WO2023184016A1

WO2023184016A1 - Systems and methods for swing exercising

Info

Publication number: WO2023184016A1
Application number: PCT/CA2023/050359
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alcide Deschesnes
Original assignee: Alcide Deschesnes
Priority date: 2022-03-30
Filing date: 2023-03-20
Publication date: 2023-10-05

Abstract

A swing exercising system for use by a user, comprising a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user that includes a movable weight component configured to move along an elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the swing exercising system can provide information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user, which may help him/her train, practice or otherwise improve for any sport or other activity of interest to him/her. For example, this may inform the user of how powerful, efficient, biomechanically correct, etc. his/her swing is, track his/her swing performance, improvement, etc. over time, allow comparison of his/her swing to that of others, and/or be useful in various other ways.

Description

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SWING EXERCISING

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application 63/325,477 filed on March 30, 2022 and incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to exercising apparatus and, more particularly, to a swing exercising apparatus which can be used for improving a swing movement performed when practicing a sport or for other exercising purposes.

BACKGROUND

Several sports, including golf, tennis, baseball, cricket and hockey to name a few, require that an individual performs a swing movement.

Certain swing training devices have been designed to help a user of the device improve a swing movement. In general, these prior swing training devices have more or less an elongated shape and rely on centrifugal force to displace a weight along the elongated device. Displacement of the weight during the swing movement creates a force which allows the user to improve speed, power as well as the mechanics and timing of the swing movement.

Existing swing training devices exhibit many deficiencies. For example, existing swing training devices typically have a weight slidably mounted on a shaft, a handle at one end of the shaft, a stop at the other end of the shaft, and a spring mounted to the weight and one of the ends of the shaft so that, when the device is swung by a user, the user can feel resistance in his/her swing movement caused by the movement of the weight along the shaft and the force of the spring acting on the weight. In this type of device, the adjustability of the force is limited and not versatile. Also, in this type of device, the weight stops very abruptly during the swing movement when it encounters the stop at the end of the shaft, thereby imparting a sudden high centripetal force to the user which may not be desirable.

Furthermore, in some cases, it may be difficult or impractical for users of existing swing training devices to know how they are performing with these devices, which may be detrimental to the users' performance and/or how they can improve over time.

Accordingly, there is a need for improvements in swing exercising apparatus for improving a swing movement performed when practicing a sport or for other exercising purposes.

SUMMARY

In accordance with various aspects of this disclosure, there is provided a swing exercising system for use by a user, comprising a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user that includes a movable weight component configured to move along an elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the swing exercising system can provide information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user, which may help him/her train, practice or otherwise improve for any sport or other activity of interest to him/her. For example, this may inform the user of how powerful, efficient, biomechanically correct, etc. his/her swing is, track his/her swing performance, improvement, etc. over time, allow comparison of his/her swing to that of others, and/or be useful in various other ways.

For instance, in accordance with an aspect, this disclosure relates to a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user. The swing exercising apparatus comprises an elongated member. The swing exercising apparatus also comprises a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus further comprises a sensing entity comprising a sensor and configured to generate a signal processable to provide information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

In accordance with one aspect, this disclosure relates to a swing exercising system for use by a user. The swing exercising system comprises a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by the user. The swing exercising apparatus comprises an elongated member. The swing exercising apparatus also comprises a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus further comprises a sensing entity comprising a sensor and configured to generate a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. The swing exercising system also comprises a processing entity comprising a processor and configured to process the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

In accordance with one aspect, this disclosure relates to a swing exercising system for use by a user. The swing exercising system comprises a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by the user. The swing exercising apparatus comprises an elongated member. The swing exercising apparatus also comprises a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus further comprises a sensing entity comprising a sensor and configured to generate a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. The swing exercising system also comprises a communication device separate from the swing exercising apparatus and comprising a processing entity that comprises a processor. The processing entity is configured to process the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

In accordance with one aspect, this disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processing device for performing a method of informing on use of a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user. The swing exercising apparatus comprises an elongated member and a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The method comprises receiving a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user from the swing exercising apparatus. The method also comprises processing the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

In accordance with one aspect, this disclosure relates to a method of informing on use of a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user, the swing exercising apparatus comprising an elongated member and a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The method comprises receiving a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user from the swing exercising apparatus. The method also comprises processing the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

These and other aspects will now become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of a description of embodiments that follows in conjunction with accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

A detailed description of embodiments is provided below, by way of example only, with reference to accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A to 1C show an embodiment of a swing exercising apparatus;

FIG. 2 shows a partly exploded view of a movable weight component and a biasing mechanism of the swing exercising apparatus;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a diagrammatic representation of an example of a swing movement performed by a user using the swing exercising apparatus, including a backswing segment, a downswing segment and a follow-through segment; FIGS. 5A to 5D show examples of different positions of the movable weight component along an elongated member of the swing exercising apparatus when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus;

FIG. 6 shows an embodiment of the swing exercising apparatus where a rest position of the movable weight component is adjusted on the elongated member to be closer to a distal end of the elongated member;

FIGS. 7 A, 7B and 8 show different embodiments of the swing exercising apparatus;

FIG. 9A shows a block diagram including various functional components of an embodiment of a swing exercising system comprising the swing exercising apparatus and a processing entity implemented by a communication device;

FIG. 9B shows a block diagram including various functional components of an embodiment of a processing device;

FIG. 10A shows an example of a process of using the swing exercising system;

FIGS. 10B and IOC show a display of a communication device during an input phase of the process of FIG. 10A;

FIG. 10D is a diagrammatic representation of a processing phase of the process of FIG. 10A;

FIGS. 10E, 10F and 10G show the display of the communication device during an output phase of the process of FIG. 10A; FIG. 11A shows a block diagram including various functional components of another embodiment of the swing exercising system comprising the swing exercising apparatus and the processing entity implemented by the swing exercising apparatus; and

FIG. 11B shows another embodiment of the swing exercising apparatus including a display.

It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for purposes of describing and illustrating certain embodiments and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be and should not be limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1A to 1C, 2 and 9A show an embodiment of a swing exercising system 100 comprising a swing exercising apparatus 10 and a processing entity 200, in which a user can swing the swing exercising apparatus 10 for improving a swing movement performed when practicing a sport (e.g., golf, tennis, baseball, cricket or hockey) or for other exercising purposes. In this embodiment, the swing exercising apparatus 10 comprises a handle 12, an elongated member 16, a movable weight component 22, a biasing mechanism 25, and a distal bound 23, which allow the movable weight component 22 to move along the elongated member 16 when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10. Also, the swing exercising apparatus 10 comprises a sensing entity 150 configured to sense one or more aspects of swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user.

As further discussed below, in this embodiment, the swing exercising system 100, including the sensing entity 150 and the processing entity 200, can provide information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user, which may help him/her train, practice or otherwise improve for any sport or other activity of interest to him/her. For example, this may inform the user of how powerful, efficient, biomechanically correct, etc. his/her swing is, track his/her swing performance, improvement, etc. over time, allow comparison of his/her swing to that of others, and/or be useful in various other ways.

The handle 12 can be grasped by the user in order to hold the swing exercising apparatus 10. In this embodiment, the handle 12 has a generally cylindrical shape that suits grasp by the hands of the user and has a length which is substantially shorter than a length of the elongated member 16. In other embodiments, the handle 12 may be of the same length as the elongated member 16 or may be longer than the elongated member 16. The handle 12 may have an outer portion made of material (e.g., rubber, leather, etc.) that enhances a grip of the user and that has a vibration suppressing effect.

The elongated member 16 has a proximal end 18 and a distal end 20, the proximal end 18 being adjacent to the handle 12. In this embodiment, the elongated member 16 comprises a single elongated component. More particularly, in this case, the elongated member 16 comprises a shaft, which may be solid or hollow and may be made of various materials (e.g., metal, plastic, composite, etc.). In other embodiments, the elongated member 16 may comprise a plurality of components that are interconnected to one another via one or more fasteners (e.g., bolts, welded joints, etc.) and that are made of various materials (e.g., metals, plastics, composites, etc.).

In some embodiments, the handle 12 and the elongated member 16 may be two separate components interchangeably connected to one another via one or more fasteners, such as screws, bolts, hooks, or other suitable fasteners, via a press-fit mechanism, or via any other suitable interconnection. In other embodiments, the handle 12 and the elongated member 16 may be permanently connected to one another via, for example, welding, glue, or other permanent attachments. In yet other embodiments, the handle 12 and the elongated member 16 may be integral with one another and constitute a common component. While the handle 12 and the elongated member 16 are configured in a particular way in this embodiment, they may be configured in various other ways in other embodiments.

