WO2013026156A1

WO2013026156A1 - Stick handling training glove

Info

Publication number: WO2013026156A1
Application number: PCT/CA2012/050564
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel REJA
Original assignee: Seize And Persist Inc.
Priority date: 2011-08-19
Filing date: 2012-08-16
Publication date: 2013-02-28
Also published as: CA2845418A1

Abstract

A method of stick handling training and a glove for stick handling training are described. Stick handling involves providing torque to a proximal end of a stick with a rotating hand while resting the stick shaft across the palm of a supporting hand. The method comprises inhibiting the grasping ability of the supporting hand. The glove comprises a palmar piece that reduces the gripping ability of the glove.

Description

STICK HANDLING TRAINING GLOVE

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to stick handling training techniques, and more particularly to a glove for stick handling training.

Description of the Related Art

Hockey and lacrosse are popular sports at both amateur and professional levels. Both sports have subtypes with significant variation in rules and equipment. The major subtypes of hockey include ice hockey, field hockey, floor hockey, ball hockey, inline hockey, roller hockey, street hockey, and broomball. The major subtypes of lacrosse include men's field lacrosse, women's lacrosse, box lacrosse and intercrosse.

Both hockey and lacrosse, involve two opposing teams of players each carrying a stick with which to maneuver a ball or a puck with the objective of placing the ball or the puck in the opponent's goal. A player in possession of the ball or puck typically has three choices, shoot, pass or maintain possession. Stick handling is a skill that a player can use to maintain possession.

In both hockey and lacrosse, a generic stick comprises a single shaft, which when held by a player, comprises a proximal end, a central portion, and a distal end, with the distal end attached or integrated with a surface for contacting a ball or puck. Players stick handle by placing a rotating hand at the proximal end of the shaft and by placing a supporting hand on the central portion of the shaft in between the location of the rotating hand and the distal end of the shaft.

When stick handling, the rotating hand squeezes the proximal end of the shaft and provides torque for rotation of the shaft along its longitudinal axis. The supporting hand supports the weight of the stick, holds the shaft relatively loosely and changes its location on the central portion of the shaft depending on the position of the stick. For example, as the ball or puck contacting surface of the stick is moved further away from a player's body the supporting hand is typically placed closer to the rotating hand, and vice versa. Some players are able to achieve moderate success in stickhandling by gripping the shaft with the supporting hand and moving the supporting hand in a back and forth lateral motion. However, any stick handling technique involving a constant firm grip of the supporting hand is considered inefficient and will eventually limit a player from achieving a high level of stick handling skill. Thus, trainers and coaches consistently discourage players from gripping the shaft with the supporting hand.

US Patent No 7857717 (Martin) discloses a hockey stick apparatus for stick handling training and methods of stick handling training. The hockey stick apparatus comprises an upper portion, a middle portion, and a bottom portion with a blade. The upper portion of the stick is rigidly coupled to the bottom portion by a rod and the middle portion is rotatably coupled to the rod such that providing torque to the upper portion with a rotating hand causes the bottom portion and blade to rotate without rotating the middle portion provided that the middle portion is gripped by the supporting hand. Thus, the hockey stick apparatus requires a supporting hand grip that contradicts accepted techniques of stick handling. Furthermore, the need to maintain a supporting hand grip on the middle portion prevents the practicing player from learning a full range of motion of sliding the supporting hand up and down the shaft depending on the distance of the stick from the player's body.

Accordingly, there is a continuing need for stick handling training products and methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an aspect there is provided, a stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a palmar piece coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the palmar piece located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the palmar piece having a reduced gripping ability compared to the palm sheet.

In another aspect there is provided, a stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a palmar piece coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the palmar piece located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the palmar piece having a surface for receiving a stick shaft and having a greater stiffness than the palm sheet. In yet another aspect there is provided, a stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a palmar piece coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the palmar piece located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the palmar piece having a concave surface for receiving a stick shaft.

In yet even another aspect there is provided, a stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a grip reducing means coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the grip reducing means located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the grip reducing means having a greater stiffness than the palm sheet.

In still another aspect there is provided, a stick handling training glove comprising: a palm sheet,

a dorsal sheet,

a thumb sheath,

four finger sheaths, and

a stick receptacle having a Young's Modulus of at least about 50 MPa coupled to the palm sheet,

wherein at least a portion of the stick receptacle located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths.

In still yet another aspect there is provided, a stick handling training glove comprising:

a palm surface formulated to be more slippery and less flexible than CLARINO brand micro fiber material,

a dorsal sheet,

a thumb sheath,

four finger sheaths, and

wherein at least a portion of the palm surface located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths. In a further aspect there is provided, a method of stick handling training using a stick having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end connected to a puck or ball contacting surface, comprising

gripping the proximal end with a first hand,

inhibiting the gripping ability of the second hand,

resting the shaft on the palm of the second hand at a location on the shaft that is distal to the first hand, and

rotating the shaft by applying torque with the first hand.

In a still further aspect there is provided a stick handling training glove comprising: a palm sheet,

a dorsal sheet,

a thumb sheath,

four finger sheaths, and

a stick receptacle coupled to the palm sheet, the stick receptacle comprising a concave surface having a radius of curvature sized to receive a stick shaft and a central axis aligned with a generally transverse direction of the palm sheet,

at least a portion of the stick receptacle located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows a top plan view of a human hand;

Figure 2 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a quarter pipe palmar piece;

Figure 3 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a half pipe palmar piece;

Figure 4 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a palmar piece having a curved side and a flat side;

Figure 5 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a half pipe palmar piece with extended arms;

Figure 6 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a full pipe palmar piece with a removable section; Figure 7 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a full pipe palmar piece with a reversibly removable section;

Figure 8 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a flat palmar piece covering the palm surface;

Figure 9 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a flat palmar piece and a plurality of flat finger pieces;

Figure 10 shows a side perspective view of a variant of the hockey glove shown in Figure 4;

Figure 11 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a three-quarter pipe palmar piece;

Figure 12 shows a side perspective view of a hockey glove comprising a palmar piece that tapers from a half pipe to a quarter pipe along its axial length.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Now referring to the drawings, an ice hockey glove configured for stick handling training will be described.

