WO2018127592A1

WO2018127592A1 - A contact training barrel

Info

Publication number: WO2018127592A1
Application number: PCT/EP2018/050380
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Paul Hartigan; James D'arcy
Original assignee: Shadowman Sports Limited
Priority date: 2017-01-06
Filing date: 2018-01-08
Publication date: 2018-07-12

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a training barrel suitable for use in practicing skills associated with contact sports, wherein the training barrel is substantially cylindrical in shape and comprises an endless sidewail, a first end plate and a second end plate; the training barrel further comprises a first weighted element adjacent the first end plate, and, a second weighted element adjacent the second end plate; whereby, the mass of the first weighted element is less than the mass of the second weighted element.

Description

"A Contact Training -Barrel"

Introduction

This invention relates to a device for practicing contact sports.

In particular, the present invention is directed towards a device, hereinafter referred to as a training barrel, which is utilised in practicing certain skill sets and drills important to the improvement of a player engaging in a contact sport.

In contact sports, evading and avoiding an opponent, who is a would-be tackier, is an important skillset to practice and improve upon. Additionally, in contact sports, absorbing contact in a tackle situation and transitioning out of the tackle situation, whilst maintaining ball possession and control, as well as maintaining momentum, speed and direction are important skills to practice and develop through repetition.

Throughout this specification, the term "contact sports" shall be understood to encompass any type of sports or recreational activity which involves physical contact with an opponent or fellow participant. For example, ball-related contact sports would include, inter alia, American football, rugby union, rugby league, lacrosse, Australian rules football and the like. In these sports direct contact with opposing players and/or fellow participants is an essential element of the game; quite often the contact situation in these sports is in the form of a tackle or block. There are other more limited contact ball-related sports where the contact activity is a lesser element within the playing of the game although contact situations still exist and are legal within the laws of the game. [Examples of such sports are association football (which is also known as soccer), Gaelic football, ice hockey, field hockey, and basketball. All of these full contact and limited contact activities in these sports are considered to fall within the term "contact sports^* as used hereinafter.

In many contact sports, repetition of a technique, aspect, skill or drill during practice sessions can be hugely beneficial to executing that particular technique during a match, game or contest. However, repetition, which is hereinafter referred to and known as a 'rep', of the technique in a direct player-on-player training situation is dangerous as injuries can easily occur when two players are involved in a contact situation. It is known to prohibit all contact during training sessions, or to prohibit contact with important or valuable players during training sessions to obviate this risk. However, this is disadvantageous as the sharpness of those player's skills will diminish as a result of not practicing contact situations.

In contact sports, it is important to practice a contact situation as realistically as possible. Direct player-on-player practice is the best way to simulate game realism; however, the threat of injuries to players, as mentioned above, is a major disadvantage to utilising direct player-on-player contact during practice sessions. An alternative to direct player-on-player contact during a training session is to employ the use of practice dummies and practice equipment to replace direct player-on-player situations by replicating some aspects of the direct player-on- player realism through contact between the player and the piece of practice equipment. However, existing prior art practice dummies and pieces of practice equipment are often considered to offer an unrealistic replication of a contact situation. In many cases, the practice equipment is constructed of heavy grade materials such as metal frameworks and wooden parts so as to stand up to the rigours of repeated contact with players. However such designs are considered to be too heavy so as to not be realistic. In other cases, the practice equipment, such as tackle pads and the like, are considered to be too light so as not to be realistic, as they are usually constructed of cushioning foam or other lightweight materials.

The training barrel of the present invention addresses issues with currently available practice equipment which is not considered to be capable of replicating a realistic contact situation, as the heavy devices are carry too much weight and momentum and do not react as an opponent would in contact; whereas, the light devices do not carry enough energy through the contact situation and also do not react as an opponent would in contact. This inability to replicate an opponent player, who would bring a certain degree of force and momentum into a contact situation, is not addressed by the practice devices of the prior art. Moreover, a further problem with the existing prior art practice products is that the practice devices are either stationary or move in a predictable pattern. Movement of the practice devices in a predictable pattern can be advantageous where a specific skill, or drill, is to be repeated time and again; however, skills such as reactive agility and a player's general proprioceptive behaviour benefit less from dealing repeatedly with predictable patterns. A solution to allow predictable drills to be repeated, whilst contemporaneously allowing a player's reactive abilities to develop, using the same training tool is desired. As noted from "Effects of small-sided game and change-of-direction training on reactive agility and change-of-direction speed", Young & Rogers, 2014: "...the perceptual and decision-making component of the reactive agility test is very important to performance." It is further noted that "...the superiority of higher-performance players occurs when they react to a sport-specific stimulus, and this is likely to be related to their ability to use relevant visual information (cues) to enhance the speed and accuracy of their decision making." Therefore, it is desirable to stimulate a player during a practice drill, in a relatively realistic fashion, so as to improve their reactive agility and proprioceptive behaviour. None of the prior art device are considered to be sufficiently developed to address these needs, which have really only come to the fore in the past decade or so. It is also noted from a paper by Bloomfield, Polman, O'Donoghue & McNaughton in 2007 that training with either pre-planned or reactive change-of- direction activities is effective for developing change-of-direction speed in various sports. As stated, none of the prior art device address this issue.