The movable weight component 22 is configured to move along the elongated member 16 when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10. More particularly, in this embodiment, the movable weight component 22 is slidably mounted on the elongated member 16. The movable weight component 22 defines a longitudinally extending opening for receiving the elongated member 16 and allowing the movable weight component 22 to slide along the elongated member 16. The opening is dimensioned to provide an appropriate clearance relative to the elongated member 16 with limited friction therebetween.

In this embodiment, the movable weight component 22 comprises a weight loading section 24 and a carriage section 26. In addition to its own weight, the weight loading section 24 is configured to accept a weight 32. For example, in some embodiments, the weight loading section 24 may weigh about 100 g, 150 g, 200 g, 250 g, 300 g, 350 g, 400 g, 450 g or 500 g and the weight 32 may weigh about 50 g, 100 g, 150 g, 200 g, 250 g, 300 g, 350 g, 400 g, 450 g, 500 g, 550 g, 600 g, 650 g, 700 g, 750 g or 800 g. This allows the user to adjust a total weight of the movable weight component 22. In some cases, the user can also use the swing exercising apparatus 10 without adding the weight 32 to the weight loading section 24. Also, in other embodiments, the weight loading section 24 may be configured to accept more than one weight such as the weight 32, each of which may be individually installable and removable from the weight loading section 24 to allow the user to adjust a total weight of the movable weight component 22.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the weight loading section 24 of the movable weight component 22 has an overall substantially cylindrical shape with a portion thereof being configured for accepting a removable weight, such as the weight 32. In this case, at the proximal end of the weight 32 is a threaded cap with a tongue-and-groove mechanism. This cap can be screwed and unscrewed to the carriage section 26 to secure the weight 32 or remove and replace it at will. Attachment of one or more weights such as the weight 32 to the weight loading section 24 may be achieved in various other ways in other embodiments. For example, in some embodiments, once the weight 32 is attached to the weight loading section 24 via the tongue-and-groove mechanism, it may be further secured to the weight loading section 24 through a secondary attachment mechanism. As another example, in some embodiments, the weight 32 may be secured to the weight loading section 24 through a clip-on mechanism, whereby the weight 32 is clipped onto the weight loading section 24 via complementary shapes of the weight 32 and the weight loading section 24. As yet another example, in some embodiments, the weight 32 may be coupled to the weight loading section 24 through magnetic interaction between a magnetic portion of the weight 32 and a magnetic portion of the weight loading section 24. The weight 32 may initially be oriented such that its magnetic portion is generally aligned with the magnetic portion of the weight loading section 24 such that the magnetic attraction between these magnetic portions would cause the weight 32 to become affixed to the weight loading section 24.

These examples of mechanisms that may be used to install the weight 32 to the weight loading section 24 are presented for illustrative purposes only as other mechanisms can be used in other embodiments. In addition, it will be appreciated that, in some embodiments, some of these mechanisms and/or other mechanisms may be combined to enhance weight attachment. For example, in some cases, the tongue-and-groove and the magnetic interaction mechanisms described above may both be used, such that when the extrusions at one lateral extremity of the weight 32 are brought into contact with the grooves in the weight loading section 24, the proximate nature of the two components at this position may cause magnetic attraction to 'snap' the weight 32 into place.

The carriage section 26 is configured to allow motion of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 and thus defines the opening in which is received the elongated member 16. In various embodiments, the weight loading section 24 and the carriage section 26 may be joined together permanently or may be detachably connected. Also, the weight loading section 24 and the carriage section 26 may be made from various materials, such as metals, plastics and composites.

While the moveable weight component 22 is configured in a particular way in this embodiment, it may be configured in various other ways in other embodiments.

When the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10, the movable weight component 22 moves along the elongated member 16 between a first position and a second position. The first position, which will be referred to as a "rest position", refers to the position of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 when the swing exercising apparatus 10 is not in use. An example of the rest position is shown in FIG. 5A. In this embodiment, when it is in the rest position, the movable weight component 22 abuts on a stationary member 34 mounted on the elongated member 16 at its proximal end 18. The second position, which will be referred to as an "apex position", refers to the position of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 that is furthest away from the rest position when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10. An example of the apex position is shown in FIG. 5D. Examples of intermediate positions of the movable weight component 22 between the rest position and the apex position are shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C.

The biasing mechanism 25 is designed to exert a force biasing the movable weight component 22 towards the rest position when the movable weight component 22 is located away from the rest position along the elongated member 16. For ease of reference, this force will be referred to as a "biasing force". In this embodiment, the biasing mechanism 25 comprises four elastic elements 30 to generate the biasing force. As further discussed later, when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10, the movable weight component 22 experiences a centrifugal force which causes it to move axially along the elongated member 16 away from the rest position. As the movable weight component 22 is located away from the rest position, the elastic elements 30 are extended and exert the biasing force biasing the movable weight component 22 towards the rest position. Thus, in addition to the movable weight component 22 being moved, the biasing force generated by the biasing mechanism 25 increases the resistance felt by the user as he/she swings the swing exercising apparatus 10.

The biasing force exerted by the biasing mechanism 25 depends on various factors. For example, the biasing force depends on factors such as the shape, dimension and composition of the elastic elements 30. Generation of the biasing force may also be influenced by other factors, such as the starting position of the swing exercising apparatus 10 when the user starts to execute a swing movement and the power provided to the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user during the different segments of this swing movement (e.g., backswing and downswing segments).

More particularly, in this embodiment, each of the elastic elements 30 is elastomeric. For example, in this embodiment, each of the elastic elements 30 comprises an elastomeric tube (e.g., a latex tube), which may or may not be hollow. In this case, each elastomeric tube has a generally circular cross-section. In other cases, each elastomeric tube may have a cross-section with various other shapes (e.g., polygonal).

Various other types of elastic elements may be used to generate the biasing force in other embodiments. For example, in other embodiments, an elastic element may comprise an elastic band, a bungee cord, a spring, or any other elastic object that stores energy as it is deformed from an original state and restores the energy as it regains the original state. Also, while in this embodiment the biasing mechanism 25 comprises four elastic elements 30, in other embodiments, the biasing mechanism 25 may comprise one, two, three or any other number of elastic elements to generate the biasing force.

In this embodiment, the elastic elements 30 surround the elongated member 16, i.e., an imaginary closed line connecting the elastic elements 30 surrounds the elongated member 16. In other embodiments, the elastic elements 30 may be arranged in various other configurations relative to the elongated member 16. The movable weight component 22 is linked to a stationary part of the swing exercising apparatus 10 via the biasing mechanism 25. More specifically, in this embodiment, the carriage section 26 of the movable weight component 22 is linked to the stationary member 34 by the elastic elements 30. Thus, when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10, the movable weight component 22 moves axially along the elongated member 16 away from the rest position and causes the elastic elements 30 to stretch. This stretching creates the biasing force biasing the movable weight component 22 back towards the rest position.

In this embodiment, the biasing mechanism 25 comprises an attachment portion 41 to which are attached the elastic elements 30. The attachment portion 41 allows the user to detach any of the elastic elements 30 to adjust the biasing force generated by the biasing mechanism 25. In other words, the attachment portion 41 enables the user to selectively detach any one of the elastic elements 30 and optionally attach at its place a different (e.g., larger, smaller, shorter, longer, less stretchable or more stretchable) elastic element. This allows the user to easily vary the biasing force generated by the biasing mechanism 25 and thus the overall resistance felt when swinging the swing exercising apparatus 10. In particular, this allows the magnitude of the biasing force generated at the beginning of the movement of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 and the magnitude of the biasing force generated at the end of the movement of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 to be independently adjusted.

The attachment portion 41 comprises respective attachment points 36 for the elastic elements 30. Some of the attachment points 36 are located on the stationary member 34, while other ones of the attachment points 36 are located on the movable weight component 22 such that, as the movable weight component 22 moves relative to this stationary member 34, the elastic elements 30 attached to the attachment points 36 can extend to exert the biasing force. In this embodiment, each attachment point 36 forms an aperture to receive and hold an end portion of an elastic element 30. The aperture formed by each attachment point 36 accepts the elastic element 30 but is smaller than the end portion of the elastic element 30 in order to lock it into place. More particularly, in this embodiment, the attachment point 36 comprises a grommet through which the end portion of the elastic element 30 is plugged, thus forming a plug-and-grommet mechanism. The grommet may be made of a material (e.g., an artificial or natural rubber compound) to provide increased frictional resistance to the elastic element 30, which may decrease the likelihood of the elastic element 30 accidentally detaching itself during operation and thus unexpectedly vary the biasing force. The grommet may also provide additional protection for the elastic element 30 against any sharp edges within the stationary member 34 or the carriage section 26 that may possibly penetrate and cut it.