A hockey glove conforms to the anatomy of a human hand. Thus, a location or structural feature within a hockey glove may be specified using corresponding anatomical terms for the human hand.

Figure 1 shows a human hand 2 having a palm surface 4, a dorsal surface (not shown), a medial side 6 and a lateral side 8. A thumb 11, an index finger 12, a middle finger 13, a ring finger 14 and a little finger 15 extend from the palm.

Most anatomical texts describe the reference position of a hand as placed beside the hips of a standing person with the palms facing forward such that the little finger 15 extends from and generally parallel with the medial side 6 of the palm, the thumb extends from the lateral side 8 of the palm, the back of the hand is the dorsal surface (not shown) and the front of the hand is the palm surface 4. The thumb and each finger have a palm side, a dorsal side, a medial side and a lateral side. A longitudinal direction of the hand extends between the wrist and the fingertips, while a transverse direction of the hand extends between the medial and lateral sides. The bones of the thumb and the fingers are called phalanges or phalanx bones. Each of the four fingers has a proximal phalanx 20 comprising the base of the finger, a middle phalanx 22 and a distal phalanx 24 comprising the tip of the finger. The thumb 11 does not have a middle phalanx, and only has a proximal phalanx 26 comprising the base of the thumb and a distal phalanx 28 comprising the tip of the thumb.

The joints formed by the phalanx bones mirror the terminology for the bones themselves, with each finger having a proximal joint 30, a middle joint 32, and a distal joint 34, and the thumb having a proximal joint 36 and a distal joint 38. Proximal joint 30 defines the base of each finger and proximal joint 36 defines the base of the thumb. Joints are often referenced using the names of the bones that are connected. For example, the proximal joints

30,36 may be cumulatively referred to as metacarpo-phalangeal joints, as these joints connect the metacarpal bones of the palm (or metacarpus) with the proximal phalanx bone of the thumb and each finger. Similarly, middle joint 32 and distal joint 34 of the fingers may be referred to as proximal and distal interphalangeal joints, respectively. Distal joint 38 of the thumb may be referred to as an interphalangeal joint.

Skin creases on the palm surface are useful landmarks for describing a location on the palm, as well as identifying regions of flexion in the grasping motion of the hand. The palm has three longitudinal and two transverse creases that are found on most human hands.

The longitudinal creases are the thenar 40, the central (not shown) and the hypothenar (not shown). The most constant and easily differentiated is the thenar crease 40, due to the wide mobility of the carpo-metacarpal joint of the thumb. The central and hypothenar creases (not shown) are a reflection of the mobility at the carpo-metacarpal joints of the ring and little fingers.

The two transverse creases shown in Figure 1 are the proximal and the distal. The distal crease 44 starts at the medial side 6 of the hand and finishes in between the middle and index fingers, as most of the hand functions are done with the little, ring, and middle fingers in flexion for a power grasp, while the index and the thumb remain in extension for precision manipulation. The proximal crease 42 starts at the lateral side 8 of the hand along with the longitudinal thenar crease. Flexion of the metacarpo-phalangeal joints is generally located in a transverse line between the origin of the distal crease 44 on the medial side 6 and the proximal crease 42 on the lateral side 8.

The structure of a hockey glove can be described using corresponding anatomical terms for the human hand. Thus, the padded hockey glove 50 shown in the drawings comprises a palm sheet and a dorsal sheet, the palm sheet being formed of a flexible palm sheet material 52 which along with a relatively rigid cuff 54 at the wrist area and the dorsal sheet of the glove forms a hollow glove body with access to the interior thereof being through an opening within cuff. The cuff may be tightened about the wrist of the wearer once the hand is inserted within the cuff opening. The dorsal and palm sheet material portions define for the body member four finger sheaths from the little finger sheath to the index finger sheath, and a thumb sheath for reception of the thumb of the wearer. Each finger sheath and the thumb sheath can be oriented as having a palm side, a dorsal side, a lateral side, a medial side, a tip and a base.

Traditionally, the palm sheet material portion 52 (sections of which are more than one ply) comprises top grain boar hide which gives maximum strength to this portion of the glove along with the flexibility needed to permit the wearer to readily grasp the handle or shaft of the hockey stick (not shown). Furthermore, waterproofing material may be supplied to both sides of the palm sheet material, typically in the form of silicone, giving longer life to the leather, preventing shrinking and hardening of the leather palm and reducing the general deterioration of the leather due to loss of natural oil. Currently, synthetic options for the palm sheet material have been developed with these synthetic materials approximating the feel and properties of soft leather or suede.

The dorsal sheet of the glove is heavily padded between the cuff 54 and the base of the four finger sheaths. Padding is also provided on the dorsal side of each finger sheath. The thumb sheath, on its dorsal side, is provided with relatively rigid padding in the form of separate abutting portions extending completely from the cuff 54 to the tip of the thumb sheath.

Hockey glove makers actively pursue improvements in palm sheet material. The palm sheet material stretches from the cuff to the tip of the finger sheaths. Ideally, the palm of a glove should be firm-fitting from the thumb area across all fingers to the medial side of the palm. This fit should be firm— not tight. Players typically do not want to have a lot of excess room, or slip in the hand. If there is excess room in the palm, as the player grabs the stick, the glove will move and a player will never get a good feel of the stick. The palm sheet material is typically designed to enhance the grip of a player.

Glove makers use different materials for the palms of their gloves. Hockey glove palm sheets are generally constructed with one or two layers of material that feels like a cross between soft leather and suede. Examples of synthetic palm sheet materials are Nash, Clarino, MSH1 and Lycra. Nash, currently the most popular synthetic material, has the feel of suede. Clarino, which is a man-made "leather," is also popular. Some glove makers still use natural leather, while others use a combination of natural and synthetic materials.

