user's grip, the first and second portions being attached to one another to define a predetermined angle or small range of angles (e.g. adjustment or flex over a range upto 10° or upto 15°) between a user's arm and the racquet handle.

The portions and their interconnection may be substantially rigid, e.g. the first and second portions could be made integrally with one another, or there could be a small amount deflection (5° or 10° for example) even though the first and second portions are formed integrally from a single piece of, say, aluminum. Other suitable materials include plastics, carbon fibre, wood and other metals.

Other, non-integral, constructions to create a device combining the first and second portions at a given, perhaps adjustable, angle are alternatively possible.

A means of attachment can be provided by way of straps or bands or glove or cuff to hold the hand, wrist and forearm in the correct position relative to the racquet handle throughout the stroke.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a lightweight training aid comprising a plastics, wood or metal - ferrous or non-ferrous - device which locates the player's hand, wrist and forearm relative to each other and in the correct position and relative to a racquet handle in order to play correct fore-hand and/or back-hand drives, the device being designed to sit under the player's hand and on the peripheral surface of the handle.

Other possible features are explained below and are set out in the attached claims. For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which :-

Figure 1 shows the player in the ready position with a fore-hand grip;

Figure 2 shows a training aid attached to the racquet handle ;

Figure 3 shows the training aid of Figure 2 gripped in the fore-hand drive position; Figure 4 shows the aid resting on the racquet handle for the fore-hand position;

Figure 5 shows the player in the ready position with a back-hand grip;

Figure 6 shows the aid resting on the racquet handle for the back-hand position;

Figure 7 shows the aid gripped in the back-hand position;

Figure 8 shows a side view of the aid; Figure 9 shows an end view of the aid; Figure 10 shows a plan view of the aid; and

Figure 11 is a view in the direction of arrow A of Figure 10 .

A preferred embodiment will now be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11. Broadly speaking this embodiment is a training aid for racquet sports, especially tennis, wherein the aid is constituted by a device which is held on the peripheral surface of the racquet handle by the player's natural grip and has means for releasably attaching the device to the player's lower arm or wrist in order to hold the arm, wrist and racquet in the correct spatial relationship

<_ for a given type of stroke, e.g. fore-hand drive or back-hand drive.

Turning to Figure 1, this shows the intended forehand ready position for a tennis player. It is noted that in this position the racquet face is in a plane which makes an angle of between 20° and 26° (approximately 23°) with the vertical. As will be explained below, this ready position also involves setting the wrist to achieve an angle in a desired range for wrist flexion (i.e. bending of the wrist so that the knuckles turn towards the upper arm) and an angle in a desired range for abduction (bending of the wrist so that the thumb moves in the direction towards the inner side of the arm when the palm is facing downwardly.

Figure 2 is a side view of the training aid, generally denoted 1 , shown releasably attached to a racquet handle 2. Figure 3 shows a similar view but with the player's arm and hand in the fore-hand position.

It will be seen that this preferred embodiment comprises a unitary member 3 which has a substantially rigid first portion 4 which can be releasably attached to the player's lower arm or wrist area by means of straps or bands 5. These straps or bands may incorporate securing means such as buckles or hook-type securing material such as that sold under the trademark "Velcro". As will be made clear hereinafter, the first portion 4 has a concave surface which faces generally upwardly and to the left in, and slightly into the plane of, Figure 2. The device also has an integral second portion 6 which engages the peripheral surface of the racquet handle and has a concave racquet engaging surface which faces downwardly. The first and second portions are held together by a third, joining, portion 7 at a substantially fixed angle of flexion of 60° (included angle 120°) , although in more generality this angle will normally be in the range from 45° to 70° and preferably from 55° to 65°. In the preferred embodiment an angle 59° to 61° has been found suitable for a device which will not only be useful in fore-hand training but also in the back-hand position, as will be discussed below.