More specifically, in this embodiment, the elastic element 30 comprises a central part and a plug part at each lateral extremity. The circumferences of the central part and the plug part may differ such that the central part fits through a gap within the grommet, while the plug part would substantially fill the interior void of the grommet. In this way, the elastic element 30 can be inserted within and secured to both the stationary member 34 and the carriage section 26, resulting in the formation of a link between these two components.

For example, to attach an elastic element 30 to the movable weight component 22, its central part is fitted through the gap of the grommet of one of the attachment points 36 on the stationary member 34. The shape of the elastic element 30 can be modified to fit within this gap because since the elastic element 30 can be temporarily deformed in view of its elasticity. Once the elastic element 30 is suitably inserted in the aperture of the attachment point 36 on the stationary member 34, it is then pulled towards the corresponding attachment point 36 on the carriage section 26. This causes the plug part of the elastic element 30 at the stationary member 34 to come into contact with, and substantially occupy the grommet within the attachment point 36 on the stationary member 34. In addition, this may also cause the central part of the elastic element 30 to contract and deform, thus making it easier to pass it through the gap in the grommet of the corresponding attachment point 36 on the carriage section 26. When the central part of the elastic element 30 has passed through the aperture of the corresponding attachment point 36 on the carriage section 26, the elastic element 30 may be gradually released to allow its plug part to come into contact with and substantially occupy the grommet of the attachment point 36 on the carriage section 26. At this point, the elastic element 30 is suspended between the stationary member 34 and the carriage section 26 and may carry a certain amount of tension as a result. This attachment process may be repeated so that the remaining attachment points 36 are occupied by other elastic elements 30. However, while a plurality of attachment points 36 are provided, there is no requirement to attach elastic elements 30 to all of them. Also, elastic elements 30 providing the same amount of tension or different amounts of tension may be attached to the attachment points 36. In this way, the biasing force generated by the biasing mechanism 25 can be easily adjusted to the needs of the user.

Thus, the attachment portion 41 enables the user to easily and independently attach and detach any elastic element 30 to and from the movable weight component 22 and the stationary member 34.

While in this embodiment the attachment portion 41 comprises attachment points forming apertures to implement a plug-and-grommet mechanism allowing the user to selectively attach and detach any elastic element 30 of the biasing mechanism 25, in other embodiments, the attachment portion 41 may be configured in various other ways to allow the user to selectively attach and detach any elastic element 30 of the biasing mechanism 25. For example, in some embodiments, the grommet of the attachment point 36 discussed above may be replaced with a clip that includes a retractable portion that can be set to an open or closed position. To attach the elastic element 30, the retractable portion is set to its open position that allows the lateral extremity of the elastic element 30 to be inserted and attached to the stationary member 34 or the carriage section 26. Once the elastic element 30 is secured, the retractable portion of the clip is set to its closed position that encircles the elastic element 30 ensuring that it cannot leave the attachment point 36 without some external action being performed on the clip. As another example, in some embodiments, the attachment portion 41 may comprise, for any elastic element 30, a hook, a shoulder or another structural part on which the elastic element 30 may be looped in order to secure it in place. Generally, the attachment portion 41 may comprise any component that allows the user to selectively attach or detach an elastic element 30 from the biasing mechanism 25 manually.

While the biasing mechanism 25 is configured in a particular way in this embodiment, it may be configured in various other ways in other embodiments.

The distal bound 23 is configured to limit motion of the movable weight 22 component along the elongated member 16 as it approaches a distal end 14, i.e., an outer free end, of the swing exercising apparatus 10. Thus, the distal bound 23 helps retain the movable weight component 22 on the elongated member 16 as the movable weight component 22 arrives at the apex position by blocking the movable weight component 22 and, in some cases, contribute to returning the movable weight component 22 back towards the rest position.

In this embodiment, the distal bound 23 comprises a damping mechanism 27 including an elastic element 40 configured to start exerting an additional force when the movable weight component 22 is closer to the apex position than the rest position that decelerates the movable weight component 22 as the movable weight component 22 moves towards the apex position.

More particularly, in this embodiment, the elastic element 40 of the damping mechanism 27 exerts the additional force on the movable weight component 22 when the movable weight component 22 compresses the elastic element 40 of the damping mechanism 27. The additional force exerted by the damping mechanism 27 acts to decelerate the movable weight component 22 and contributes to returning the movable weight component 22 towards the rest position. The magnitude of the centripetal force increases proportionally to the compression of the elastic element 40 by the movable weight component 22, thereby increasing the resistance felt by the user. The magnitude of the centripetal force can be adjusted by varying the shape, dimension and force constant of the elastic element 40.

Additionally, the damping mechanism 27 and the additional force it generates act to dampen any shock that can be felt by the user when the movable weight component 22 hits the elastic element 40 by slowing down the movable weight component 22 instead of abruptly stopping it. That is, the damping mechanism 27 controls the speed with which the movable weight component 22 is stopped and the distance on the elongated member 16 over which the movable weight component 22 is stopped. In addition, the elastic element 40 conserves energy it stores in stopping the movable weight component 22 and then returns it to the user as it regains its original state. In that sense, the damping mechanism 27 can be viewed as an energy conservation mechanism. This conservation of energy has the effect of increasing a rotational speed of the swing exercising apparatus 10 once the movable weight component 22 changes direction along the elongated member 16. In contrast, if an element that dissipated energy was used instead of the damping mechanism 27, the increase in speed that would occur with a follow-through of the swing would be less than that achieved with the elastic element 40 of the damping mechanism Zl.

In this embodiment, the elastic element 40 comprises a coil spring located at the outer free end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10, more specifically at the distal end 20 of the elongated member 16. The coil spring is installed coaxially on the elongated member 16 and retained thereon by a radially projecting shoulder 42 at one end of the coil spring and by a capping element 44 at the distal end 20 of the elongated member 16. The coil spring, when hit by the incoming movable weight component 22, helps to prevent undesirable vibrations in the elongated member 16 before stopping the movable weight component 22 entirely. In some cases, a variable force spring (i.e., with a variable pitch) may be used to offer more force if desired.

In other embodiments, various other types of elastic elements may be used to generate the restoring force exerted by the damping mechanism 27. For example, in other embodiments, the elastic element 40 may comprise a block of elastic material that stores energy as it is compressed from an original state and restores the energy as it regains the original state. Also, while in this embodiment the damping mechanism 27 comprises one elastic element 40, in other embodiments, the damping mechanism 27 may comprise two, three or any other number of elastic elements, of the same or different force constant, to generate the restoring force.

In some embodiments, the damping mechanism 27 may be configured to allow the user to adjust the restoring force that it is capable of exerting. For instance, in some cases, the damping mechanism 27 may allow the elastic element 40 to be removed and replaced by a different elastic element, and/or may allow its location along the elongated member 16 to be adjusted.

While the damping mechanism 27 is configured in a particular way in this embodiment, it may be configured in various other ways in other embodiments.

In use, the user places his hands on the handle 12 of the swing exercising apparatus 10 so as to grasp the handle 12. The user proceeds to swing the swing exercising apparatus 10. An example of such a swing is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this example, the user initially swings the swing exercising apparatus 10 backward, as diagrammed through successive positions A through I as shown in FIG. 3. This imparts no or very little translational motion to the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16. The user then proceeds with a downswing, as diagrammed in FIG. 4 for successive positions J through P, and then with a follow-through, as diagrammed in FIG. 4 for successive positions Qthrough V. As seen in FIG. 4, the movable weight component 22 slides along the elongated member 16 under the centrifugal force generated by the downswing towards the outer free end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10.

Thus, a swing movement performed by the user can be viewed as including three parts, namely a backswing, a downswing and a follow-through. The backswing refers to the part of the swing movement in which the swing exercising apparatus 10 moves backward, away from its starting point, in preparation for the downswing (positions A to I at FIG. 3). The downswing (which can also be called a forward swing) refers to the part of the swing movement in which the swing exercising apparatus 10 moves downward (forward) from the end of the backswing until it reaches once again it starting point (positions J to P at FIG. 4). The follow-through refers to the part of the swing movement in which the swing exercising apparatus 10 continues to move beyond the starting position due to momentum gained during the downswing (positions Q to V at FIG. 4).

During the downswing, the outer free end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10 is accelerated at the same time that the elastic elements 30 of the biasing mechanism 25 are being stretched by movement of the movable weight component 22 (the elastic elements 30 being attached to the stationary member 34 which itself does not move during the swing movement). The user experiences a progressively increasing resistance to his/her swing. In this example, during the swing movement, the movable weight component 22 reaches its apex position along the elongated member 16 when the outer free end 14 of the apparatus 10 arrives at the position "P" (see FIGS. 3 and 4), which may correspond to the position in a swing where an implement swung during the practice of a sport would come in contact with an object to be hit (e.g., in the case of a golf swing, when the head of a golf club hits a golf ball on the ground, in the case of a tennis swing, when the head of a tennis racket hits a tennis ball, etc.).