Now referring to Figure 2, a training glove 50 for practicing ice hockey stick handling is shown. The training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 100 coupled to the palm sheet material 52. The piece 100 is coupled to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie the metacarpophalangeal finger joints of a player's hand. The piece is made of a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) material which is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 100 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 100 inhibits flexion of the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints.

The piece 100 is shaped as a longitudinal quarter pipe section providing a concave surface channel 102 for receiving a shaft of a hockey stick. The piece 100 has a first edge 104 generally parallel and proximal to the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a second edge 106 generally parallel and proximal to the transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. Piece 100 is asymmetrically positioned during coupling to the palm sheet material such that first edge 104 is closer to the palm sheet material than second edge 106.

In Figure 3, the training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 110 coupled to the palm sheet material 52. The piece 110 is coupled to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints of a player's hand. The piece is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material which is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 110 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 110 inhibits flexion of the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints.

The piece 110 is shaped as a longitudinal half pipe section providing a concave surface channel 112 for receiving a shaft of a hockey stick. The piece 110 has a first edge 114 generally parallel and proximal to the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a second edge 116 generally parallel and proximal to the transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. Piece 110 is symmetrically positioned during coupling to the palm sheet material such that first edge 114 and second edge 116 extend an equal distance from the exterior surface of the palm sheet material.

In Figure 4, the training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 130 coupled to the palm sheet material 52. The piece 130 is coupled to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints of a player's hand. The piece is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material which is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 130 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 130 inhibits flexion of the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints, the metacarpophalangeal thumb joint, and the proximal interphalangeal finger joints.

The piece 130 is shaped as an arc providing a concave surface 132 for receiving a shaft of a hockey stick. The piece 130 has a first edge 134 generally parallel with the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a second edge 136 generally parallel and proximal to the transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece 130 has a first flat portion 138 extending from the first edge 134 to the concave surface 132, as well as a second fiat portion 140 extending from the second edge 136 to the concave surface 132. First fiat portion 138 is approximately twice as long as second fiat portion 140. Piece 130 is asymmetrically positioned during coupling to the palm sheet material such that first edge 134 and first flat portion 138 lie substantially flat along the exterior surface of the palm sheet material while the second flat portion 140 extends substantially perpendicularly from the exterior surface of the palm sheet material.

In Figure 5, the training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 150 coupled to the palm sheet material 52. The piece 150 is coupled to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints of a player's hand. The piece is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material which is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 150 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 150 inhibits flexion of the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints, the metacarpophalangeal thumb joint, the interphalangeal thumb joint, and the proximal interphalangeal index finger joint.

The piece 150 is shaped as a longitudinal half pipe section providing a concave surface channel 152 for receiving a shaft of a hockey stick. The piece 150 has a first edge 154 generally parallel and proximal to the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a second edge 156 generally parallel and proximal to the transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. At the lateral end of piece 150 a first arm 158 extends from first edge 154 and a second arm 160 extends from second edge 156. First arm

158 and second arm 160 are both curved and both extend in a line consistent with the curvature of the concave surface channel 152. First arm 158 is coupled to the palm side of the thumb sheath of glove 50. Second arm 160 is coupled to the palm side of the index finger sheath of glove 50. Piece 150 is symmetrically positioned during coupling to the palm sheet material such that first edge 154 and second edge 156 extend an equal distance from the exterior surface of the palm sheet material.

In Figure 6, the training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 170 coupled to the palm sheet material 52. The piece 170 is coupled to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints of a player's hand. The piece is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material which is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 170 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 170 inhibits flexion of the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints, the proximal and distal interphalangeal finger joints, the metacarpo-phalangeal thumb joint, and the interphalangeal thumb joint.

The piece 170 is shaped as a pipe providing a concave surface channel 172 for receiving a shaft of a hockey stick. The piece 170 has a perimeter 174 and a longitudinal axis generally parallel with the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and generally parallel with the transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. Piece 170 comprises a plurality of longitudinal score lines 176 at regular intervals along approximately half of the perimeter 174. Sections of piece 170 may be removed by breaking at least two of the plurality of score lines 176. Depending on the score lines selected for breakage, piece 170 can be converted from a full pipe shape to a longitudinal three quarter pipe, two third pipe or half pipe section.

In Figure 7, the training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 190 coupled to the palm sheet material 52. The piece 190 is coupled to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints of a player's hand. The piece is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material which is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 190 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 190 inhibits flexion of the metacarpo-phalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints, the proximal and distal interphalangeal finger joints, and the metacarpo-phalangeal thumb joint.

The piece 190 is shaped as a longitudinal two-third pipe section providing a concave surface channel 192 for receiving a shaft of a hockey stick. The piece 190 has a first edge 194 generally parallel with the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a second edge 196 generally parallel with the transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. Piece 190 is symmetrically positioned during coupling to the palm sheet material such that first edge 194 and second edge 196 extend an equal distance from the exterior surface of the palm sheet material. Optionally, longitudinal one-third pipe section 198 is provided to mate with piece 190 via a tongue and groove fit in order to reversibly form a full pipe shape.

In Figure 8, the training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 210 coupled to the exterior surface palm sheet material 52. The piece 210 is coupled along the entire periphery of the palm sheet material as well as to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie the entire palm sheet material except for the palm side of the thumb sheath, and as such may be constructed as a palm sheet material laminate or may itself provide the palm surface. The piece is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material that has been softened and made more flexible with the addition of a plasticizer. Thus, the PVC material used for piece 210 is more flexible than the PVC material used for piece 190, but piece 210 is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 210 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 190 inhibits flexion of the metacarpophalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints, the proximal and distal interphalangeal finger joints, and the metacarpo-phalangeal thumb joint. Furthermore, the PVC material for piece 210 is formulated to be more slippery than a conventional palm sheet material. The piece 210 is shaped to cover substantially all of palm sheet material 52, extending transversely from the lateral edge to the medial edge of the palm sheet material and longitudinally from the cuff 54 at edge 214 to the tips 216 of the finger sheaths.