It is a goal of the present invention to provide an apparatus that overcomes at least one of the above mentioned problems within the prior art.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a training barrel suitable for use in practicing skills associated with contact sports, wherein the training barrel is substantially cylindrical in shape and comprises an endless sidewall, a first end plate and a second end plate; the training barrel further comprises a first weighted element adjacent the first end plate, and, a second weighted element adjacent the second end plate; whereby, the mass of the first weighted element is less than the mass of the second weighted element.

The advantage of providing a training barrel having two weighted elements which have different masses is that the training barrel can be used to practice different techniques. Specifically, one of the uses for the training barrel is envisaged to be propelling the training barrel at an on-coming player, to allow that on-coming player to practice their evasion techniques and contact situations drills. The training barrel will be thrown along a path which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the training barrel, which is to say the first end plate or second end plate will be forward facing when the training barrel is propelled and the training barrel will (at least initially) slid along its sidewalk If the training barrel is propelled with the first end plate forward facing, such that the first weighted element will be ahead of the second weighted element which is heavier, then the training barrel will tend to slid in a predictable path, along its sidewall over a playing surface. However, if the training barrel is propelled with the second end plate forward facing, such that the second weighted element will be ahead of the first weighted element which is lighter, then the training barrel will tend to become unstable as it slides along its sidewall over the playing surface and will tend to rotate upwards, about the second end plate, and bobble about on its sidewall and end plates, causing an unpredictable movement pattern to be taken by the training barrel. This unpredictable movement is highly conducive to practicing and developing a player's evasion skills by increasing their evasive agility and improving their proprioceptive behaviour.

Moreover, the weighted elements of the training barrel will be such as to be conducive to cause a player to react and attempt to avoid contact with the barrel, where possible. This stimulus is an important aspect in developing the player's reactive agility as discussed further above.

In a further embodiment, the training barrel is inflatable. In a further embodiment, the training barrel comprises a main chamber which is suitable to be inflated with a gas, such as air. In a further embodiment, the main chamber extends intermediate the first weighted element and the second weighted element In a further embodiment, the first weighted element and the second weighted element are located in abutment to the first end plate and the second end plate, respectively. In a further embodiment, the first weighted element and the second weighted element are bladders suitable to be filled with a liquid, such as water.

The advantage of providing the training barrel with a design which encompasses an air and water combination to form a piece of weighted practice equipment is that the training barrel will replicate the weight of an opposing player in a tackle situation, yet the training barrel is deformable so as to minimise the risk of an injury when the training barrel comes into contact with a player. In a further embodiment, at least one of the first end plate and the second end plate comprises a curved end plate. In a further embodiment, the second end plate comprises a curved end plate. It will be appreciated that the curved end plates will assist in creating an unpredictable bobbling movement for the training barrel when the training barrel bounces on its curved end plates.

In a further embodiment, the first weighted element and the second weighted element are located at opposing ends of the training barrel. In a further embodiment, the first weighted element and the second weighted element are located adjacent opposing ends of the main chamber within the training barrel.

In a further embodiment, the training barrel comprises a three layer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) construction. In a further embodiment, the training barrel is double-bunded.

In a further embodiment, the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 2:5.

In a further embodiment, the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 1:5. In a further embodiment, the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 1 :4. in a further embodiment, the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 1 :3. In a further embodiment, the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 1 :2. In a further embodiment, the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 2:3. In a further embodiment, the mass of the first weighted element is approximately 2 kilograms. In a further embodiment, the mass of the second weighted element is approximately 5 kilograms.

In a further embodiment, the training barrel comprises artwork indications on an exterior face of the sidewall adjacent second end plate. This is advantageous for a coach as they can orientate the training barrel appropriately prior to using K in a contact situation drill.

