WO2018065788A1

WO2018065788A1 - Sports training aid

Info

Publication number: WO2018065788A1
Application number: PCT/GB2017/053034
Authority: WO
Inventors: Damien BROADHURST
Original assignee: Broadhurst Damien
Priority date: 2016-10-07
Filing date: 2017-10-06
Publication date: 2018-04-12
Also published as: GB201904858D0; GB2569492A; GB201617115D0

Abstract

A sports training aid intended for, but not limited to, batsmen in cricket. The bat comprises a handle, and a body, wherein there is a hollow channel within the body. The hollow channel houses a few moving mass with a substantially sliding fit. The arrangement is such that, when swung, the free moving mass contacts the bat resulting in audio and physical feedback akin to striking an actual ball. This is an improvement on the current practice of shadow batting.

Description

SPORTS TRAINING AID

The present invention relates to a sports training aid, of particular use to batsmen.

Presently, for sports such as cricket, if a batsmen wishes to practice a second person is required to bowl the ball. It is not always possible to arrange this, and there is a drawback of having to retrieve the ball after each successful bat. It is possible for a batsmen to "shadow bat" whereby the batsmen practices swings with no ball being bowled or pitched. This is unlikely to maintain the interest of the user, and does not provide the satisfaction of the sensation of properly striking a ball.

As shown in US 2004/0248675, "A training bat has a knob, handle section and barrel section. A weight is located within the interior of the barrel section on a rotatable shaft, and is moveable linearly. Linear movement of the weight is caused by rotation of the shaft. Preferably, the shaft is coupled to the knob, so that rotation of the knob causes rotation of the shaft and linear movement of the weight along at least a portion of the barrel section." Such an arrangement is more suited to some sports than others, but does not impart the physical feedback of a correct swing, nor the satisfactory sound when such a swing is achieved. The prior art only provides a weighted swing.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved sports training aid for use by an individual to practice batting.

According to an embodiment of the invention there is provided a sports training aid comprising:

• a bat, the bat having:

o a handle, and

o a body, and

o a hollow channel located within the bat, wherein

a free moving mass is located within the hollow channel. Such a sports training aid may take a variety of forms, accordingly various embodiments are described hereafter.

• a bat, the bat having:

o a hollow handle, and

o a body, wherein

• the hollow handle extends into the body of the bat, and

• a free moving mass is located within the hollow handle,

• and the hollow handle is equipped with sealing means for preventing the free moving mass from falling out of the handle.

As used herein, the term "handle" is used broadly to encompass all portions of a sporting bat where the athlete is required to grip a bat, particularly but not limited to cricket bats, baseball bats, rounders bats and any other bat used in a ball sport.

As used herein, the term "body" is used broadly to encompass all portions of a sporting bat where the athlete is required to hit a ball, particularly but not limited to cricket bats, baseball bats, rounders bats and any other bat used in a ball sport.

As used herein, the term "sweet spot" is used to define the area of a sporting bat where the athlete would usually want to hit the ball with. The sweet spot is believed to deliver the best transfer of force. In the case of a cricket bat, the sweet spot is considered the thickest part of the bat.

As used herein, the term "free moving mass" is used broadly to encompass all types of free moving mass that could be located in the handle, particularly, but not limited to a ball bearing, a cylinder, a bar or any object of sufficient mass small enough to move freely in the hollow handle.

A cylindrical bar, or other free moving mass may be any reasonable size, preferably in the range of 20mm to 40mm in height. Normally, the bar will be 30mm in height.

Optionally, the hollow channel of the bat may house a reinforcement member made of a suitable material, such as plastic, a composite or metal. The reinforcement member will usually be a tube, and the tube is sized such that a portion of the free moving mass is always encompassed by at least part of the member. In the preferred embodiment, the cylindrical bar is 30mm in height, the plastic reinforcing tube is spaced 15mm to 25mm from the bottom of the hollow channel, preferably at 20mm. The reinforcement member is hollow, and should accommodate the free moving mass with a substantially sliding fit.

The terms hollow handle and hollow channel are used synonymous in this application as they perform the same function of housing the free moving mass.

