CN1942223A

CN1942223A - sports training equipment

Info

Publication number: CN1942223A
Application number: CNA2004800428767A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 利昂·史蒂文森
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-04-29
Filing date: 2004-04-29
Publication date: 2007-04-04
Also published as: EP1755750A4; CA2564922A1; AU2004234184B2; WO2004096381A1; EP1755750A1; AU2004234184A1; AU2003902010A0; US20070167297A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an athletic training device, and more particularly to a martial arts/boxing training device which overcomes the problems associated with prior devices because it can hone in on the user's ability to exercise such as speed, strength, accuracy and defensive skills, and also simulate the unpredictability of an actual sparring opponent. The apparatus comprises a chassis for mounting the apparatus on a surface, a support member and one or more filler balls adapted to move around the support member by means of a connecting arm whose height is adjustable. In one form of the invention, the arms are rigid structures which rotate in a horizontal plane about the support whereby the length of each arm is adjustable. This embodiment is particularly useful when the user wants to hone in on a particular skill that does not require an unexpected situation. In another form of the invention, the support member includes a flexible arm mounted thereon which is capable of both rotational movement in a single plane and tilting and pivoting movement relative to the support member, which adds a further dimension to the exercise apparatus. This embodiment is particularly useful when the unpredictability of an actual sparring partner is desired.

Description

Exercise training equipment

The present invention relates to exercise training equipment, and more particularly to equipment for improving skills, such as speed, accuracy and defense, in various full-contact sports, such as boxing and martial arts.

Background

Boxing, martial arts, and other full-touch sports may be the most intense of the other athletic sports, as they require the athlete to maintain an optimal physical state. For example, in a boxing sport, there must be speed so that the boxer hits the opponent as quickly as possible, or avoids a hit by the opponent; must be powerful so that the maximum force can be used when punching; accuracy is necessary so that when a punch is made, the boxer has a greater chance of hitting the target; it is obvious that defensive capabilities must be provided to avoid hitting the face and abdomen.

All of the above skills must rely on training and laborious efforts of the athlete. In recent years, these skills have been obtained with relative ease by using training equipment. Devices that involve contact between the user (typically a fist, foot, knee or elbow) and the striking surface of the device itself not only eliminate the need for an actual sparring partner, but also provide a means for the user to exercise the skills needed for special attention. The devices that are common in most gyms today include suspended boxing bags, freestanding upright bags, suspended boxing balls (commonly referred to as speed balls), and double-ended batting balls.

Boxing bags are heavy, filled cylindrical bags suspended from the ceiling. The bag is usually swung slightly by its weight when struck and the user is less likely to experience an accident when it is struck back. Therefore, heavy hanging punching bags are often used to help the user increase his strength or simply practice the type of punch.

Self-supporting stand-up bags, like hanging bags, are also heavy, filled and cylindrical. However, such bags are not hung from the ceiling, but are elastically installed on the ground. Self-supporting stand-up bags serve virtually the same purpose as hanging bags, and the use of such bags has little effect on improving the skills of the boxer.

A hanging boxing ball or "speed ball" is a teardrop shaped filled bag that hangs below a platform around the height of the head. The bag may be pivotally movable in either direction beneath the platform. For example, when the bag is struck, it swings upwards, hits the platform, rebounds, receives the user's next stroke or hits the front side of the platform and then receives a stroke, according to the user's program. The user then typically repeats the motion rapidly, thereby exercising speed and accuracy. The suspension position of the ball is not moved, and therefore, once and again, there is no unexpected situation where the ball will return upon striking.

Double-ended balls are typically spherical infill balls that are resiliently tethered to their top and bottom decks respectively. When hitting a ball, the movement is more closely resembling the unpredictable nature of an opponent's return stroke, as the ball can now move in a vertical plane, i.e. to the left and right and in front and behind the user. The device enables the user to improve speed and accuracy skills as well as defense skills, such as defense.

No apparatus currently known to the applicant enables a user to simultaneously improve skills such as speed, accuracy and defense, whereby a target, typically a ball, is arranged and constructed to produce, when struck, a simulated high-low target and a high-low counter-strike of a real sparring opponent.

Moreover, none of the contemporary devices known to the applicant enable a three-dimensional movement of the ball upon impact, i.e. a rotation, a tilt and a pivot movement, providing the user with the unpredictability of the actual opponent.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome at least some of the above problems, or to provide the public with a useful alternative.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, there is provided in one form of the invention an exercise training apparatus comprising:

a base member adapted to be attached to a surface;

a support member extending from said base member;

at least one arm rotatably connected to the support; and

a ball attached to the free end of the arm.

Preferably, the arm is also connected to the support at an angle.

Preferably, the arm is also pivotally connected to the support.