In a further embodiment the training barrel is primarily constructed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

In a further embodiment, the training barrel further comprises gripping handles to allow a coach to lift and propel the training barrel using the gripping handles. In a further embodiment, the gripping handles are affixed to the skJewall of the training barrel. In a further embodiment there are two gripping handles affixed to the skJewall of the training barrel and are spaced apart. In a further embodiment the sidewall of the training barrel comprises a substantially smooth surface; whereas, the second end plate of the training barrel comprises an uneven surface. This is advantageous, as when the training barrel is sliding along its sidewall, the smooth surface will assist in maintaining the training barrel in a substantially linear path and hence a predictable direction, whereas, the uneven surface of the second end plate will assist in creating an unpredictable movement as the uneven surface will cause a gripping friction between the training barrel and the playing surface, and also act to propel the training barrel in unpredictable directions as a result. In a further embodiment, the training barrel comprises a diameter in the range of 40cm to 80cm. In a further embodiment the training barrel comprises a length in the range of 60cm to 120cm. In a further embodiment, the training barrel comprises a diameter of 60cm and a length of 90cm. It will be appreciated that the diameter of the contact training barrel shall be the approximate diameter of the end plates, and, the length of the contact training barrel shall be the approximate distance between the first end plate and the second end plate.

In a further embodiment, the first weighted element is a first water bladder and is located in abutment against the first end plate; the second weighted element is a second water bladder and is located in abutment against the second end plate. In a further embodiment, the first water bladder can hold up to 2 litres of water, and, the second water bladder can hold up to 5 litres of water. In a further embodiment, the training barrel comprises a central core bladder which extends between the first water bladder and the second water bladder; whereby, the central core bladder, the first water bladder, and the second water bladder are all separate bladders and not in fluid communication with one another.

Detailed Description off Embodiments

The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of some embodiments thereof, given by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a training barrel in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view of a player evading a training barrel during a practice session;

Figure 3 is a cut through view of the training barrel of Figure 1, showing the first weighted element and the second weighted element;

Figure 4a is a diagrammatic view of a coach propelling the training barrel of Figure 1 in a First orientation; and,

Figure 4b is a diagrammatic view of the coach propelling the training barrel of Figure 1 in a second orientation. Referring to Figure 1, there is provided a training barrel indicated generally by reference numeral 100. The training barrel 100 is substantially cylindrically shaped. The training barrel 100 comprises an endless sidewall 102, a first end plate 104, and a second end plate 106. It will be understood that the training barrel 100 will be inflated through a valve (not shown) so as to become a relatively rigid and robust object which can be used by coaches in drills for training and improving a player's evasive abilities, so that the player completely avoids contact with the training barrel 100 thrown at them by side-stepping, spinning away from and/or pivoting away from the training barrel 100, as well as, practicing the player's skill sets during a contact situation, where the training barrel 100 makes physical contact with the on-coming player and the player trains their ball retention skills as well as tackle fending skills and block shedding skills, such as hand-offs, stiff-arms, chops and the like. Usually, the training barrel 100 will be inflated with air. The training barrel 100 will comprise a main chamber which is suitable to be inflated with air and this main chamber will extend intermediate adjacent to the first end plate 104 and adjacent to the second end plate 106. This is best seen in Figure 3, where the main chamber 300 is shown relative to the first end plate 104 and the second end plate 106.

In Figure 3, it can also be seen that the training barrel 100 also comprises a first weighted element 302 and a second weighted element 304. In a preferred embodiment, the first weighted element 302 and the second weighted element 304 are bladders which can be filled with a fluid, typically water. The first weighted element 302 will be located adjacent the first end plate 104, and, the second weighted element 304 will be located adjacent the second end plate 106. Preferably the first weighted element 302 and the second weighted element 304 are located in abutment to the first end plate 104 and the second end plate 106, respectively. The weighted elements 302, 304 are separated from one another by the main chamber 300. In order to create the first weighted element 302, the first bladder is filled with water, and in order to create the second weighted element 304 the second bladder is filled with water. Valves 306, 308 which are located in the first end plate 104 and the second end plate 106, respectively, and are in fluid communication with the bladders and are used to allow the bladders to be filled with a fluid, such as water. The amount of water which is used to fill the first bladder is less than the amount of water which is used to fill the second bladder as the crux of the present invention is to create a training barrel 100 which can be used to practice contact sports drills, and which can be used in different ways, so as to produce different training drills, depending on what the orientation of the training barrel 100 is when it is thrown/propelled by a coach. This is achieved through the differential in masses between the first weighted element and the second weighted element. Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention utilises water and air to create a training barrel 100 which realistically replicates contact situations in contact sports, by mimicking an analogous amount of energy and momentum at a point of contact as would be experienced in- game, whilst also minimising the risk of player injuries, the training barrel 100 is also foreseen to use other types of weighted elements, and again, in such circumstances, the first weighted element 302 will have a lower mass than the second weighted element 304.