It will be understood that depending on the strength of the user, the type of elastic elements 30, as well as the weight of the movable weight component 22 being used, the apex position of the movable weight component 22 may or may not coincide with the location of the damping mechanism 27. In other words, the movable weight component 22 may not necessarily always reach the damping mechanism 27 at the position "P" of the swing movement. In some cases, the movable weight component 22 may reach its apex position along the elongated member 16 before or after the position "P".

The swing exercising apparatus 10 may be adjusted so that, at the position "P" of the swing, the movable weight component 22 compresses partly or totally the elastic element 40 of the damping mechanism 27, resulting in the user experiencing both the biasing force exerted by the biasing mechanism 25 and the restoring force exerted by the damping mechanism 27. When the movable weight component 22 comes in contact with the elastic element 40 and compresses it, the elastic element 40 absorbs the shock of the incoming movable weight component 22 to prevent undesirable vibrations in the elongated member 16 before stopping it entirely. Then, the elastic element 40 assists in returning the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 back towards its rest position during the follow-through part of the swing.

Alternatively, the swing exercising apparatus 10 may be adjusted so that, at the position "P" of the swing movement, the movable weight component 22 does not compress the elastic element 40. In this situation, the user experiences the biasing force exerted by the biasing mechanism 25, but not the restoring force capable of being exerted by the damping mechanism 27.

Thus, in this embodiment, the biasing mechanism 25 and the damping mechanism 27 generate respective forces that cause the movable weight component 22 to be biased towards and return to its rest position and that create resistance to the swing movement of the user, thereby exercising the user. This has the effect on the user of increasing the effort required to accelerate and decelerate the swing exercising apparatus 10.

When the swing is initialized, the swing exercising apparatus 10 is easier to swing since the movable weight component 22 is located at the rest position, near the handle 12, thus reducing the torque required to swing the apparatus 10 (see FIG. 5A). As the swing exercising apparatus 10 is swung, the movable weight component 22 moves along the elongated member 16 (see FIG. 5B). Eventually, the movable weight component 22 may reach and contact the damping mechanism 27 (FIG. 5C). The movable weight component 22 may then compress the elastic element 40 of the damping mechanism 27 until it comes to a complete stop (see FIG. 5D). During the follow-through part of the swing, the movable weight component 22 returns to its rest position under the effect of the biasing force exerted by the biasing mechanism 25 and, if applicable, the restoring force exerted by the damping mechanism 27. In some situations, the movable weight component 22 does not reach the damping mechanism 27, in which case the biasing force exerted by the biasing mechanism 25 acts on the movable weight component 22, but not the restoring force capable of being exerted by the damping mechanism 27, which may also be beneficial to the training of the user. Therefore, the apex position of the movable weight component 22 during the swing movement need not necessarily be at the outerfree end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10. For instance, depending on how fast and with how much power the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10, the apex position of the movable weight component 22 may lie anywhere between its rest position near the handle 12 and the outer free end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10.

The swing exercising apparatus 10 can allow the user to adjust the resistance experienced as he/she swings the swing exercising apparatus 10.

One way of adjusting the resistance experienced by the user as he/she swings the swing exercising apparatus 10 is by varying the weight of the movable weight component 22. For example, adding or removing one or more weights on the movable weight component 22 not only influences the displacement of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, but also influences the overall maneuverability of the swing exercising apparatus 10 when it is swung. Adjustment of the resistance may also be achieved by varying the rest position of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 so as to vary a moment of inertia the user feels at different parts of the swing movement.

Another way of adjusting the resistance experienced by the user as he/she swings the swing exercising apparatus 10 is by modifying the biasing force exerted by the biasing mechanism 25. For example, this can be accomplished by adding or removing one or more elastic elements 30 and/or replacing one or more elastic elements 30 by one or more other elastic elements having a different elasticity. A thicker and/or shorter elastic element can offer more resistance than a thinner and/or longer elastic element. Also, elastic elements made of different material may offer different degrees of resistance. In this embodiment, the attachment portion 41 of the biasing mechanism 25 facilitates attachment or detachment of any elastic element 30.

With the above-mentioned ways to adjust the resistance created by swing exercising apparatus 10, it becomes possible for the user to adjust the swing exercising apparatus 10 such that the movable weight component 22 reaches the damping mechanism 27 at a desired point of the swing movement (e.g., the position "P" discussed above).

Yet another way of adjusting the resistance experienced by the user as he/she swings the swing exercising apparatus 10 is by modifying the restoring force capable of being exerted by the damping mechanism 27. For example, the restoring force may be adjusted by varying the initial compression of the elastic element 40, by varying the force constant of the elastic element 40, by varying the length of the elastic element 40 and/or by varying the location of the elastic element 40 along the elongated member 16. The closer the elastic element 40 is to the distal end 20 of the elongated member 16 and therefore from the movable weight component 22 in its rest position, the greater the distance the movable weight component 22 has to move along the elongated member 16 to reach the damping mechanism 27.

In some embodiments, in addition to being able to adjust a total weight of the movable weight component 22, it may also be desirable to adjust a fixed weight on the elongated member 16. Such weight adjustment can be done, for example, by attaching one or more static weights along the elongated member 16 or within the elongated member 16. For example, the elongated member 16 may comprise a static weight attachment portion including one or more static weight attachment points at which one or more static weight may be attached along the elongated member 16. This provides the swing exercising apparatus 10 with versatility that weight on the movable weight component 22 alone may not offer. Increasing the weight on the movable weight component 22 allows to adjust the moment of inertia. Having weights that are static at one or more places on the swing exercising apparatus 10 may allow to fine tune the movement of inertia that the user feels at the beginning of the swing and when the weight is put at the distal end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10.

In some embodiments, in addition or as an alternative to adjusting weight on the swing exercising apparatus 10, another method that can be used to adjust the moment of inertia is to vary the rest position of the movable weight component 22 on the elongated member 16. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in some embodiments, a rest position adjustor 60 may be used to adjust the rest position of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16. As shown, the rest position of the movable weight component 22 has been adjusted closer to the distal end 20 of the elongated member 16 than that shown in FIG. 5A. In this case, the rest position adjustor 60 comprises a spacer element that can be placed at one or more locations along the elongated member 16 to set the rest position of the movable weight component 22 by locking it into place. For instance, the rest position adjustor 60 may be a pin and the elongated member 16 may define one or more holes in which the pin may be inserted to lock the movable weight component 22 into place. The rest position adjustor 60 may be implemented in various other ways in other embodiments.

Another method of adjusting the moment of inertia is to move both the stationary member 34 and the movable weight component 22 together to a different point more distally or more proximally on the elongated member 16, thereby keeping the length of the elastic elements 30 the same. This can be achieved using a position adjustor to adjust the positions of both the stationary member 34 and the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16. For instance, the position adjustor may be a pin on the stationary member 34 and the elongated member 16 may define one or more holes in which the pin may be inserted to lock the stationary member 34 into place.

It will thus be appreciated that the swing exercising apparatus 10 provides a variable resistance that can be used to increase the speed and power of the swing movement of the user. The variable resistance can help to remedy certain common biomechanical swing faults in the swing movement such as reducing casting or early release of the swing apparatus.

The resistance or inertia is variable because the moment of inertia of the swing exercising apparatus 10 increases from the beginning to the end of the swing movement. The swing exercising apparatus 10 may thus be effective at increasing swing speed because of this variable resistance. The variable resistance is a type of responsive resistance in that the inertia can increase as a function of speed. That is, the faster the swing, the farther out the movable weight component 22 goes and the more inertia that will be encountered by the user. The swing exercising apparatus 10 also allows the user to achieve high swing speeds at the initiation of the swing movement when the moment of inertia is less, and high contraction forces and high power toward the end of the swing movement when the moment of inertia is great. Achieving high contraction forces at high swing speeds is key in increasing speed in swing movements. As the swing exercising apparatus 10 is swung repeatedly by the user in order to condition and train his/her muscles, this will then translate to increasing the swing speed of the swing movement.

Besides performing a swing movement with large amplitude, the swing exercising apparatus 10 may also be useful for rapid swing movements of lower amplitude, such as rapid "back and forth" movements which can be performed for exercising or workout purposes.

