CN1299785C - Starting aid for use in swimming - Google Patents

Abstract

A swimming starting aid includes: a platform having a front edge, the platform being configured to position the front edge adjacent to an edge of a swimming pool and including a first surface extending rearwardly from the front edge and on which a swimmer can stand, and an inclined surface inclined upwardly relative to the platform for allowing the swimmer to push off with the other foot while diving from the platform, the inclined surface being disposed sufficiently rearwardly of the first surface so that the swimmer is positioned in a sufficiently staggered relationship for a sprint start.

Description

Starting aids for swimming

technical field

The present invention relates to a starting aid, and more particularly to a starting aid for competitive swimming or for use in swimming training.

Background technique

Although swimming in its purest form is a simple sport requiring only the body of water in which to swim, at an elite level every aspect has been scrutinized and refined to maximize performance and efficiency. This process has seen a continual streamlining and development of the different postures, the materials and cut of the swimmer's clothing and even the design of the swimming pool itself.

A recent development in competitive swimming technology is the "track" start by placing one foot a certain distance behind the edge of the starting platform, as opposed to the traditional "catch" start. This initiation technique is more difficult than the catch. As a result, young swimmers are initially taught the catch start and later have to relearn the race start when they are able to perform the sprint start.

It is an object of the present invention to overcome or at least alleviate one of the disadvantages of the prior art or to provide a useful alternative.

Contents of the invention

Accordingly, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a swimming activation aid comprising: a platform having a front edge configured to position the front edge adjacent to the edge of a swimming pool and including a a first surface that extends rearwardly and on which a swimmer can stand, and an inclined surface that slopes upwardly relative to the platform for diving from the platform while allowing the swimmer to propel with the other foot, the inclined surface Sufficiently disposed behind the first surface such that sufficient staggered relationship of swimmers is positioned for a sprint start.

One advantage of such an aid is that it can assist a young swimmer when learning the sprint start. In a sprint start, as the athlete leans forward to grab the front of the launch platform, the heel of the rear foot lifts off the platform, which reduces the athlete's stability. By providing a sloped surface towards the rear of the platform, full contact is provided for both feet, making the technique easier and safer for young swimmers. A faster start is obtained because the swimmer can push more efficiently against an inclined surface.

In a preferred form, the angle of inclination of the inclined surface is adjustable. This adjustment makes the accessory deformable enough to suit different individual body shapes. Likewise, the degree of support provided by the inclined surface can be gradually reduced by decreasing its incline as the swimmer becomes more adept at the sprint start. More preferably, additional flexibility is provided by enabling adjustment of the distance of the sloped surface behind the front edge of the platform. In a preferred form this is achieved by constructing an inclined surface on the structure which is slidable along rails provided in the platform which run rearwardly from the front edge of the platform. Optionally, the platform may be provided with a plurality of spaced apart recesses arranged in an array for receiving corresponding protrusions on the structure providing said inclined surface.

In a further preferred form, a starting aid is used such that its height above the surface of the pool can be varied. In another preferred form, the platform and sloped surface may be integrally formed. Still more preferably, the auxiliary member may comprise a second inclined surface arranged before the first inclined surface, wherein the width of the second inclined surface is smaller than the width of the platform. The second inclined surface is preferably configured for detachable or moveable connection to the platform at or adjacent to one of the sides of the platform.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a swimming activation aid comprising: an inclined surface configured to be connected to a platform having a front edge adjacent to a pool edge such that said surface is substantially seated on said front edge It then slopes upwards relative to the platform to allow the swimmer to place their feet on the platform in a staggered relationship and push with one foot against the sloped surface while diving from the platform.

An advantage of the second aspect of the invention is that it allows retrofitting of the starting aid to existing starting platforms.

Description of drawings

Preferred embodiments of the invention will be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 has shown the starting platform in the prior art;

Figure 2 shows the swimmer in a traditional "catch" start position;

Figure 3 shows a swimmer preparing to start using the "sprint" start position;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of the starting aid according to the invention;

Figure 5 shows the starting aid of Figure 4 with the user in the "sprint" starting position;

Figure 6 shows a second embodiment of the starting aid according to the invention;

Figure 7 shows a third embodiment of a starting aid according to the invention; and

Figure 8 shows a fourth embodiment of the starting aid according to the invention.

Detailed ways

Referring now to FIG. 1, a typical prior art starting platform comprises a frame 10 positioned on the side of the pool and has a platform 12 with a front edge 14 of the platform 12 positioned directly above the side of the pool in use.

As shown in Figure 2, in the "catch" launch position, the swimmer's shoulders are vertically in line with their feet, which are both positioned with the toes adjacent to the front edge of the launch platform. In this position, the swimmer's center of mass is located above the toes, making balance difficult and negatively impacting power and speed of the start.

The "sprint" start differs from the grab start in that the swimmer's feet are staggered, with the front foot adjacent to the front of the starting platform and the other foot parallel to but behind the front foot. This is shown to better effect in FIG. 3 . As the swimmer leans forward to grab the front of the platform, the swimmer's center of mass is positioned somewhere between the two separated feet to provide greater stability.

However, a sprint start requires a different technique than a grab start; when positioned on the starting block (plate), the feet need to start at a distance from each other and put together before entering the water to obtain a streamlined position. Perhaps because of this more demanding requirement, it has been found that a general problem with sprint starts is that the rear foot may slip during the start, leading to false starts and possibly injury.

Referring to Figures 4, 5, the starting aid according to the invention comprises a platform 12 having a front edge 14 which, in use, is adjacent the edge of the swimming pool. Platform 12 slopes slightly upward from its front edge 14 rearwardly. Near the rear of the platform is provided a surface 16 which slopes more steeply than platform 12 .