What will be made more apparent from subsequent figures is the fact that the first portion 4 is not only at an angle to the second portion 6 in the plane of Figure 2 but also extends in a direction out of the plane of Figure 2 by an angle to achieve a certain angle of abduction, i.e. flexure of the wrist in the sense that the thumb moves towards the inner arm. Subsequent figures will show this angle to be about 45° and in general it will normally be in the range from 35° to 55°, preferably in the range 40° to 50°. The preferred embodiment is selected to be in the range from 44° to 46°, enabling this embodiment to be suitable not only for fore-hand but also back-hand use.

As will also be made clear hereinafter, the first portion 4 extends generally in a plane which is skew relative to the plane in which the second portion 6 generally extends. An angle of skew between 14° and 16° has been selected for the preferred embodiment but one should think more generally of a skew in the range from, say, 12° to 20° .

As is apparent from Figure 3, the second portion 6 is gripped onto the periphery of the racquet handle 2 by the player's normal grip. Nevertheless, the preferred embodiment has provision for releasably securing the second portion 6 to the handle and in this embodiment these means are shown as releasable straps 8 which, again, can be releasably secured by buckles, hook-type securing means or the like. These various straps or bindings 5 and 8 may be secured to the device 1 in a variety of ways including integral moulding, rivets, engagement through slots in the device 1 and so forth. It can even be contemplated that at least some of the straps be replaced by means such as a glove, gauntlet or cuff.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the device 1 positioned on a racquet handle with the player's arm and hand not shown and from such an angle that one can see that the first portion 4 has a generally concave format, is offset out of the plane of the paper of Figure 2 and additionally has a skew generated by a twist in the portion 7 of the device.

Figure 5 shows a tennis player standing in the ready position for a back-hand drive. In this case, the plane of the racquet face is at an angle of about 42° (38° to 46°) from the vertical. It is to be noted that this involves a displacement of about 65° from the position shown in Figure 1, yet the preferred form of the device as already described can accommodate both positions. This is achieved simply by releasing any straps or binding attaching the second portion 6 to the racquet handle and by rotating the racquet through about 65°, whereafter it will adopt the configuration shown in Figure 6. Because of the concave configuration of the second portion 6, that portion again rests on the curved periphery of the racquet handle and can be releasably secured in such a position with the player's hand gripping that portion onto the racquet .

Figure 7 shows the back-hand position with the player gripping the racquet .

The device 1 itself can clearly be manufactured in a variety of ways and in a variety of materials or combinations of materials appropriate to the function and appearance of the aid. Thus, sufficient rigidity (flex of upto 15°) and lightness (50 to 100 gr., preferably 54 to 62 gr.) would be taken into account. Thus, one can contemplate plastics moulding, reinforced plastics matrix, such as carbon fibre, pressing out of aluminum, casting, forging, and stamping. A variety of these techniques could be applied to aluminium alloys, stainless steel and so forth. Wood is yet another suitable material. Moreover the device may be trimmed in material to give it an attractive appearance but more importantly the concave surface of the second portion 6 may be provided with a high friction surface. This may be achieved by a formation on the surface of the device itself or there may be material applied to that surface, in each case to give sufficiently high friction substantially to avoid relative movement of the second portion axially of the handle whilst in use. Figure 8 is a side view of the device 1 without its straps or binding; it has a dimension X of about 105mm and a dimension Y of about 110mm. The angle of flexion between the first and second portions in the plane of the paper is about 60° as already described.

Figure 9 is a corresponding end view showing that the first portion is displaced out of the plane of the paper of Figure 8 by about 45°.

Figure 10 is a corresponding plan view, again showing the displacement of the first portion and additionally showing that the first and second portions have a width Z of about 36mm.

Finally, Figure 11 is a view in the direction of Arrow A of Figure 10 and shows the skew of the first portion of about 15° relative to the axis of the second portion.

In the above description suggestions for ranges of angles have been provided and there has also been an implication that the device is made with rigid angles between its first and second portions. Whilst this may be substantially true in some embodiments, it will be appreciated that the material may be such that a range of flexure may be built into most of these angles so that they vary by a small amount (say plus and minus 5° or 10°) in use. One might even contemplate the provision of means joining the first and second portions for adjusting the angles to suit different players and different circumstances.