In Figure 9, the training glove 50 comprises a palmar piece 230 coupled to the exterior surface palm sheet material 52. The piece 230 is coupled along the entire periphery of the palm sheet material extending transversely from the medial to the lateral edge of the palm and longitudinally from the base of the palm 234 to the base of the finger sheath 236 as well as to a portion of the palm sheet material located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath 56 and a transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths 58. The piece is located to overlie a major portion of the palm sheet material, and as such may be constructed as a palm sheet material laminate. The piece is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material that has been softened and made more flexible with the addition of a plasticizer. Thus, the PVC material used for piece 230 is more flexible than the PVC material used for piece 190, but piece 230 is relatively rigid compared to the flexible nature of the palm sheet material. Consequently, the piece 230 interferes with the flexibility of the palm sheet material and inhibits the grasping motion of a player's hand. Without wishing to be bound by mechanism, the piece 190 inhibits flexion of the metacarpophalangeal finger joints, and to a lesser extent inhibits flexion of carpo-metacarpal joints. Furthermore, the PVC material for piece 230 is formulated to be more slippery than a conventional palm sheet material.

The piece 230 is shaped to cover a major portion of the palm sheet material 52, extending transversely from the lateral edge to the medial edge of the palm and longitudinally from the cuff 54 at edge 234 to the base 236 of the finger sheaths. Additional grip inhibition is provided by discrete pieces 238 and 240 made of the same material as piece 230 and located near the base and tip of each finger sheath.

Method of stick handling training.

Use of the training glove described herein to foster proper ice hockey stick handling technique will now be described. For ice hockey stick handling, the supporting hand is the bottom hand that loosely holds the shaft of the hockey stick, while the rotating hand is the top hand that firmly grips the proximal or top end of the shaft. Ice hockey experts say that with a moderate amount of practice, it can take 10 years to develop superb stick handling skills. When starting at the age of 5, by the age of 10, the player can understand the philosophy and proper mechanics of stick handling. With technique specific training, a player's hand speed, flexibility, and range of motion can all be increased over a period of time. Proper techniques include squeezing the rotating hand and having a firm grip at the proximal or top end of the stick shaft. This grip allows full mobility of the wrist on the top hand. Big tape knobs will cause a slightly lower grip. The portion of the stick and tape that protrudes out the back of the hand reduces the mobility of the wrist.

With proper stick handling technique, the rotating hand provides for good puck control and allows a player to roll the wrist of the rotating hand and cradle the puck away from the body, as well as, in tight.

The supporting hand which is the lower hand on the shaft, while performing stick handling can be placed anywhere from a half inch from the top hand to the hozzle of the stick, where the blade begins depending on player's wingspan or reach. During stick handling, and until the player is opting to pass or shoot, the player's supporting hand may be constantly moving throughout the length of the stick. It could move anywhere from one eight inch to the full length of the shaft. Teaching a player this technique and range of motion can not only increase a player's stick handling ability, but also reduce risk of injuries and vulnerable playing positions.

In use, the training glove provided herein is worn on the supporting hand of the player. For ice hockey stick handling, the supporting hand is the bottom hand that loosely holds the shaft of the hockey stick, while the rotating hand is the top hand that firmly grips the proximal end of the shaft. By wearing training glove while practicing stick handling technique, the practicing player intuitively learns the proper wrist, hand, and arm motions for ice hockey stick handling.

With the training glove on the supporting hand, the player is inhibited from grasping the shaft of the stick by the stiffening piece and learns to hold the shaft loosely, either in a closed loop formed by the thumb and index finger or in a slightly opened hand. The palm of the supporting hand faces upward away from the practice surface under a bottom side of the stick shaft, with the shaft being received in the stiffening piece of the training glove. The arm of the supporting hand hangs straight down from the shoulder and the supporting hand is used to gently lift the stick blade over the top of the puck while the arm laterally translates the stick back and forth between the two end positions of a typical stick handling motion. Thus, the player learns to stick handle with the supporting hand providing substantially no torque to the stick shaft.

As the practicing player is inhibited from providing torque with the supporting hand, he learns to deliver torque using the rotating hand. The rotating hand is the upper hand on the shaft and delivers substantially all of the torque to the stick shaft by a quick and powerful twist of the wrist and forearm. The wrist and forearm remain substantially fixed in one position during stick handling, e.g. with the elbow bent to position the rotating hand on the stick approximately adjacent to the hip joint. In a first end position the wrist of the rotating hand is fully twisting in one direction facing the palm of the rotating hand substantially upward or facing away from the practice surface. In a second end position where the stick shaft is on the opposite side of the puck and the puck is on the opposite side of the player, the wrist and forearm are twisted in the opposite direction and the palm of the rotating hand faces substantially downward toward the practice surface. Accordingly, the player learns to use the wrist and forearm of the rotating hand to twist the stick shaft alternately in opposite rotational directions to deliver a high amount of torque to the stick shaft. In order to deliver the torque, the player learns to grip the proximal or top end of the stick shaft tightly with the rotating hand through the entire motion.

Wearing the training glove on the supporting hand forces the player to develop proper wrist, hand and forearm motions of the rotating hand to stick handle. Thus, when the player removes the training glove and wears a conventional hockey glove on the supporting hand he is able to avoid a cheating lateral motion of the supporting hand to deliver a moving force to a puck on ice. The removal of a player's tendency to cheat by using lateral motion of the supporting hand to move the puck is an important training step, as such a lateral motion is inefficient and will generally not lead to the player achieving a high proficiency at stick handling skills. Although a player may achieve some success with this motion, it is not a desirable motion for stick handling and its use will ultimately cause the player to perform below a level that coaches find acceptable. When practicing with the training glove, the stiffening piece inhibits the player from grasping the shaft with the supporting hand, and therefore the supporting hand provides minimal assistance in providing torque to the stick shaft or in providing a driving force to the puck. As a result of the minimal assistance provided by the supporting hand, the player intuitively learns range of motion as well as building muscle strength in the player's rotating hand.

The training glove is extremely effective not only while learning the art of stick handling, but also while becoming a faster and better stick handler.

Being a glove and not a modified stick, the player intuitively discovers his range of motion with the training glove in a very short period of time.