Advantageously, the arm is connected to the support in a pivoting and/or tilting and/or pivoting manner.

Preferably, the arms are constructed of a resilient material.

Preferably, the arms are resilient, allowing the resilient arms to stretch and compress.

Preferably, the arm comprises a first arm member and a second arm member, the first arm member being adapted to slidingly engage the second arm member.

Preferably, the arm comprises locking means adapted to lock the first arm member and the second arm member relative to each other. This allows the user to position each arm of the apparatus at its desired level, thereby simulating different reach ranges for an opponent.

Preferably, the ball is mounted at a free end of the second arm member.

Preferably, the support comprises a first part and a second part, the first part being fixedly attached to the base and adapted to slidably engage the second part.

Preferably, the support member comprises a locking means adapted to lock the second member within the first member.

Advantageously, the ball is made of a soft filling material, which will ensure that the ball does not injure the user.

There is also provided in accordance with another form of the present invention exercise training apparatus, including:

a chassis adapted to be mounted on a surface;

a hollow cylindrical support member extending outwardly from said base pan;

a shaft slidable within said support and lockable along the member;

at least one exercise component rotatably mounted along said shaft at a predetermined height, said exercise component comprising a first arm and a second arm, said first arm adapted to slidingly engage said second arm; and

a ball attached to the free end of the second arm.

Preferably, said exercise member is also pivotally mounted along said shaft.

Preferably, said practice component is also mounted obliquely along said axis.

Advantageously, the exercise member is rotatably and/or tiltably and/or pivotally mounted along the shaft.

Preferably, said practice component includes a circular bearing journalled about the outer surface of said shaft for smooth movement of said component.

There is further provided in accordance with yet another form of the present invention exercise training apparatus, including:

a chassis adapted to be mounted on a surface;

a hollow cylindrical support member extending outwardly from said base pan;

a shaft slidable within said support and lockable along the member;

at least one resilient arm mounted for rotation, pivoting and tilting along said shaft at a predetermined height to effect irregular three-dimensional movement of said arm relative to said shaft; and

a ball attached to the free end of the resilient arm.

Preferably, the resilient arm comprises a circular bearing journalled around the outer surface of the shaft to provide smooth movement of the arm.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. Wherein,

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an exercise training apparatus of the present invention; and

fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an exercise training apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings. While this specification includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or like parts.

Fig. 1 shows a training apparatus 10 of the present invention. The base plate 12 is fixedly mounted to the planar surface 14 by

bolts

16, 18, 20 and 22 located at the four corners of the plate 12. Extending upwardly from the pan 12 is a cylindrical support 24, which is preferably welded to the pan 12 at its bottom end and includes a reinforcement 26 for added stability. The support member 24 includes an inwardly rounded upper end 28 that defines an opening 30 into which a cylindrical shaft 32 is adapted to be inserted when the training apparatus 10 is assembled. The cylindrical shaft 32 is adapted to be locked within the support 22 by any suitable locking means, such as a screw-type clamp (not shown) as is well known in the art. Alternatively, the shaft 32 may include a male threaded portion (not shown) adapted to engage a female threaded portion (not shown) within the support member 22.

It should be understood that the connection methods described herein are exemplary only, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to any one of these methods. For example, the

bolts

16, 18, 20 and 22 may be replaced entirely by suction means or other suitable fixing means on the underside of the chassis 11.

It should also be understood that the chassis 12 need not be fixed to the ground, but may be fixed to a wall or platform (not shown). This provides further options for the type of training that the user of the apparatus 10 wishes to perform. For example, rather than acting on a horizontal surface as in the apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, it would act on a vertical surface when mounted on a wall. Alternatively, the apparatus 10 may be fixed to the ceiling. In fact, the apparatus may be secured to any surface that is adapted to the training needs of the user.

Since boxing and martial arts training involves forceful striking of the apparatus, whether it be boxing, kicking, elbow pushing or knee striking, the chassis 12 is preferably made of a strong heavy metal, such as steel, to lower the center of gravity of the apparatus 10. However, the present invention should not be limited to this structure. For example, a wide hollow base (not shown) may be used to fill the interior cavity with water or sand to stabilize the apparatus. Since the entire apparatus is designed to be swingable, it can even provide the user with more favorable unpredictability.

The lower and

upper punching components

34 and 36 are rotatably connected to the shaft 32 such that the shaft 32 extends through

central apertures

38 and 40 of each

component

34 and 36, respectively. Although not shown, the apparatus 10 includes a stop means for locking each of the

components

34 and 36 at a particular height along the shaft 32 while allowing each component to freely rotate at that particular height.