Claims

1. A racquet sports training aid comprising a first portion having means by which it can be attached to the user's arm and/or wrist and a second portion extending relative to the first portion so that it can be positioned on the peripheral surface of a racquet handle beneath the user's grip, the first and second portions being attached to one another to define a predetermined angle (or range of angles) between a user's arm and the racquet handle.

2. An aid according to claim 1 wherein the attachment means for the first portion comprises a releasable and adjustable strap arrangement.

3. An aid according to claim 2 wherein the attachment means comprise straps with buckles.

4. An aid according to claim 2 wherein the attachment means comprises straps with hook-type fastenings.

5. An aid according to claim 1 wherein the attachment means for the first portion comprises a glove, gauntlet or cuff.

6. An aid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein releasable attachment means are provided for releasably attaching the second portion to a racquet handle .

7. An aid according to claim 6 wherein the attachment means for the second portion comprises a releasable and adjustable strap arrangement.

8. An aid according to claim 7 wherein the attachment means for the second portion comprise straps with buckles.

9. An aid according to claim 7 wherein the attachment means for the second portion comprises straps with hook-type fastenings.

10. An aid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first and second portions constitute parts of a member incorporating means for holding the portions at the predetermined angle.

11. An aid according to claim 10 wherein the member permits an amount of deflection (upto 15°) in use between the first and second portions.

12. An aid according to claim 10 or 11 wherein the holding means are adjustable for adjusting the angle or angles between the first and second portions.

13. An aid according to claim 10 or 11 wherein the member is of unitary construction.

14. An aid according to any one of claims 10 to 13 wherein the member is of metal, e.g. aluminium.

15. An aid according to any one of claims 10 to 13 wherein the member is of reinforced plastics matrix, such as carbon fibre.

16. An aid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the first portion has a concave side for contacting the user's lower arm.

17. An aid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second portion has a concave side for contacting a racquet handle.

18. An aid according to claim 16 and 17 wherein said concave sides are on substantially opposite sides of the aid.

19. An aid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the second portion has a racquet handle engaging surface portion of sufficiently high friction substantially to avoid relative movement of the second portion axially of a handle.

20. An aid according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said predetermined angle includes a predetermined angle of flexion and a predetermined angle of abduction.

21. An aid according to claim 20 wherein the angle of flexion is in the range 45° to 70°.

22. An aid according to claim 21, wherein the flexion angle is in the range from 55° to 65°.

23. An aid according to claim 22 when the flexion angle is in the range from 59° to 61°.

24. An aid according to any one of claims 20 to 23 wherein the angle of abduction is in the range 35° to 55°.

25. An aid according to claim 24 wherein the abduction angle is in the range from 40° to 50°.

26. An aid according to claim 25 wherein the abduction angle is in the range from 44 to 46°.

27. An aid according to any one of claims 20 to 26, when appended to claim 10, wherein the holding means incorporates a twist allowing the second portion to extend generally in a plane which is skew relative to the first portion.

28. An aid according to claim 27, wherein the angle of the skew is in the range from 12° to 20°.

29. An aid according to claim 28, wherein the angle of skew is in the range from 14° to 16°.

30. A training aid comprising a plastics, wood or metal - ferrous or non-ferrous - device which locates the players hand, wrist and forearm relative to each other and in the correct position and relative to a racquet handle in order to play correct fore-hand and/or back-hand drives, the device being designed to sit under the player's hand and on the peripheral surf ce of the handle .

31. An aid according to claim 30 and comprising a means of attachment by way of straps or bands or cuff or glove to hold the hand, wrist and forearm in the correct position relative to a racquet handle throughout the stroke .

32. A training aid comprising a substantially rigid device which is attached to or worn by the player and grippable onto the peripheral surface of the handle of the racquet, the aid setting the correct spatial relationship of the players hand, wrist and forearm to the racquet for a given type of stroke, e.g. fore-hand drive or back-hand drive.

33. A training aid according to any one of the preceding claims and of a weight from 50 to 100 gr. (preferably 54 to 62 gr.).