Having a palmar piece with an open surface allows a player to easily receive or remove the stick shaft from the supporting hand while performing drills that involve going back and forth from two hands on the shaft to one hand (ie, the rotating hand).

Palmar piece function and material properties.

The purpose of the palmar piece is to reduce the gripping ability of a glove. The palmar piece can achieve this purpose by having a greater stiffness, greater hardness, greater slipperiness, or greater smoothness than the palm sheet of a glove. Individually or in any combination, material properties of stiffness, hardness, slipperiness or smoothness of the palmar piece will be sufficient to reduce the gripping ability of a glove.

The palmar piece is typically coupled to a palm sheet and can be located at an interior surface of a palm sheet, within the palm sheet, at an exterior surface of the palm sheet, or any combination thereof. When the palmar piece is located exclusively within the palm sheet or at the interior surface of the palm sheet, reduction of the gripping ability of the glove will typically be due to palmar piece properties of greater stiffness and/or greater hardness than a conventional palm sheet material. When the palmar piece presents at least one surface at the exterior surface of the palm sheet, reduction of the gripping ability of the glove may be due to palmar piece properties of greater stiffness, greater hardness, greater slipperiness, greater smoothness tor any combination thereof compared to corresponding properties in a conventional palm sheet material. When the palmar piece has at least a portion located at the exterior surface of the palm sheet and the palmar piece provides a surface for receiving or engaging or contacting a stick shaft, the palmar piece can be considered a stick receptacle. When stick handling, the stick shaft is placed transversely across the palm of the supporting hand generally parallel with and predominantly in between the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath and the transverse line running along the base of the finger sheaths. Accordingly, locating at least a portion of the palmar piece between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths provides a stick receptacle position that is consistent with a location of the supporting hand that receives the stick shaft. Thus, at least a portion of the palmar piece may be located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of any one of the four finger sheaths. Alternatively, at least a portion of the palmar piece may be located between the base of the thumb sheath and the bases of any plurality of the four finger sheaths. Furthermore, without wishing to be bound by mechanism, it has been observed that for a palmar piece with greater hardness or stiffness than a conventional palm sheet material, this palmar piece location allows for inhibition of flexion of one or more metacarpo-phalangeal joints and that inhibition of flexion of a single metacarpo-phalangeal joint can inhibit the grasping motion of a player's hand as the flexion of metacarpo-phalangeal joints during a grasping motion appears to have a coordinated component for most human hands.

The palmar piece function of reducing the gripping ability of the hockey glove can be achieved by one or more properties selected from the group consisting of stiffness, hardness, slipperiness, and smoothness.

Stiffness. The palmar piece can have a greater stiffness than the palm sheet. Stiffness can be characterized using a Young's Modulus value. Young's Modulus values for palm sheet material of stick handling gloves typically range from 10 Mega Pascals (MPa) to 50 MPa. In measurements, palm sheet materials of suede, and microfiber synthetic suede were found to have Young's Modulus values ranging from 10 MPa to 20 MPa. Thus, a palmar piece having a Young's Modulus of at least about 50 MPa can reduce the gripping ability of the palm sheet simply on the basis of stiffness without factoring any contributing effect provided by hardness, slipperiness, or smoothness properties. Typically, the palmar piece will have a Young's Modulus of at least about 60 MPa. For example, the palmar piece may have a Young's Modulus value greater than 70 MPa, 80 MPa, 90 MPa, 100 MPa, 150 MPa, 200 MPa, 250 MPa, 300 MPa or greater than any number therebetween. In measurements, palmar piece materials of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate were found to have Young's Modulus values ranging from 80 MPa to 300 MPa. In a specific example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Young' s Modulus greater than 70 MPa. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Young's Modulus greater than 80 MPa. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Young's Modulus greater than 90 MPa. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Young' s Modulus greater than 100 MPa.

Hardness. The palmar piece can have a greater hardness than the palm sheet.

Hardness can be characterized using a Shore Durometer or Rockwell Durometer. value. Different Shore and Rockwell scales are used depending on the hardness of a material. For example, ranked from softer to harder, some Shore and Rockwell scales can be ordered as Shore 00, Shore A, Shore D, and Rockwell R. A palm sheet material will typically be measured using a Shore 00 or Shore A durometer. Palm sheet materials are generally too soft to be accurately measured by a Shore D durometer or a Rockwell R durometer. Shore A values for palm sheet material of stick handling gloves typically range from 25 to 50. In measurements according to ASTM D2240 standard, palm sheet materials of suede, and microfiber synthetic suede were found to have Shore A values ranging from 40 to 60. Thus, a palmar piece having a Shore A value of at least about 60 can reduce the gripping ability of the palm sheet simply on the basis of hardness without factoring any contributing effect provided by stiffness, slipperiness, or smoothness properties. Typically, the palmar piece will have a Shore A value of at least about 60 or a Shore D value of at least 1. For example, the palmar piece may have a Shore A value greater than 65, 70, 75, 80, 85 or greater than any number therebetween. For an example using a Shore D durometer, the palmar piece may have a Shore D value greater than 1, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or greater than any number therebetween. In measurements according to ASTM D2240 standard, palmar piece materials of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate were found to have Shore D values ranging from 60 to 85. In a specific example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Shore D value greater than 10. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Shore D value greater than 20. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Shore D value greater than 30. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Shore D value greater than 40.

Slipperiness. The palmar piece can have a greater slipperiness than the palm sheet. Slipperiness is typically inferred by measuring friction. The greater the friction of an interaction between two surfaces, the lower the slipperiness of the interaction, and vice versa. Friction can be characterized by a coefficient of friction (COF) value. Higher COF values correspond to greater friction and less slipperiness. Lower COF values correspond to less friction and greater slipperiness. COF values for palm sheet material of stick handling gloves typically range from 0.5 to 0.7. Thus, a palmar piece having a COF of less than about 0.5 can reduce the gripping ability of the palm sheet simply on the basis of slipperiness without factoring any contributing effect provided by stiffness, hardness, or smoothness properties. Typically, the palmar piece or a surface of the palmar piece will have a COF of less than about 0.45. For example, the palmar piece may have a COF value less than 0.4, 0.35, 0.3, 0.25 or less than any number therebetween. In a specific example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a COF of less than 0.45. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a COF of less than 0.4. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a COF of less than 0.35. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a COF of less than 0.3. A Teflon coating can be useful for slipperiness. COF values for Teflon are typically less than 0.1.