With additional reference to FIG. 9A, in this embodiment, the sensing entity 150 and the processing entity 200 are configured to cooperate to provide information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user. This information may aid the user as he/she trains, practices or otherwise exercises with the swing exercising apparatus 10, such as by informing him/her of how powerful, efficient, biomechanically correct, etc. his/her swing is, tracking his/her swing performance, improvement, etc. over time, allowing comparison of his/her swing to that of others, and/or being useful in various other ways. For example, in various embodiments, the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user that can be provided by the sensing entity 150 and the processing entity 200 may include: information about the motion of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10 (e.g., a speed and/or an acceleration of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, a force of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23, a time taken by the movable weight component 22 to reach the distal bound 23, a position of the movable weight 22 along the elongated member 16 over time, etc.); information about power applied by the user when swinging the swing exercising apparatus 10; information about the user's grip of the swing exercising apparatus 10 (e.g., a strength of the user's grip of the handle 12, etc.); information about a moment of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23 during the user's swing of the swing exercising apparatus 10; and/or any other information that may be pertinent to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user.

The sensing entity 150 comprises one or more sensors 160 to sense one or more aspects of swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user. For instance, in various embodiments, these aspects may include: the motion of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10, such as the speed and/or the acceleration of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, the force of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23, the time taken by the movable weight component 22 to reach the distal bound 23, a position of the movable weight 22 along the elongated member 16 over time, etc.; the user's grip of the swing exercising apparatus 10, such as the strength of the user's grip of the handle 12, etc.; and/or any other parameter relating to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user.

A sensor 160 may be implemented in any suitable way in various embodiments depending on what is to be sensed by the sensor 160. For instance, in some embodiments: to sense the speed of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, the sensor 160 may comprise a speed sensor (e.g., a linear velocity sensor), which may be mounted to the movable weight component 22 or to the elongated member 16 to sense the speed of the movable weight component 22 relative to the elongated member 16; to sense the acceleration of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, the sensor 160 may comprise an accelerometer, which may be mounted to the movable weight component 22; to sense the force of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23, the sensor 160 may comprise a force transducer (e.g., a load cell, a pressure sensor, etc.), which may be mounted to the distal bound 23 (e.g., to the damping mechanism 27, such as to the elastic element 40) or may be mounted to the movable weight component 22; to sense the time taken by the movable weight component 22 to reach the distal bound 23, the sensor 160 may comprise a contact sensor or a force transducer (e.g., a load cell, a pressure sensor, etc.), which may be mounted to the distal bound 23 (e.g., to the damping mechanism 27, such as to the elastic element 40); and/or to sense the strength of the user's grip of the swing exercising apparatus 10, the sensor 160 may comprise a force transducer (e.g., a load cell, a pressure sensor, etc.), which may be mounted to the handle 12.

In this embodiment, the one or more sensors 160 of the sensing entity 150 comprise a plurality of sensors 160A, 160B, 160C mounted to the movable weight component 22, a sensor 160D mounted to the distal bound 23, and a sensor 160E mounted to the handle 12.

More particularly, in this embodiment, the sensor 160A is configured to measure the speed of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, the sensor 160B is configured to measure the acceleration of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, the sensor 160C is configured to measure the force of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23, the sensor 160D is configured to sense the additional force exerted by the damping mechanism 27 when the movable weight component 22 engages the damping mechanism 27, and the sensor 160E is configured to sense the strength of the user's grip of the swing exercising apparatus 10.

The sensing entity 150 is configured to generate a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user, based on what is sensed by its one or more sensors 160. This signal thus conveys data related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user. For example, as discussed above, in various embodiments, this data may be indicative of the speed and/or the acceleration of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, the force of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23, the time taken by the movable weight component 22 to reach the distal bound 23, the additional force exerted by the damping mechanism 27 when the movable weight component 22 engages the damping mechanism 27, the strength of the user's grip of the swing exercising apparatus 10, and/or any other parameter relating to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user that is sensed.

The signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user that is generated by the sensing entity 150 is transmitted to the processing entity 200. To that end, the sensing entity 150 may comprise a transmitter 170 configured to transmit the signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user that is generated by the sensing entity 150. In embodiments in which the sensing entity 150 includes plural sensors 160 (e.g., the sensors 160A, 160B, 160C, 160D, 160E), the transmitter 170 may comprise two or more transmitting elements associated with respective ones of these plural sensors 160 to transmit data derived from the respective ones of these plural sensors 160. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the sensing entity 150 may comprise a processor configured to collect and assemble data derived from respective ones of these plural sensors 160 for transmission by the transmitter 170. The processing entity 200 is configured to process the signal from the sensing entity 150 to convey the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user. In this embodiment, a communication device 300 separate from the swing exercising apparatus 10 comprises the processing entity 200. For example, in some embodiments, the communication device 300 may be a smartphone, a tablet computer, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch or head-mounted display), or any other communication device carried, worn or otherwise associated with the user. As another example, in other embodiments, the communication device 300 may be a server or other computing apparatus (e.g., implementing a website), which may be associated with the user or a third party associated with the user (e.g., a physician or trainer, a team, etc.).

The communication device 300 including the processing entity 200 may be in communication with the sensing entity 150 over a communication link 320, which may be wireless, wired, or partly wireless and partly wired (e.g., Bluetooth® or other short-range or near-field wireless connection, WiFi or other wireless LAN, WiMAX or other wireless WAN, cellular, Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc.). In some cases, such as where the communication device 300 is a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or other communication device carried or worn by the user of the swing exercising apparatus 10, communication between the communication device 300 and the sensing entity 150 may be direct, i.e., without any intermediate device. For instance, in some embodiments, this can be achieved by pairing (e.g., Bluetooth® pairing) the communication device 300 and the sensing entity 150. In other cases, such as where the communication device 300 is remote from the swing exercising apparatus 10, communication between the communication device 300 and the sensing entity 150 may be indirect, e.g., through one or more networks and/or one or more additional communication devices. For instance, in some embodiments, the sensing entity 150 may communicate with a WiFi hotspot or cellular base station, which may provide access to a service provider and ultimately the Internet or another network, thereby allowing the sensing entity 150 and the communication device 300 to communicate. As another example, in some embodiments, communication between the communication device 300 and the sensing entity 150 may take place through a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or other communication device which is carried or worn by the user and which itself may have established communication with a WiFi hotspot or cellular base station.

In some embodiments, an application ("app", i.e., software) may be installed on the communication device 300 to interact with the sensing entity 150 of the swing exercising apparatus 10. For example, in some embodiments, such as where the communication device 300 is a smartphone, a tablet, a computer, etc., the user may download the app from a repository (e.g., the Apple® App Store®, iTunes®, Google Play®, Android Market, etc.) or any other website onto the communication device 300. Upon activation of the app on the communication device 300, the user may access certain features relating to the swing exercising system 100 locally on the communication device 300. In addition, a data connection can be established over the Internet with a server of which executes a complementary server-side application interacting with the app on the communication device 300.

The communication device 300 (e.g., whether part of a personal communication device such as a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, computer, etc. of the user or part of a server remote from the swing exercising apparatus 10) may comprise a user interface 340 and the processing entity 200. The user interface 340 may comprise a display, a speaker, and/or any other output device, and/or a touchscreen, a keyboard, a mouse or other pointing device, and/or any other input device.

In this embodiment, the communication device 300 is a smartphone of the user of the swing exercising apparatus 10, onto which an app to interact with the sensing entity 150 of the swing exercising apparatus 10 has been installed (e.g., downloaded) to implement the processing entity 200. The user interface 340 of the communication device 300 includes a display 350, which implements a graphical user interface (GUI) and a touchscreen for interaction with the user. The transmitter 170 of the sensing entity 150 is thus a wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit the signal from the sensing entity 150 to a wireless receiver of the communication device 300 over the communication link 320 that is wireless (e.g., Bluetooth®). An example of how the user can use the swing exercising system 100 in some embodiments will now be discussed with additional reference to FIGS. 10A to 10G. As shown in Fig. 10A, a process 1000 showing an example of how the user can use the swing exercising system 100 comprising an input phase 1010, a swing phase 1020, a processing phase 1030 and an output phase 1040 is shown. A skilled reader will appreciate that these phases 1010, 1020, 1030, 1040 may occur in an overlapping fashion.

During the input phase 1010 of the process 1000, as shown in the non-limiting examples illustrated in FIGS. 10B and 10C, the user inputs information which may be used during subsequent phases of the process 1000. In one embodiment, the user inputs information via the user interface 240 of the communication device 300. For instance, the user may input information via the touchscreen of the communication device 300. The user may input this information via the above-referenced app.

In one example, the user may input information such as personal characteristics. For instance, the personal characteristics may include biometric characteristics related to the user such as height, weight, age, sex or gender, etc. The personal characteristics may also include body- related characteristics related to the user's body such as quantitative characteristics (e.g., length and or diameter of leg(s), arm(s), hand(s)), feet, torso, etc.). The body-related characteristics may also include qualitative characteristics such as handedness (e.g., left-hand dominance, right-hand dominance, cross-dominance, ambidexterity) or foot pronation (e.g., neutral pronation, overpronation, and underpronation or supination).