In a further embodiment, it is also foreseen to be able to adjust the mass of each of the weighted elements 302, 304 so that different age groups, players of different skill levels, and different drills may be all able to use the training barrel 100, whilst the training barrel 100 will always have a the mass of the first weighted element 302 which is less than the mass of the second weighted element 304. With reference to Figure 1 , gripping handles 108 are affixed to the sidewall 102 of the training barrel 100. The gripping handles 108 are affixed in relatively close proximity to one another to allow a coach or player to lift the training barrel 100 up using the gripping handles 108 and propel the training barrel 100 as desired. To this end, in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, there are two gripping handles 108 affixed to the sidewall 102 of the training barrel 100 which are spaced apart.

Artwork indications may be provide, as indicated generally by reference numeral 110, in order to let a coach know which end plate is the lighter first end plate 104 and which is the heavier second end plate 106.

Referring now to Figure 2, wherein like parts previously described have been assigned the same reference numerals, the training barrel 100 is shown in motion after being propelled by a coach (not shown) into the path of an on-coming player 200 during a practice drill. The training barrel 100 assumes the role of a would-be opponent and the player 200 must decide whether to evade the would-be tackier (i.e. the training barrel 100), or, to receive the contact from the would-be tackier and use a fending or tackle/block shedding approach. Turning now to Figures 4a and 4b, the different movement patterns of the training barrel 100 are depicted. A first, predictable movement pattern is shown in Figure 4a, which arises from propelling the training barrel 100 with a first orientation, where the first orientation comprises the second weighted element 302 behind the first weighted element 304 as measured along the line of the throw. In Figure 4a, the coach 400 propels the training barrel 100 with the first end plate 104 as the forward facing part of the training barrel 100. In such a circumstance, the first weighted element 302, which is adjacent or abutting against the first end plate 104, will travel in front of the second weighted element 304, which is adjacent or abutting against the second end plate 106. In this orientation, the second end plate 106 is the rearward plate and the first end plate 104 is the forward plate. The second end plate 106, being adjacent the second weighted element 304 which is of greater mass, will have a lesser acceleration when thrown with the same force as the first end plate 104. As the entire training barrel 100 is propelled with the same force by the coach 400, and as the masses adjacent/abutted to the first end plate 104 and second end plate 106 are different, the forward plate (i.e. the first plate 104) will have a higher acceleration than the rearward plate (i.e. the second end plate 106). In this way, the first end plate 104 will attempt to pull away from the second end plate 106. The second end plate 106 will in this circumstance retard the acceleration of the first end plate 104 and the movement of the training barrel 100 over a playing/practice field will be relatively smooth and predictable as shown in Figure 4a and indicated by reference arrow A and reference arrow B. The training barrel 100 will largely follow along the path in which it has been propelled in by the coach 400. This allows for an on-coming player (not shown) to practice fending and evasive skills based on a predictable movement pattern of the training barrel 100.

Alternatively, as shown in Figure 4b, the coach 400 may opt to propel the training barrel 100 with the second end plate 106 as the forward facing part of the training barrel 100. In such a circumstance, the second weighted element 304, which is adjacent or abutting against the second end plate 106, will travel in front of the first weighted element 302, which is adjacent or abutting against the first end plate 104. In this orientation, the first end plate 104 is the rearward plate and the second end plate 106 is the forward plate. The second end plate 106, being adjacent to the second weighted element 304 which is of greater mass, will have a lesser acceleration when thrown with the same force as the first end plate 104. As the entire training barrel 100 is propelled with the same force by the coach, and as the masses adjacent/abutted to the first end plate 104 and second end plate 106 are different, the forward plate (i.e. the second plate 106) will have a lower acceleration than the rearward plate (i.e. the first end plate 104). In this way, the second end plate 106 will retard the acceleration of the first end plate 104 and the first end plate 104 will push towards the second end plate 106. In doing so, the training barrel 100 will be caused to roll over end plate on end plate and enter into an unpredictable movement pattern across the playing/practice field as is shown in Figure 4b and indicated by reference arrow C and reference arrow D. This type of unpredictable movement by the training barrel will cause an on-coming player (not shown) to react through stimulus to do so and improve the player's reactive agility.