Smoothness. The palmar piece can have a greater smoothness than the palm sheet. Smoothness is typically inferred by measuring roughness. The greater the roughness of a surface, the lower the smoothness, and vice versa. A roughness value can either be calculated on a profile or on a surface. Well known surface roughness profile parameters are Ra, Rq, Rt and Rz. Ra is the most commonly used roughness parameter and is typically measured in micrometers. Coefficient of Roughness can also be used to characterize surface roughness. A palmar piece having less roughness than a palm sheet can reduce the gripping ability of the palm sheet simply on the basis of smoothness without factoring any contributing effect provided by stiffness, hardness, or slipperiness, or properties. In measurements, palm sheet materials of suede, and micro fiber synthetic suede, were found to have Ra values ranging from 1.3 micrometers to 1.9 micrometers. In measurements, palmar piece materials of polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate were found to have Ra values ranging from 0.02 micrometers to 0.1 micrometers. Thus, a palmar piece having a Ra value of less than 1 micrometer can reduce the gripping ability of the palm sheet simply on the basis of smoothness without factoring any contributing effect provided by stiffness, slipperiness, or hardness properties. Typically, the palmar piece will have a Ra value of less than about 0.7 micrometer. For example, the palmar piece or a surface of the palmar piece may have a Ra value in micrometers less than 0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 or less than any number therebetween. In a specific example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Ra value of less than 0.5 micrometers. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Ra value of less than 0.4 micrometers. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Ra value of less than 0.3 micrometers. In another example, a surface of the palmar piece will have a Ra value of less than 0.2 micrometers.

Individually or in any combination, material properties of stiffness, hardness, slipperiness or smoothness of the palmar piece should be sufficient to inhibit involuntary gripping. The practicing player is instructed to loosely hold the shaft with the supporting hand, and as such does not intentionally squeeze the shaft. Intentional squeezing of the shaft typically provides greater force than an involuntary or accidental gripping of the shaft. Thus, a palmar piece having sufficient stiffness, hardness, slipperiness or smoothness - individually or in any combination - to inhibit or interfere with the lesser force of an involuntary grip can be used to produce a useful training glove.

Any material or any combination of materials that possesses sufficient stiffness, hardness, slipperiness or smoothness may be used to construct the palmar piece. Typically, the palmar piece will comprise a material selected from the group consisting of plastics, polymers, woods, ceramics, metals, alloys and composites. More specific examples of useful materials include a material selected from a group consisting of polyurethanes, including polyester type polyurethanes, epoxies, fluoropolymers, polyamides, polycarbonates, polyesters, polyethylenes, polyethylene terephthalate, polyolefins, polypropylenes, polyvinyls, polyvinyl chlorides, silicones, styrene acrylonitriles, thermoplastic elastomers, and organic materials including rubber and leathers including cowhide and leathers having similar properties.

The thickness of the palmar piece can typically range from 0.5 mm to 20 mm. Thickness can vary according to the stiffness or hardness properties of the palmar piece. Thickness of the palmar piece will typically be inversely correlated with stiffness, hardness, or a combination of stiffness and hardness properties.

The transverse length of the palmar piece, ie, the distance that the palmar piece transversely extends across the palm surface, can range from 1 cm to 20 cm. The transverse length will typically be directly correlated with the size of the glove. The higher range of transverse length, eg. 15 cm to 20 cm, may be used to extend the palmar piece ends further than the perimeter of a palm surface for applications where a very prominent stick receptacle is desired. Typically the transverse length of the palmar piece is sized to cover greater than 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%), 90%), 95%), 100%) or greater than any percentage therebetween of the transverse length of the palm sheet. For example, the transverse length of the palmar piece may be greater than

10%) of the transverse length of the palm sheet.

When the palmar piece has at least a portion located at the exterior surface of the palm sheet and the palmar piece provides a surface for receiving or engaging a stick shaft, the palmar piece can be considered a stick receptacle. The palmar piece/stick receptacle can provide a flat surface for contacting a stick shaft as shown for example in Figure 9.

Alternatively, the palmar piece/stick receptacle can provide a concave surface for contacting a stick shaft as shown for example in Figure 2 or Figure 6. Alternatively, the palmar piece/stick receptacle can comprise both a flat surface and a concave surface for contacting a stick shaft as shown for example in Figure 4 or Figure 10.

The radius of curvature of the concave surface is sized to receive a shaft of a stick and will typically range from 1 cm to 15 cm, more typically from 1 cm to 8 cm. The radius of curvature of the concave surface may be sized to be about equal or greater than the smallest dimension of a stick shaft. For stick shafts having a polygonal radial cross-section the radius of curvature of the concave surface may be sized to be about equal or greater than the smallest dimension of the radial cross-section of the stick shaft. For example, if the stick shaft has a rectangular radial cross-section then the radius of curvature may be sized to be about equal or greater than the smaller of the rectangle sides.

The concave surface may have a partial cylindrical shape or partial pipe shape with a C-shaped radial cross-section or the concave surface may be part of a full cylinder or full pipe shape having an O-shaped radial cross-section. The C-shaped radial cross-section is a partial circle, for example 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% (eg. Figure 2), 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50% (eg. Figure 3), 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75% (eg. Figure 1 1), 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 99% or any percentage therebetween of a full circle. The O-shaped radial cross-section is a full circle.

With both cross-section types, the C-shaped cross-section and the O-shaped cross- section, the concave surface has a central axis that is typically positioned in a generally transverse direction of the palm sheet. In a hockey glove, as in human anatomy, the longitudinal direction is from the wrist cuff to the finger tips, while the transverse direction is from the medial side to the lateral side. The central axis of the concave surface can be generally parallel to a transverse line along the base of the finger sheaths or a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath. At least a portion of the concave surface is typically located in between the transverse line along the base of the finger sheaths and the transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath.