Additionally, or alternatively, the personal characteristics may include activity-related characteristics related to an activity in which the user is involved (e.g., golf, tennis, baseball, cricket or hockey, etc.). For instance, the activity-related characteristics may include general- stance-related information (e.g., right foot forward, left foot forward, etc., or any other general- stance-related information) and / or may include sport-specific stance information (e.g., golf stance information, such as driver stance, iron/hybrid stance, wedge stance etc.; or baseball batting stance information such as square batting stance, open batting stance, closed batting stance, etc., or any other sport specific stance related information).

In yet another example, the activity-related characteristics may include playing position (e.g., hockey positions such as forward, defense, goaltender, etc., any other playing position). In yet another example, the activity-related characteristics may include experience level (e.g., novice, amateur, expert, professional, etc.). In yet another example, the activity-related characteristics may include characteristics of the type of sport implement used by the user in practice of the sport (e.g., manufacturer and /or model and/or material of a baseball bat, a golf club, a hockey stick, tennis racket, cricket bat, used by the user; or information related to protective equipment manufacturer and /or model and/or material and/or size of a glove, etc.).

Additionally or alternatively to the personal characteristics, in some cases, the user may input information such as characteristics about the swing exercising apparatus 10. For example, the user may input characteristics about the movable weight 22. For instance, the user may input characteristics related to the weights 32 (e.g., number of weights 32 and/ or total weight of the weights 32). In some cases, the user may input characteristics related to the movable weight component 22 (e.g., information indicative of the position of rest position adjustor 60, information indicative of a relative position of the stationary member 34 and the movable weight 22).

In yet another example, the user may input characteristics about the biasing mechanism 25. For instance, the user may input characteristics about the elastic elements 30 (e.g., number of elastics elements 30, resistance of the elastic elements 30, length or thickness of the elastic elements 30, etc.).

In yet another example, the user may input characteristics about the damping mechanism 27. For instance, the user may input characteristics related to the elastic element 40 (e.g., the length of the elastic element 40, the force constant of the elastic element 40, information indicative of an initial compression of the elastic element 40, etc.)

In yet another example, the user may input characteristics about the elongated member 16 (e.g., a weight of the elongated member 16, etc.). In yet another example, the user may input characteristics about the handle 12. For instance, the user may input characteristics related to a type of handle being used, for instance, in a case where the handle 12 is interchangeable coupled to the elongated member 16, as will be described in further detail below.

The user may input any other suitable characteristics in other embodiments.

During the swing phase 1020, the user swings the swing exercise apparatus 10 and the various sensors 160 sense various parameters related to the swing of the swing exercises apparatus 10. In this phase, the user performs a swing movement using the swing exercising apparatus 10 as discussed above. For instance, in this phase, the swing movement performed by the user may include the three parts previously discussed, namely the backswing, the downswing and the follow-through.

During the swing phase 1020, the various sensors 160 of the sensing entity 150 sense various parameters. For instance:

- the sensor 160A senses the speed of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16,

- the sensor 160B senses the acceleration of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16,

- the sensor 160C senses the force of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23,

- the sensor 160D senses the additional force exerted by the damping mechanism 27 when the movable weight component 22 engages the damping mechanism 27, and - the sensor 160E senses the strength of the user's grip of the swing exercising apparatus 10.

As indicated above, the various sensors 160 of the sensing entity 150 may sense any other suitable parameters. For example, the sensors 160 may be configured to sense a position of the swing exercising apparatus 10 throughout the swing movement of the user. In this case, the sensor 160 may comprise one or more position sensors (e.g., a laser displacement sensor, a capacitive displacement sensor, a potentiometer displacement sensor, etc.), which may be mounted to the swing exercising apparatus 10 (e.g., one or more of the handle 12, the elongated member 16, the distal bound 23, the outer free end 14, or any other suitable location).

Accordingly, the swing phase 1020 involves the sensing entity 150 collecting data related to the swing movement performed by the user using the swing exercising apparatus 10.

During the processing phase 1030, the processing entity 200 of the communication device 300 processes the collected data. Referring now to FIG. 10D, the sensing entity 150 is configured to generate a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user, based on what is sensed by its one or more sensors 160. The signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user that is generated by the sensing entity 150 is transmitted to the processing entity 200 of the communication device 300 via the transmitter 170. The processing entity 200 is configured to process the signal from the sensing entity 150 to convey the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus 10 by the user.

During the output phase 1040, information related to swinging is output to the user. For instance, information may be output on the display 350 of the communication device 300, as shown in the non-limiting examples illustrated in FIGS. 10E to 10G. The information related to swinging may be output via the app, for instance, as a dashboard associated with a profile of the user.

In some cases, the information related to swinging may include user swing information, such as: - information related to power applied by the user when swinging the swing exercising apparatus 10;

- information related to the user's grip of the swing exercising apparatus 10 (e.g., a strength of the user's grip of the handle 12, etc.);

- information about the impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23 during the user's swing of the swing exercising apparatus 10 (e.g., the time taken by the movable weight component 22 to reach the distal bound 23 (i.e., the "release point"), the force of impact of the movable weight component 22 with the distal bound 23, etc.); and/or

- information related to the motion of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16 when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus 10 (e.g., the speed and/or the acceleration of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, etc.); and/or

- information related to the motion of the swing exercising apparatus 10 during the user's swing (e.g., the position of the swing exercising apparatus 10 during the user's swing, for instance the linear or angular position of the swing exercising apparatus 10 during the user's swing).

Any suitable information may be output to the user during the output phase 1040.

Additionally or alternatively, the information output to the user may be provided for each part of the swing movement, namely the backswing, the downswing and the follow-through. Furthermore, the information related to swinging may include comparative information for allowing comparison of the parts of the swing movement to one another. For instance, as shown on FIG. 10E, a ratio of the amount of time of the backswing to the amount of time of the downswing (including the follow-through) may be output to the user. Additionally, in this case, the transition point from the backswing to the downswing is output to the user. Additionally or alternatively, the information related to swinging may include user performance information, as shown, for example, in FIG. 10F. For example, the user performance information may include a measure of the efficiency of the user, a measure of the biomechanical correctness of the user, etc. In another example, the user performance information may include historical information related to the user's performance over time.

The user performance information may be aggregated based in part on the information provided by the user during the input phase 1010 (e.g., one or more of the personal characteristics, the activity related characteristics, the characteristics about the swing apparatus, etc.)

Additionally or alternatively, the information related to swinging may include diagnostic information and/or training information. For instance, the diagnostic and/or training information may provide postural insights related to the user's body (e.g., related to the user's gait, stance, grip, posture, etc.). In some cases, the diagnostic information and/or training information may include suggestions related to the postural insights (e.g., remedial exercises, training schedule or program, etc.)

In some cases, the diagnostic information and/or training information may provide insights related to the swing apparatus characteristics (e.g., suggestions related to the movable weight 22 such as to reduce or increase the weight 32, suggestions related to the biasing mechanism 25 such as to reduce or increase the biasing force of the biasing mechanism 25 via adjustments to the elastic elements 30, suggestions related to the damping mechanism 27 such as to reduce or increase the additional force of the damping mechanism 27 via adjustments to the elastic element 40, etc.)

The diagnostic information and/or training information may be aggregated based in part on the information provided by the user during the input phase 1010 (e.g., one or more of the personal characteristics, the activity related characteristics, the characteristics about the swing apparatus, etc.) Additionally or alternatively, the information related to swinging may include comparative information for allowing comparison of the user's swing to that of others, for example, as shown in FIG. 10G. For instance, the comparative information may include benchmarking information for benchmarking aspects of the user's swing relative to others of similar age, height, weight, sex or gender, experience level, playing position, etc.

The comparative information may be aggregated based in part on the information provided by the user during the input phase 1010 (e.g., one or more of the personal characteristics, the activity related characteristics, the characteristics about the swing apparatus, etc.).

Various modifications and enhancements may be made to the swing exercising system 100 in various embodiments.

For example, in some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, instead of being implemented by the communication device 300 separate from the swing exercising apparatus 10, the processing entity 200 may be part of the swing exercising apparatus 10. For instance, in some embodiments, the processing entity 200 may be integrated into the handle 12, the elongated member 16, and/or the movable weight component 22, with a display 240 that is visible on the swing exercising apparatus 10.

While in the embodiments considered above, the movable weight component 22, the biasing mechanism 25 and the damping mechanism 27 are located on an outer side of the elongated member 16, in other embodiments, the elongated member 16 may define a hollow interior space and the movable weight component 22, the biasing mechanism 25 and/or the damping mechanism 27 may be located within the interior space of the elongated member 16.

