1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sports in general and more particularly to games which require eye to hand coordination such as baseball, golf, tennis, field hockey and the like.
More particularly, the present invention relates primarily to baseball and to a device capable of assisting the participant in learning the proper head to shoulder transfer to enable the participant to generate his full potential in swinging a bat, club, racquet, hockey stick or the like.
When one determines to swing a bat or the like at a ball in a sport such as baseball, the theory of proper head to shoulder transfer and movement through the swing is critical in achieving solid contact with the ball and in transferring maximum force so as to hit the ball as far as possible. The same basic motion and head position applies to golf and tennis.
Accordingly, it has always been an aim of trainers, teachers and coaches of the game to develop proper head positioning and shoulder rotation so as to maximize a player's ability.
2. The Prior Art
In the past this has been accomplished in many sports by devices which restrain movement of the head such as is disclosed by Smallwood in U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,982--issued Oct. 23, 1962 and by Presta in U.S. Pat. No. 3,713,657 issued Jan. 30, 1973. Such devices would not be useful in faster action sports such as baseball and the like due to the possible danger of a quick, unanticipated movement as may occur when a batter must avoid a ball pitched at him.
Eyeglass type training devices have also been developed such as are disclosed by Palumbo in U.S. Pat. No. 3,264,002; however, such devices are inherently unsuitable for a sport with a fast moving projectile travelling in the direction of the user, such as a pitched ball. A projectile hitting such devices could seriously harm the user thereof.
Helmets have been used in sports such as baseball for many years and protective devices such as the helmet of C. Tatore et al as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,868,926 protect the head of the player but do nothing to assit him in mastering the sport.
A need is therefore unmet in this field. A need exists for a safe training device to train the eye without restraining the movement of the user and to protect the user while improving his proficiency level in the sport. cl SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a training device to be used in the sport of baseball, tennis, hockey and the like which enables the user to improve his hand-eye coordination and to maximize his physical power by maximizing the head to shoulder transfer so necessary in projectile contact sports.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which operates on the principle of obscuring ball vision unless the user's head is maintained in the proper position.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a training device which can be combined with available head protection devices to achieve a combined protector-trainer to be used in sports utilizing a striking implement and a projectile for example, a bat and ball, racquet and ball or the like.
These and other objects of the present invention are obtainable by an apparatus which comprises an opaque body or shield mountable on the beak of a protective helmet on the side opposite the source of a projectile travelling toward the user whereby movement of the user's head away from the proper position results in the shielding of the eyes of the user from the projectile. Said shield is releasably moveable on the helmet so as to fly free if struck by the ball so as to minimize danger to the user.
The device of the present invention comprises a training device releasably mounted on a protective helmet which comprises:
a. a shield having a top flange and a main opaque body, PA1 b. a groove defined within said flange which is slidingly mounted on the edge of the beak of the protective helmet, and PA1 c. means for attaching said body to the helmet such as an elastic strap whereby the entire shield would fly free from the helmet upon impact by a projectile or ball.
Viewing the apparatus in a frontal fashion shows that it covers about one-half of the face; left side for a left handed player and right side for a right handed participant. The apparatus is releasably attached and is constructed of an opaque, durable, impact resistant, flexible, plastic material or the like.
The apparent advantages and other advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent upon review of the following drawings and description of the preferred embodiment.