Different skill sets around contact situations in contact sports can thusly be practiced by using the same practice apparatus, which has also be designed to replicate direct player-on-player situations whilst avoiding any direct player-on-player contact and thusly minimising injury risks.

It will be readily understood that the present invention also relates to a method of use of the contact training barrel 100 in the various contact training drills which have been described here in above, and generally in any type of drill for practising a contact situation which may arise in a contact sport.

Throughout the preceding specification, the term training barrel has been used to describe the object at the heart of the present invention. In many respects, this training barrel is a practice dummy, but not of a humanoRJ form as dummies would be typically associated with. The training barrel is a dynamic device as it designed to be moved towards and into the path of on-coming players during practice drills. This sets the present invention apart from many of the static devices known to be used in practice drills. Moreover, the use of air and water in the device is designed such as to have a weight, that when moved will have an energy and momentum which will realistically simulate real-game contact situations. As the training barrel is dynamic and weighted realistically, the player will be stimulated and instinctively move as the contact by the training barrel does carry some force. However, this force is not likely to cause injury as the training barrel is preferably inflated and thus can deform to a degree, limiting the chances of injury. The training barrel is cylindrical and drum- shaped in many aspects.

The terms "comprise" and "include", and any variations thereof required for grammatical reasons, are to be considered as interchangeable and accorded the widest possible interpretation.

It will be understood that the components shown in any of the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and, like parts shown in several drawings are designated the same reference numerals.

It will be further understood that features from any of the embodiments may be combined with alternative described embodiments, even if such a combination is not explicitly recited hereinbefore but would be understood to be technically feasible by the person skilled in the art

The invention is not limited to the embodiments hereinbefore described which may be varied in both construction and detail within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A training barrel suitable for use in practicing skills associated with contact sports, wherein the training barrel is substantially cylindrical in shape and comprises an endless sidewall, a first end plate and a second end plate; the training barrel further comprises a first weighted element adjacent the first end plate, and, a second weighted element adjacent the second end plate; whereby, the mass of the first weighted element is less than the mass of the second weighted element.

2. The training barrel as claimed in claim 1 wherein the training barrel is inflatable.

3. The training barrel as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the training barrel comprises a main chamber which is suitable to be inflated with a gas, such as air.

4. The training barrel as claimed in claim 3 wherein the main chamber extends intermediate the first weighted element and the second weighted element

5. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first weighted element and the second weighted element are located in abutment to the first end plate and the second end plate, respectively.

6. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first weighted element and the second weighted element are bladders suitable to be filled with a liquid, such as water.

7. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the first end plate and the second end plate comprises a curved end plate.

8. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second end plate comprises a curved end plate.

9. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first weighted element and the second weighted element are located at opposing ends of the training barrel.

10. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first weighted element and the second weighted element are located adjacent opposing ends of the main chamber within the training barrel.

11. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel comprises a three layer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) construction.

12. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel is double-bunded.

13. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 2:5.

14. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 1:5.

15. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element Is 1:4.

16. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 1:3.

17. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 1:2.

18. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the ratio of the mass of the first weighted element to the mass of the second weighted element is 2:3.

19. The training barret as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the mass of the first weighted element is approximately 2 kilograms.

20. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the mass of the second weighted element is approximately 5 kilograms.

21. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel comprises artwork indications on an exterior face of the sidewall adjacent second end plate.

22. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel is primarily constructed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

23. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel further comprises gripping handles to allow a coach to lift and propel the training barrel using the gripping handles.

24. The training barrel as claimed in claim 23, wherein the gripping handles are affixed to the sidewall of the training barrel.

25. The training barrel as claimed in claim 24, wherein there are two gripping handles affixed to the sidewall of the training barrel and are spaced apart.

26. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the sidewall of the training barrel comprises a substantially smooth surface; whereas, the second end plate of the training barrel comprises an uneven surface.

27. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel comprises a diameter in the range of 40cm to 80cm.

28. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel comprises a length in the range of 60cm to 120cm.

29. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the training barrel comprises a diameter of 60cm and a length of 90cm.

30. The training barrel as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the first weighted element is a first water bladder and is located in abutment against the first end plate; the second weighted element is a second water bladder and is located in abutment against the second end plate.

31. The training barrel as claimed in claim 30, wherein the first water bladder can hold up to 2 litres of water, and, the second water bladder can hold up to 5 litres of water.

32. The training barrel as claimed in claim 30 or claim 31, wherein the training barrel comprises a central core bladder which extends between the first water bladder and the second water bladder; whereby, the central core bladder, the first water bladder, and the second water bladder are all separate bladders and not in fluid communication with one another.