For example, FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment where the elongated member 16 defines a hollow interior space 90 in which the movable weight component 22, the biasing mechanism 25 and the damping mechanism 27 are located. In this embodiment, the movable weight component 22 comprises a weight 102 that can move in along the elongated member 16 in its hollow interior space 90. Also, in this embodiment, the biasing mechanism 25 comprises a spring 104 disposed to bias the weight 102 towards the proximal end 18 of the elongated member 16. The elongated member 16 and the handle 12 may be detachably connected so as to allow the user to separate the handle 12 and the elongated member 16 to replace the weight 102 with a lesser or greater weight.

In some embodiments, the biasing mechanism 25 may comprise different types of elastic elements to generate the biasing force. For example, FIG. 7A shows an embodiment in which the biasing mechanism 25 comprises, in addition to the elastomeric tubes 30, a coil spring 92 connected to the stationary member 34 and to the movable weight component 22. The coil spring 92 is extended upon movement of the movable weight component 22 along the elongated member 16, thereby generating part of the biasing force.

In some embodiments, part or all of the damping mechanism 27 may be movable along the elongated member 16. For example, FIG. 7B shows an embodiment in which a coil spring 94 is located on the distal end part of the movable weight component 22 and moves along the elongated member 16 with the movable weight component 22. In this case, when the spring 94 reaches the elastic element 40, both the coil spring 94 and the elastic element 40 may be compressed to generate the restoring force acting to decelerate the movable weight component 22 and then contribute to return it towards its rest position. As an alternative to the embodiment shown in FIG. 7B, in some cases, the elastic element 40 may be omitted from the distal end 20 of the elongated member 16. This may allow a reduction of the static weight at the distal end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10, if such static weight at the distal end 14 of the apparatus 10 is undesired.

In some embodiments, the elongated member 16 may be a telescoping elongated member. More particularly, in such embodiments, the elongated member 16 may comprise a first portion and a second portion that is telescopically movable with respect to the first portion. For example, in one embodiment, the first portion of the elongated member 16 defines a hollow interior space in which is slidably installed the second portion of the elongated member 16 such that the second portion of the elongated member 16 can extend and retract in a longitudinal direction from the handle 12. The first and second portions of the elongated member 16 are interconnected via a biasing mechanism that comprises at least one elastic element to bias them towards one another. A movable weight component is installed on the second portion of the elongated member 16. When the user performs a swing movement, the second portion of the elongated member 16 moves longitudinally relative to the first portion of the elongated member 16. This causes the movable weight component mounted to the second portion of the elongated member 16 to also move longitudinally relative to the first portion of the elongated member 16 and to be biased back towards its rest position by the biasing mechanism.

In some embodiments, the handle 12 may be configured as a golf club handle, a hockey stick handle, a baseball bat handle, a cricket bat handle, or a racquet handle, such as a tennis racquet handle, a badminton racquet handle, a squash racquet handle or a racquetball racquet handle. The handle 12 can also be of various other shapes or sizes such as, a sword handle, an axe handle etc. In some cases, the handle 12 may be interchangeably coupled to the elongated member 16 to allow it to be removed and replaced by a different handle. For example, the handle 12 may be screwed or otherwise secured to the elongated member 16 to facilitate its replacement by the user.

In some embodiments, a hitting element may be mounted at the outer free end 14 of the swing exercising apparatus 10 to simulate a hitting element of any sport implement. For example, the hitting element mounted to the swing exercising apparatus 10 may be configured as a golf club head element, a hockey stick blade element, etc. In some cases, the hitting element may be interchangeably coupled to the elongated member 16 to allow it to be removed and replaced by a different hitting element. For example, the hitting element may be screwed or otherwise secured to the elongated member 16 to facilitate its replacement by the user. In some embodiments, the swing exercising apparatus 10 may comprise an indicator, which can be auditory, visual or both, indicating when the movable weight component 22 reaches the damping mechanism 27 or some other predefined point. For example, in some cases, an auditory cue may happen when the movable weight component 22 hits the projecting shoulder 42 mounted on the elongated member 16. The sound then created is loud enough to be heard by the user and to serve as an auditory cue. In some other cases, the swing exercising apparatus 10 may comprise a bell that is struck by a striker that is activated when the movable weight component 22 reaches or passes by a certain defined point and so generates a resistance that is known to be beneficial for the exercising of the user. In this way, the user can receive basic feedback for each swing by listening for the sound of the bell that indicates that their swing met certain criteria. In other cases, the indicator may comprise a light that is activated when the movable weight component 22 reaches or passes by a certain defined point.

In some embodiments, the swing exercising apparatus 10 may comprise a safety mechanism to preclude the movable weight component 22 from flying off during the swing movement in case, for example, the elongated member 16 and/or the capping element 44 fails. The safety mechanism provides a fail-safe feature to prevent the movable weight component 22 from separating from the swing exercising apparatus 10 in such situations. For example, in some embodiments, the safety mechanism may comprise a tethered safety element such as a wire, a string, a cord or the like located in the interior space of the elongated member 16 and secured at the proximal end 18 of the elongated member 16. The tethered safety element may comprise a blocking element at its outer distal end, protruding from the elongated member 16. The blocking element may have a width larger than the diameter of the longitudinally extending opening in the movable weight component 22, thereby preventing the movable weight component 22 from falling off the tethered safety element. The tethered safety element may be installed on the swing exercising apparatus 10 in various other ways and the safety mechanism may be configured in various other ways in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the swing exercising apparatus 10 may comprise a damper positioned on the elongated member 16 between the stationary element 34 and the proximal end of the movable weight component 22. The purpose of the damper is to dampen the shock when the movable weight component 22 returns to its rest position. For example, the damper may be made of a material (e.g., rubber) which has a vibration suppressing effect.

In various embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9B, any part of the swing exercising system 100 mentioned herein (e.g., the sensing entity 150, the processing entity 200, etc.) may comprise a processing device 400 including an interface 266, a processing component 268, and memory 270, which are implemented by suitable hardware and software.

The interface 266 comprises one or more inputs and outputs (e.g., an input/output interface) allowing the processing device 400 to receive input signals from and send output signals to other components to which the processing device 400 is connected (i.e., directly or indirectly connected).

The processing component 268 comprises one or more processors for performing processing operations that implement functionality of the processing device 400. A processor of the processing component 268 may be a general-purpose processor executing program code stored in the memory 270. Alternatively, a processor of the processing component 268 may be a specific-purpose processor comprising one or more preprogrammed hardware or firmware elements (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs), etc.) or other related elements.

The memory 270 comprises one or more memory elements for storing program code executed by the processing component 268 and/or data used during operation of the processing component 268. A memory element of the memory 270 may be a semiconductor medium (including, e.g., a solid-state memory), a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, and/or any other suitable type of memory. A memory element of the memory 270 may include a read-only memory (ROM) element and/or a random-access memory (RAM) element, for example.

A computer-readable storage medium referred to above can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions in non-transitory form for use by an instruction execution device, such as a processor. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination thereof.

Computer-readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from such computer-readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives / obtains computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions for storage in the computer-readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.

The computer-readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present disclosure may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, Firmware instructions, state- setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on the host or partly on the host and partly on a remote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the host through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present disclosure.

Aspects of this disclosure may be described herein with reference to flowchart/signal flow illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to various embodiments. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

The flowcharts and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

It should be appreciated that throughout the specification, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing", "computing", "calculating", "determining", "analyzing" or the like, can refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computing system, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulate and/or transform data represented as physical, such as electronic, quantities into other data similarly represented as physical quantities.

In some embodiments, any feature of any embodiment described herein may be used in combination with any feature of any other embodiment described herein.

Certain additional elements that may be needed for operation of certain embodiments have not been described or illustrated as they are assumed to be within the purview of those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, certain embodiments may be free of, may lack and/or may function without any element that is not specifically disclosed herein.

In describing embodiments, specific terminology has been resorted to for the sake of description but this is not intended to be limited to the specific terms so selected, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.

In case of any discrepancy, inconsistency, or other difference between terms used herein and terms used in any document incorporated by reference herein, meanings of the terms used herein are to prevail and be used.

Although various embodiments and examples have been presented, this was for purposes of describing, but should not be limiting. Various modifications and enhancements will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. A swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user, the swing exercising apparatus comprising: an elongated member; a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus; and a sensing entity comprising a sensor and configured to generate a signal processable to provide information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

2. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user comprises information about a grip of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

3. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 2, wherein information about the grip of the swing exercising apparatus by the user is indicative of a strength of the grip of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.

4. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the sensor is mounted to the handle.

5. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user comprises information about motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus.

6. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 5, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of a speed of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 5 and 6, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of an acceleration of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 5 to 7 , comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of a force of impact of the movable weight component with the distal bound when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 5 to 7, comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of a time taken by the movable weight component to reach the distal bound when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 5 to 7, comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein: the distal bound comprises at least one elastic element configured to exert a force on the movable weight component when the movable weight component compresses the at least one elastic element of the distal bound; and the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of the force exerted by the at least one elastic element of the distal bound. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user comprises information about power applied by the user when swinging the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 5, wherein the sensor is mounted to the movable weight component. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 5, comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein the sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the sensor is mounted to the handle. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the sensor is mounted to the movable weight component. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: the sensor is a first sensor; and the sensing entity comprises a second sensor spaced from the first sensor. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 17, comprising a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the movable weight component; and the second sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 17, comprising a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the movable weight component; and the second sensor is mounted to the handle. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 17, comprising: a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus; and a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the handle; and the second sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 17, wherein the sensing entity comprises a third sensor spaced from the first sensor and the second sensor. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 21, comprising: a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus; and a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the movable weight component; the second sensor is mounted to the distal bound; and the third sensor is mounted to the handle. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user is providable on a communication device. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 23, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user is displayable on a display of the communication device. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 23, wherein the communication device is a smartphone. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the signal is processable in combination with data input from the user to provide the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 26, wherein the data input from the user is indicative of a weight of the movable weight component. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 26, comprising a biasing mechanism including at least one elastic element configured to exert a biasing force that biases the movable weight component towards a rest position as the movable weight component moves along the elongated member from the rest position towards an apex position when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the data input from the user is indicative of a characteristic of the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 28, comprising a biasing mechanism including at least one elastic element configured to exert a biasing force that biases the movable weight component towards a rest position as the movable weight component moves along the elongated member from the rest position towards an apex position when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism comprises a plurality of elastic elements. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 30, wherein the at least one elastic element is elastomeric. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 29 to 31, wherein the biasing mechanism is adjustable to adjust the biasing force. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 32, wherein the biasing mechanism is adjustable by detaching at least one of the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 29 to 33, comprising a damping mechanism including at least one elastic element configured to start exerting an additional force when the movable weight component is closer to the apex position than the rest position. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 34, wherein the biasing force is exerted when the movable weight component causes the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism to be stretched and the additional force is exerted when the movable weight component causes the at least one elastic element of the damping mechanism to be compressed. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 34 and 35, wherein the at least one elastic element of the damping mechanism comprises a spring. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 36, wherein the sensor is configured to sense an acceleration. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 36, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a speed. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 36, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a force. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 36, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a contact. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 36, wherein: the sensor is a first sensor; the sensing entity comprises a second sensor; the first sensor is configured to sense one of a speed, an acceleration, a force, and a contact; and the second sensor is configured to sense another one of the speed, the acceleration, the force and the contact. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 41, wherein the sensor comprises a speed sensor. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 41, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 41, wherein the sensor comprises a force sensor. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 1 to 41, wherein the sensor comprises a contact sensor. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 45, wherein the sensing entity comprises a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the signal for processing by a processing entity separate from the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 46, wherein the processing entity is part of a communication device of the user. The swing exercising apparatus of claim 47, wherein the communication device is a smartphone. A swing exercising system for use by a user, the swing exercising system comprising: a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by the user and comprising: an elongated member; a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus; and a sensing entity comprising a sensor and configured to generate a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user; and a processing entity comprising a processor and configured to process the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. The swing exercising system of claim 49, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user comprises information about a grip of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. The swing exercising system of claim 50, wherein information about the grip of the swing exercising apparatus by the user is indicative of a strength of the grip of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 51, comprising a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the sensor is mounted to the handle. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 52, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user comprises information about motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of claim 53, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of a speed of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 53 and 54, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of an acceleration of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 53 to 55, comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of a force of impact of the movable weight component with the distal bound when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 53 to 55, comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of a time taken by the movable weight component to reach the distal bound when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 53 to 55, comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein: the distal bound comprises at least one elastic element configured to exert a force on the movable weight component when the movable weight component compresses the at least one elastic element of the distal bound; and the information about the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member is indicative of the force exerted by the at least one elastic element of the distal bound. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 58, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user comprises information about power applied by the user when swinging the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of claim 53, wherein the sensor is mounted to the movable weight component. The swing exercising system of claim 53, comprising a distal bound configured to limit the motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member, wherein the sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 59, comprising a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the sensor is mounted to the handle. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 59, wherein the sensor is mounted to the movable weight component. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 59, comprising a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 59, wherein: the sensor is a first sensor; and the sensing entity comprises a second sensor spaced from the first sensor. The swing exercising system of claim 65, comprising a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the movable weight component; and the second sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising system of claim 65, comprising a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the movable weight component; and the second sensor is mounted to the handle. The swing exercising system of claim 65, comprising: a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus; and a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the handle; and the second sensor is mounted to the distal bound. The swing exercising system of claim 65, wherein the sensing entity comprises a third sensor spaced from the first sensor and the second sensor. The swing exercising system of claim 69, comprising: a handle configured to be grasped by the user to hold the swing exercising apparatus; and a distal bound configured to limit motion of the movable weight component along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein: the first sensor is mounted to the movable weight component; the second sensor is mounted to the distal bound; and the third sensor is mounted to the handle. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 70, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user is providable on a communication device. The swing exercising system of claim 71, wherein the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user is displayable on a display of the communication device. The swing exercising system of claim 71, wherein the communication device is a smartphone. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 70, wherein the signal is processable in combination with data input from the user to provide the information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. The swing exercising system of claim 74, wherein the data input from the user is indicative of a weight of the movable weight component. The swing exercising system of claim 74, comprising a biasing mechanism including at least one elastic element configured to exert a biasing force that biases the movable weight component towards a rest position as the movable weight component moves along the elongated member from the rest position towards an apex position when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, wherein the data input from the user is indicative of a characteristic of the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 76, comprising a biasing mechanism including at least one elastic element configured to exert a biasing force that biases the movable weight component towards a rest position as the movable weight component moves along the elongated member from the rest position towards an apex position when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of claim 77, wherein the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism comprises a plurality of elastic elements. The swing exercising system of claim 78, wherein the at least one elastic element is elastomeric. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 77 to 79, wherein the biasing mechanism is adjustable to adjust the biasing force. The swing exercising system of claim 80, wherein the biasing mechanism is adjustable by detaching at least one of the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 77 to 81, comprising a damping mechanism including at least one elastic element configured to start exerting an additional force when the movable weight component is closer to the apex position than the rest position. The swing exercising system of claim 82, wherein the biasing force is exerted when the movable weight component causes the at least one elastic element of the biasing mechanism to be stretched and the additional force is exerted when the movable weight component causes the at least one elastic element of the damping mechanism to be compressed. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 82 and 83, wherein the at least one elastic element of the damping mechanism comprises a spring. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 49 to 84, wherein the sensor is configured to sense an acceleration. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 49 to 84, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a speed. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 49 to 84, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a force. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 49 to 84, wherein the sensor is configured to sense a contact. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 84, wherein: the sensor is a first sensor; the sensing entity comprises a second sensor; the first sensor is configured to sense one of a speed, an acceleration, a force, and a contact; and the second sensor is configured to sense another one of the speed, the acceleration, the force and the contact. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 49 to 89, wherein the sensor comprises a speed sensor. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 49 to 89, wherein the sensor comprises an accelerometer. The swing exercising system of any one of claim 49 to 89, wherein the sensor comprises a force sensor. The swing exercising apparatus of any one of claim 49 to 89, wherein the sensor comprises a contact sensor. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 93, wherein the processing entity is part of a communication device separate from the swing exercising apparatus. The swing exercising system of claim 94, wherein the communication device is a smartphone. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 94 and 95 wherein the sensing entity is configured to wirelessly transmit the signal to the processing entity. The swing exercising system of any one of claims 49 to 93, wherein the processing entity is part of the swing exercising apparatus. A swing exercising system for use by a user, the swing exercising system comprising: a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by the user and comprising: an elongated member; a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus; and a sensing entity comprising a sensor and configured to generate a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user; and a communication device separate from the swing exercising apparatus and comprising a processing entity that comprises a processor and is configured to process the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a processing device for performing a method of informing on use of a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user, the swing exercising apparatus comprising an elongated member and a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, the method comprising: receiving a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user from the swing exercising apparatus; and processing the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user. . A method of informing on use of a swing exercising apparatus to be swung by a user, the swing exercising apparatus comprising an elongated member and a movable weight component configured to move along the elongated member when the user swings the swing exercising apparatus, the method comprising: receiving a signal related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user from the swing exercising apparatus; and processing the signal to convey information related to swinging of the swing exercising apparatus by the user.