The axial length of the concave surface is its transverse length. As mentioned above, the transverse length of the palmar piece, ie, the distance that the palmar piece transversely extends across the palm surface, can range from 1 cm to 20 cm. Typically the axial length of the concave surface is sized to cover greater than 5%, 10%, 15%), 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100% or greater than any percentage therebetween of the transverse length of the palm sheet. For example, the axial length of the concave surface may be greater than 10% of the transverse length of the palm sheet. In certain examples, the axial length can extend beyond the transverse length of the palm sheet to provide a visually prominent stick receptacle.

The concave surface has been shown as a smooth curve in cross-section. A concave surface made of straight sides is also contemplated. For example, the concave surface of a half pipe will typically consist of at least three straight sides, while a full pipe will typically consist of at least five straight sides. Thus, polygonal approximations may be substituted for C-shaped or O-shaped cross-sections. For example, an O-shaped cross-section may be modified to be any polygon having 5 or more sides such as a pentagon, hexagon, heptagon, octagon, nonagon, decagon and the like, while a C-shaped cross-section may be modified to be a portion of any polygon having 5 or more sides such as a partial pentagon, partial hexagon, partial heptagon, partial octagon, partial nonagon, partial decagon and the like.

In addition to comprising a first surface for contacting the stick shaft, the palmar piece/stick receptacle comprises a second surface that faces the palm sheet when the palmar piece is coupled to the palm sheet. The cross-sectional shapes of the two surfaces need not be coincident, and may be independent. The first surface will typically comprise substantially flat surface, substantially concave surface or a combination thereof. The second surface may be of any convenient shape desired to face the palm sheet in a coupled configuration.

The method of attachment chosen to couple the palmar piece to the palm sheet material is not critical to the useful functioning of the palmar piece. The palmar piece can be coupled to the palm sheet using any conventional method of attachment. The palmar piece may be permanently coupled using stitching, rivets, staples, adhesive, or the like. Alternatively, the palmar piece may be reversibly coupled using Velcro, snaps, hooks, straps, magnets, or other removable or reversible attachment method. Similarly, the shape of the palmar piece surface that faces the palm sheet is not critical and any suitable shape may be used that is convenient for a chosen method of attachment.

Examples of variation.

Various embodiments have been described above. Some examples of variation from the embodiments described above will now be provided. Further variants and further combinations of variants are contemplated.

The palmar piece can be manufactured separately from the glove and may also be sold separately with instructions for permanent or reversible attachment to a conventional hockey glove. A glove having a base piece permanently attached to the palm sheet, the base piece providing a surface for reversibly coupling palmar pieces of various sizes and shapes is contemplated.

A kit comprising a glove, a palmar piece, and instructions for permanently or reversibly coupling the palmar piece to the glove is contemplated.

The palmar piece can be used for coupling to gloves of various stick handling sports including, without limitation, ice hockey, field hockey, floor hockey, ball hockey, inline hockey, roller hockey, street hockey, broomball, or various types of lacrosse such as men's field lacrosse, women's lacrosse, box lacrosse or intercrosse.

The palmar piece may be coupled to a player's existing glove with straps that wrap around and close on the dorsal surface of the glove and/or the dorsal side of the finger or thumb sheaths.

The palmar piece may be attached to a glove with cut-off finger sheaths or thumb sheaths.

The palmar piece may be produced for reversible attachment directly to a player's hand. The palmar piece may be attached to a player's hand using straps, string, elastic rings, and the like.

The palmar piece surface for contacting a stick shaft may comprise a pattern of surface profile elevations or depressions such as dimples, ribs, nipples or nibs.

The palmar piece may comprise a concave surface for contacting a stick shaft that is not uniform along its axial length. For example, Figure 12 shows a palmar piece with a concave surface channel that tapers from a half-circle shaped radial cross-section to a quarter- circle shaped radial cross-section along the axial length of the concave surface.

The palmar piece may be attached to an exterior surface of the palm sheet, an interior surface of the palm sheet, or in between layers of a palm sheet laminate.

A palm sheet may be prepared to have properties of greater stiffness, greater hardness, greater slipperiness, greater smoothness or any combination thereof compared to corresponding properties in a conventional palm sheet material. Thus, the palm sheet material provides an exterior surface that functions to reduce the gripping ability of a glove. In addition to being used for stick handling training and drills, the palmar piece or gloves comprising the palmar piece may be used in full scrimmages or even games where the rules require all player's to have a standardized palmar piece.

The stickhandling method described above can be practiced using any step that inhibits the grasping ability of a practicing player's hand. For example, the palmar piece can be reversibly attached directly to a player's supporting hand or the palmar piece can be coupled to the player's glove.

Still further variations will be evident to the person of skill in the art. Combinations of variations will also be evident to the person of skill in the art.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A stick handling training glove comprising:

a palm sheet,

a dorsal sheet,

a thumb sheath,

four finger sheaths, and

2. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the concave surface has a greater slipperiness than the palm sheet.

3. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the stick receptacle has a greater stiffness than the palm sheet.

4. The training glove of claim 3, wherein the Young's Modulus of the stick receptacle is greater than 50 MPa.

5. The training glove of claim 4, wherein the Young's Modulus of the stick receptacle is greater than 100 MPa.

6. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the concave surface has a greater hardness than the palm sheet.

7. The training glove of claim 6, wherein the Shore A hardness of the concave surface is greater than 60.

8. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the stick receptacle is in the shape of a half pipe.

9. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the stick receptacle is in the shape of a full pipe.

10. The training glove of claim 9, wherein a longitudinal section of the full pipe is removable.

11. The training glove of claim 1 , wherein the concave surface has a Ra surface roughness of less than 0.5 micrometers.

12. The training glove of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the stick receptacle is located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of the index finger sheath.

13. The training glove of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the stick receptacle is located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of the index finger and middle finger sheaths.

14. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the stick receptacle extends transversely across the palm sheet and at least a portion of the piece is located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath and a transverse line along the base of the finger sheaths.

15. The training glove of claim 1, wherein substantially all of the stick receptacle is located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath and a transverse line along the base of the finger sheaths.

16. The training glove of claim 3, wherein the stick receptacle is flexible.

17. The training glove of claim 3, wherein the stick receptacle is elastic.

18. The training glove of claim 3, wherein the stick receptacle is rigid

19. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the stick receptacle comprises a material selected from the group consisting of plastics, polymers, woods, metals, alloys and composites.

20. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the stick receptacle is coupled to the interior surface of the palm sheet.

21. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the stick receptacle is coupled to the exterior surface of the palm sheet.

22. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is a hockey glove.

23. The training glove of claim 1, wherein the glove is a lacrosse glove.

24. The training glove of claim 22, wherein the glove is an ice hockey glove.

25. A stick handling training glove comprising:

a palm sheet,

a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath,

four finger sheaths, and

wherein at least a portion of the rigid stick receptacle located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths.

26. The training glove of claim 25, wherein the Young's Modulus of the stick receptacle is greater than 100 MPa.

27. A stick handling training glove comprising:

a palm surface formulated to be more slippery and more stiff than CLARINO brand micro fiber material,

a dorsal sheet,

a thumb sheath,

four finger sheaths, and

wherein at least a portion of the palm surface located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths.

28. The training glove of claim 27, further comprising a palm sheet to which the palm surface is coupled, wherein the palm surface has greater stiffness that the palm sheet.

29. The training glove of claim 27, wherein the palm surface is made of a polyvinylchloride (PVC) material that has been softened and made more flexible with the addition of a plasticizer.

30. The training glove of claim 27, wherein discrete pieces made of the same material as the palm surface are disposed near the base and tip of at least one finger sheath.

31. A method of stick handling training using the training glove of claim 25, comprising:

wearing the training glove on a second hand,

gripping a proximal end of a shaft with a first hand,

resting the shaft in the stick receptacle of the training glove on the shaft that is distal to the first hand, and

rotating the shaft by applying torque with the first hand.

32. A method of stick handling training using the training glove of claim 27, comprising:

wearing the training glove on a second hand,

gripping the proximal end with a first hand,

resting the shaft on the palm surface of the training glove at a location on the shaft that is distal to the first hand, and

rotating the shaft by applying torque with the first hand.

33. A stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a palmar piece coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the palmar piece located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the palmar piece having a surface for receiving a stick shaft and having a greater stiffness than the palm sheet.

34. The training glove of claim 33, wherein the Young's Modulus of the palmar piece is greater than 50 MPa.

35. The training glove of claim 33, wherein the Young's Modulus of the palmar piece is greater than 100 MPa.

36. The training glove of claim 33, wherein the hardness of the palmar piece is greater than the hardness of the palm sheet.

37. The training glove of claim 36, wherein the Shore A value of the palmar piece is greater than 50.

38. The training glove of claim 36, wherein the Shore A value of the palmar piece is greater than 70.

39. A stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a palmar piece coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the palmar piece located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the palmar piece having a concave surface for receiving a stick shaft.

40. A stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a grip reducing means coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the palmar piece located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the grip reducing means having a greater stiffness than the palm sheet.

41. A method of stick handling training using a stick having a shaft with a proximal end and a distal end connected to a puck or ball contacting surface, comprising

gripping the proximal end with a first hand,

inhibiting the grasping ability of the second hand,

rotating the shaft by applying torque with the first hand.

42. A stick handling training glove comprising a palm sheet, a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath, four finger sheaths, a palmar piece coupled to the palm sheet, at least a portion of the palmar piece located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of one or more finger sheaths, the palmar piece having a reduced gripping ability compared to the palm sheet.

43. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece has a greater slipperiness than the palm sheet.

44. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece has a greater stiffness than the palm sheet.

45. The training glove of claim 44, wherein the Young's Modulus of the palmar piece is greater than 50 MPa.

46. The training glove of claim 45, wherein the Young's Modulus of the palmar piece is greater than 100 MPa.

47. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece has a flat surface for contacting the shaft of a stick.

48. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece has a concave surface for contacting the shaft of a stick.

49. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece is in the shape of a half pipe.

50. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece is in the shape of a full pipe.

51. The training glove of claim 50, wherein a portion of the full pipe is permanently coupled to the palm sheet.

52. The training glove of claim 50, wherein a longitudinal section of the full pipe is removable.

53. The training glove of claim 42, wherein at least a portion of the palmar piece is located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of the index finger sheath.

54. The training glove of claim 42, wherein at least a portion of the palmar piece is located between the base of the thumb sheath and the base of the index finger and middle finger sheaths.

55. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece extends transversely across the palm sheet and at least a portion of the piece is located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath and a transverse line along the base of the finger sheaths.

56. The training glove of claim 42, wherein substantially all of the palmar piece is located between a transverse line originating at the base of the thumb sheath and a transverse line along the base of the finger sheaths.

57. The training glove of claim 44, wherein the palmar piece is flexible.

58. The training glove of claim 44, wherein the palmar piece is elastic.

59. The training glove of claim 44, wherein the palmar piece is rigid

60. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece comprises a material selected from the group consisting of plastics, polymers, woods, metals, alloys and composites.

61. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece is coupled to the interior surface of the palm sheet.

62. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the palmar piece is coupled to the exterior surface of the palm sheet.

63. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the glove is a hockey glove.

64. The training glove of claim 42, wherein the glove is a lacrosse glove.

65. The training glove of claim 63, wherein the glove is an ice hockey glove.

66. A stick handling training glove comprising:

a palm sheet,

a dorsal sheet, a thumb sheath,

four finger sheaths, and

a stick receptacle coupled to the palm sheet, the stick receptacle comprising a concave surface having a C-shaped cross-section with a radius of curvature sized to receive the shaft of a stick, the stick receptacle having a Young's Modulus of at least about 50 MPa,