1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to paddle ball games and particularly to paddle games using a tethered ball.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Tethered ball games are well known which are intended to be played by a single person, and the ball is tethered by an elastic cord so that it will return to the player after being struck by a bat, club or paddle. In one such type of game a small rubber ball is tethered to the center of a wooden paddle by a rubber band. The player hits the ball hard enough to drive it beyond the unstressed length of the rubber band, thereby causing the band to stretch and to return the ball to the player. The object of the game is to repeat this process as many times as possible without missing the ball on its return travel.
A tennis-like game for two players using badminton-style racquets comprises a light weight inflatable ball on the end of a rubber band that is tied to the center of a bar mounted a few inches off the floor on weighted end supports. The players stand on opposite sides of the bar and try to hit the ball back and forth over the bar. The rubber band, being tied to a fixed point below the midpoint of the ball's normal trajectory exerts a pull at an angle to that trajectory when it becomes taut; whereas the rubber band in the first-described game exerts a pull substantially in line with the ball's trajectory. In both games, however, the pull is exerted along a straight line from the point of attachment, and the pull is exerted only at the end of ball travel.
In another type of tethered ball game for two players, a ball is suspended by a flexible cord from the top of a pole, and each player tries to hit the ball, either with his hands or a paddle, past the other player. If one succeeds, the ball will orbit the pole and come around behind the one player, who then tries to repeat his success and continue the ball in orbit around the pole in ever-decreasing circles until the cord is completely wound up on the pole. The functions of the cord in this game differ from those of the rubber band of the preceding games in that it exerts a continuous centripetal pull on the ball and is used to immobolize the ball against the pole in the fully-wrapped condition to signal the scoring of a point.
Although each of the tether ball games described above has its own distinctive characteristics and method of play, a feature common to all is that the tether line, whether elastic or inelastic, is uniform and flexible throughout its length. Thus, it exerts a pull on the ball in a straight line along its free length.