Normally a handle fits into the body of a bat. In the preferred embodiment the handle has a tight fit into a bore in the top of the bat's body. It is also possible that the handle is removable from the bat. The handle and bat may also be constructed from one or more pieces of material. If the handle and bat body are made from a single piece of material, a bore would be made directly into the handle.

In the preferred embodiment the hollow channel has means for sealing the handle to keep the ball bearing from falling out when in use. It is envisaged that any appropriate means may be used to seal the hollow handle such as, but not limited to, a plug of any suitable material, rubber, for example, a screw cap or any other suitable means. According to yet another embodiment of the invention there is provided a sports training aid comprising:

• a bat, the bat having:

• a handle, and

· a body, wherein:

o the body comprises an internal hollow channel,

o the hollow channel is adapted to house a free moving mass.

Reference to a hollow channel may be considered interchangeable with the term hollow handle. This accounts for the various embodiments.

The hollow channel handle of the sports training aid normally extends within the bat a suitable distance, usually to the "sweet spot". For a cricket bat this is often considered the thickest part of the bat. It is envisaged that the handle could also extend either superficially into the body, or for the substantial length of the bat, or somewhere in-between.

Normally the hollow channel does not have a separation between the inner cavity of the handle and the body of the bat. The free moving weight is usually able to come into direct contact with the body of the bat in use. It is envisaged that a layer of material could be provided at the base of the hollow handle, the layer of material being made from any suitable material of construction, such as wood, plywood metal, plastic, rubber or a composite material.

In the preferred embodiment the ball bearing would have a sliding fit in the hollow handle. It is envisaged that the ball bearing could be any diameter smaller than the hollow handle, or any shape capable of movement in the hollow handle.

Usually a sports bat has a grip or cover on the handle, it is envisaged that this training aid could also have an appropriate grip or cover for the handle. There is provided a method of manufacturing a sports training aid in accordance with the second invention comprising the following steps:

• attaching a handle to a body of a bat, the body having a front face and rear face,

· creation of a channel in the front face of the bat,

• Insertion of a free moving mass in the channel, wherein the channel allows for a substantially sliding fit of the free moving mass, and

• adhering a cover to the front face of the bat, such that the channel and free moving mass within the channel are enclosed.

Normally, the handle and body of the bat are made of cain and willow respectively. It is envisaged that the bat could be made of a single type of wood, or different woods, or any other suitable material as identified elsewhere in the application.

The handle is normally attached to the body of the bat by a v-joint. Adhesive such as a wood glue is used to secure the joint. Alternatively, another join may be used as well as another type of adhesive such as glue, epoxy, resin, or any suitable mechanical alternative such as nails or screws.

It is envisaged that an insert may be placed at the bottom of the hollow channel to protect the bat form the free moving mass. Normally this would be plywood of about 10mm- 15mm, but preferably 12mm. Another suitable material such as a wood or rubber compound may be used.

It is envisaged that a reinforcement member may be provided in the hollow channel. The reinforcement member may be secured in place by any suitable means, including glue, epoxy, or other mechanical means such as a screw of nails. The reinforcement member may be made from a plastic, composite, metal or any other suitably durable material. The cover attached to the front face of the bat is normally plywood between 2mm and 6mm, but preferably 4mm. Another suitable material such as a wood, metal, composite material or a rubber compound may be used.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of a sports training aid in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of a sports training aid in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment.

Figure 4 is another cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment.

Figure 5A-E show how the free moving mass moves during use of the preferred embodiment.

Figure 6 shows a variant of the present invention where the ball bearing does not come into direct contact with the bat's body.

Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 shows another cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention

Referring to Figure 1, from the front view of the preferred embodiment it is possible to see the sports training aid 1 with a handle 2, and a body 3.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment. The handle 2 can be seen in the middle of the body 3, complete with thickening 4 of the bat. The cross section of line X-X can be seen in Figure 3. The cross section of the line Y-Y is displayed in Figure 4. Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the present invention. The handle 2 can be seen to extend into the body 3 of the bat 1. The handle is hollow, and in the cavity 5 is a weighted mass, in this case a ball bearing 6. To prevent the ball bearing 6, or indeed any free moving weighted mass alternative, from falling out of the hollow handle, a plug 7 is used as a sealing means.