Advantageously, as shown in Figure 5, the sloped surface 16 provides support for the swimmer's rear foot when the sprint start position is employed. This increased support increases the contact area between the swimmer's foot and the launch platform, increasing stability. This extra surface area and its inclination relative to platform 12 also allows the swimmer to drive more robustly with the rear foot, increasing the speed and aerial distance of the competitive start.

The platform of Figure 4 is a fixed height prototype. In the manufactured version, the height of the platform that can be met above the pool surface can be varied to achieve the same versatility as a traditional launch platform. This is schematically shown in Figure 6. Height variation can be achieved by using interchangeable legs 18 of different lengths.

Although the embodiment in FIGS. 4-6 has the sloped surface fixed relative to the platform, other embodiments may have the sloped surface as a separate structure. In this manner, the spacing of surface 16 from front edge 14 may vary.

In one form, such varying spacing is provided by the launch pad 20 with pins 22 protruding from the lower surface and a corresponding array of holes in the upper surface 24 of the platform, as shown in FIG. 7 . This principle can be exploited so that the holes 24 are in the form of recesses formed which cooperate with correspondingly shaped protrusions on the underside of the starting block 20 and lock said starting block more firmly in place.

Optionally, longitudinal slides or slides or tracks may be provided in the surface of the platform. The starting block 20 and other inclined surfaces are mounted to slide along the track, a ratchet assembly is used to hold the starting block in the desired position.

The embodiment shown in Figure 7 has the advantage that with minimal difficulty it can be simply fixed to an existing starting platform simply by drilling the surface of the existing platform. This obviously saves costs on existing equipment.

Future launch aids may include a second sloped surface for the forefoot. In this way, a swimmer can initiate explosive starts with both feet in contact with the launch platform, in the same way as a 100-meter runner, especially if the platform becomes longer. In such an embodiment, the width of each inclined surface would be smaller than the width of the platform and releasable securing means such as that shown in Figure 7 would enable the surfaces to be adjusted to accommodate different swimmer preferences and sizes, especially Whether the swimmer wishes to place their left or right foot to the rear.

The angle of the inclined surface 16 can be adjusted by arranging the starting block 20 adjustable in the same way that a sprinter uses a starting block.

A simple way of implementing the variable inclination of the embodiment in FIG. 7 is shown in FIG. 8 . Here, the starting block 20 is made of four plates 26 , 28 , 30 , 32 which are pinned (pivoted) together on their edges 34 , 36 , 38 . Pin 22 is carried by plates 26 , 32 . Plate 28 provides inclined surface 16, the inclination of which is adjusted by placing pins 22 into holes 24 in surface 12, either closer together or further apart as desired. The maximum inclination of surface 16 is achieved when the angle between plates 28 and 30 is 90 degrees.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples, various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art.

Each feature disclosed in this specification (term included in a claim) and drawings, or each feature disclosed in this specification (term included in a claim) or drawings can be independent of other disclosed and illustrated features, or other disclosed or illustrated features, may be combined in the present invention.

The expression "object of the invention" in this specification relates to preferred embodiments of the invention, but not necessarily to all embodiments of the invention falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims (18)

1. A starting aid for swimming comprising: a platform having a front edge configured to position the front edge adjacent to the edge of a swimming pool and comprising a first surface extending rearwardly from the front edge , and a swimmer can stand on said surface, and an inclined surface inclined upwardly relative to said platform for diving from the platform while allowing the swimmer to propel with the other foot, said inclined surface being sufficiently provided at the second After one surface, sufficient staggered relation of such swimmers is positioned for a sprint start. 2. Starting aid according to claim 1, characterized by comprising a second inclined surface arranged in front of said first mentioned inclined surface. 3. The starting aid of claim 2, wherein the width of the second inclined surface is less than the width of the platform. 4. The starting aid of claim 1, wherein the inclined surface is movable such that an angle of inclination of the inclined surface is adjustable. 5. The starting aid of claim 1, wherein the distance of the inclined surface behind the front edge of the platform is adjustable. 6. The starting aid of claim 5, wherein the inclined surface is provided on a structure slidable along a track in the platform, the track extending rearwardly from the front edge. 7. The starting aid of claim 5, wherein the platform is provided with an array of spaced recesses for receiving corresponding protrusions on the structure providing the inclined surface. 8. The starting aid of claim 1, wherein the platform is adjustable in height. 9. The starting aid of claim 1, wherein the platform and the inclined surface are integrally formed. 10. The starting aid of claim 2, wherein the second sloped surface is configured for a side edge on either of or adjacent to the side edges of the platform. Either one is detachably connected to the platform. 11. A starting aid for swimming comprising: an inclined surface configured to be connected to a platform having a front edge adjacent to a pool edge such that said surface is substantially behind said front edge and slopes upward relative to said platform to Have the swimmer place their feet on the platform in a staggered relationship and push with one foot against the inclined surface while diving from the platform. 12. The starting aid of claim 11, comprising a second inclined surface configured to be detachably attached to the platform prior to the first mentioned inclined surface. 13. The starting aid of claim 12, wherein the width of the second inclined surface is less than the width of the platform. 14. The starting aid of claim 11, wherein the angle of inclination of the inclined surface is adjustable. 15. The starting aid of claim 11, wherein the distance of the inclined surface behind the front edge of the platform is adjustable. 16. The starting aid of claim 15, wherein the inclined surface is provided on a structure slidable along a track secured to the platform, the track extending rearwardly from the front edge . 17. The starting aid of claim 15, wherein the platform is provided with an array of spaced recesses for receiving corresponding protrusions on the structure providing the inclined surface. 18. The starting aid of claim 11, wherein the aid is removably attached to the platform.

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