Figure 4 is another cross-sectional view of the present invention. The handle 2 can be seen extending into the body 3 until the thickest portion 8 of the bat 1. This is known as the "sweet spot". The bat in this embodiment still has the plug 7 and the ball bearing 6 in the cavity 5 as seen in figure 3.

Figure 5A to Figure 5E show the sports training aid going through the motion of a practice swing. In Figure 5A the bat is positioned as if a batsmen is poised to start swinging, the ball bearing 6 can be seen resting upon the plug 7. As the sportsperson swings the bat, as seen in Figure 5B, 5C and 5D, the ball bearing 6 can be seen to roll through the hollow cavity 5. As the swing goes to completion, depicted in Figure 5E, the ball bearing 6 makes contact at the bottom of the hollow handle 2 and the body of the bat 3. The contact generates both a physical sensation and audio feedback for the user. When swung correctly, the impact of the ball bearing 6 against the body 3 of the bat 1 feels as if a ball has been struck. The advantages over shadow batting are evident.

Figure 6 is a variation of the present invention wherein there is a layer of material 9 at the bottom of the hollow handle 2 and the body of the bat 3. The layer of material 9 does not have to be the same material as the sealing means 7 of the handle.

Figures 7 and 8 show a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the handle 2 of the bat 1 is not hollow. The hollow cavity 5 houses a cylindrical bar 6b. The cylindrical bar is equivalent to the ball bearing of other embodiments, and these features are interchangeable. In figure 8 the cover 10 attached to the front face can be seen.

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above described embodiment. For instance, the same concept could be used in sports training aids for batsmen in numerous sports including, but not limited to, baseball and rounders.

It is also envisioned that alternative sealing means may be utilised, a rubber plug could be replaced by a screw cap at the top of the handle, for example. Similarly, the ball bearing coming into contact with the wood of the bat or a layer of alternative material is also possible.

Normally the sports training aid is constructed of wood, as is traditional for a cricket bat. However, it is envisaged that the material of construction could be plastic, metal, a composite, or any other suitable material of construction. Bats constructed materials other than wood are more prevalent in other sports.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A sports training aid comprising:

• a bat, the bat having:

o a handle, and

o a body, and

o a hollow channel located within the bat, wherein

a free moving mass is located within the hollow channel.

2. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hollow channel is a hollow handle.

3. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein sealing means are provided for the hollow handle, and the sealing means are a plug or a screw cap.

4. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein the hollow channel is located within the body of the bat.

5. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the hollow channel extends to the sweet spot of the bat.

6. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, a reinforcement member is housed in the hollow channel.

7. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 6, wherein the reinforcement member allows for a substantially sliding fit of the free moving mass.

8. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, there is a separation layer between the hollow channel and the body of the bat.

9. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 8 wherein, the separation layer is plywood.

10. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the free moving bas is a ball bearing, or a cylindrical bar.

11. A sports training aid as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the constituent components of the training aid are constructed of wood, plastic, metal, composite material or a combination thereof.

12. A method of manufacturing a sports training aid in accordance with an

embodiment of the invention comprising the following steps:

• attaching a handle to a body of a bat, the body having a front face and rear face, • creation of a channel in the front face of the bat,

13. A method of manufacturing a sports training aid as claimed in claim 12 wherein, the handle of the bat is attached to the body of the bat with a v-joint.

14. A method of manufacturing a sports training aid as claimed in claim 12 wherein, an insert is positioned at the base of the hollow channel, between the free moving mass and the body of the bat.

15. A method of manufacturing a sports training aid as claimed in claim 12 wherein, a reinforcement member is placed in the hollow channel.

16. A method of manufacturing a sports training aid as claimed in claim 12 wherein, the cover is made of plywood, or a material similar to the rest of the sports training aid.

17. A method of manufacturing a sports training aid as claimed in claim 12 wherein, the adhesive used is any one of glue, epoxy, resin or any other mechanical means.