The lower punching component 34 includes an annular housing 42 which encloses an annular roller bearing (not shown) or other similar device which defines the aperture 38 which allows the component 34 to freely rotate about the central axis 32. Two

identical arms

44 and 46 are preferably attached to the cap 42 by welding and extend outwardly from opposite ends thereof. The arm 44 includes two parts 44a and 44b that taper in cross-sectional dimension so that the part 44b can slide within the part 44 a. This configuration allows the user to adjust the range of use of the device.

The bolt 44c locks the parts 44a and 44b in position relative to each other. As mentioned, the arms 46 are identical in their construction to the arms 44, i.e. the part 46b is slidable within the arm 46a, the bolt 46c again locking the arms in position relative to each other.

Spherical balls

48 and 50 are fixedly attached to the ends of

arms

44 and 46 by respective annular supports 52 and 54. The

balls

48 and 50 effectively serve as target surfaces when practicing boxing, and as return strokes when practicing defensive.

The upper component 36 has substantially the same features as the lower component 34, however, as shown in figure 1, the upper component 36 includes three

identical arms

56, 58 and 60 equally spaced around a central annular housing 62. Those skilled in the art will recognize that each component may include any number of arms disposed about their central shroud. Also, the shaft 32 is not fixed within the support 24 and does not have a rotating member mounted thereon, and the support 24 itself may include the required components for rotation such that the entire shaft 32 may rotate within the support 24.

Again, the cover 62 encloses an annular bearing (not shown) that defines the bore 40 that enables the cover 62 to freely rotate about the central shaft 32. Each of the

arms

56, 58 and 60 has the same sliding structure as described above and therefore, for the sake of brevity, will only be labeled accordingly and will not be described. The

arms

56, 58 and 60 also include respective

spherical balls

64, 66 and 68 fixedly attached to the ends of the arms by

annular supports

70, 72 and 74, respectively.

It will now be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can simulate the action of a real sparring opponent whereby the

ball engaging member

34 or 36 effectively rotates about the central axis 32 when struck. If the user wants to practice defensive techniques, he/she can defend against the accompanying head-on stream of balls in other rotational paths. If the user wants to practice the striking technique, he/she can continue striking the return ball to test speed and accuracy. The apparatus 10 is particularly effective because it includes two components, one 34 at waist height and the other 36 at head height, which is the area most likely to be the target in a boxing exercise.

It should be understood that the heights of shaft 32, lower punching component 34 and upper punching component 36 may be adjusted to accommodate the height of the user. This is also useful when the apparatus 10 is stored after use, since the overall height of the apparatus is almost halved when all three of the above-mentioned components are in their lowest positions. Also, the

components

34 and 36 may be removable from the central shaft 32.

Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. It will be seen that the chassis 12 and support 24 are the same as those shown in figure 1 and therefore the reference numerals representing these components are the same.

Fig. 2 shows a training apparatus 60. As in the first embodiment, a central cylindrical shaft 76 is housed within the support member 22, however, this shaft 76 terminates at its upper end in a bulb 78. An annular cage 80 enclosing an annular bearing (not shown) is adapted to not only rotate (yaw) in a vertical plane about ball 78, but also tilt or roll about the outer surface of ball 78, thereby enabling multi-axial motion.

An elastic tether 82 is attached to the cover 80, which tether pivots vertically about a horizontally extending clip 84. The elastic tether 82 is preferably connected to the spherical ball 86 by a simple loop connection 88 so that the ball 86 can move slightly about the loop connection 88 when struck, as is known to those skilled in the art.

Fig. 2 further illustrates in phantom the

various movement patterns

90, 92, 94, 96 and 98 of the ball 86, tether 82 and cover 80, the phantom lines indicating the position of the ball 86, tether 82 and cover 80 at two

alternate positions

100 and 102 along their paths. This movement is caused by a combination of simple rotation 90 of the cover 80, tilting or rolling 92 of the cover 80, pivoting 94 of the tether 82 about the clip 84, elongation 96 of the tether 82, and slight movement 98 of the ball 86, which results in a three-dimensional, almost unpredictable or irregular movement of the ball, characterized by features common to human opponents.

It will also be appreciated that features of one embodiment may be combined with other features as appropriate. For example, a user may well construct a training apparatus having a three-dimensional boxing member attached to the top of the apparatus (as shown in FIG. 2) and a horizontal rotation member attached at waist height (as shown in FIG. 1).

The various forms of movement described in the present invention, and more particularly the movement of the arm about the shaft, can be achieved by using a variety of different joints. For example, rotation of the arm may be achieved by using simple ball bearing, needle bearing or bushing arrangements and roller bearing arrangements as described. Pivoting may be achieved by using any swivel joint arrangement, while tilting or rolling of the arm may be achieved by using any form of swivel joint, such as ball and socket joints, universal joints or even CV joints and washers. It should be understood that the present invention is not intended to be limited to any one of these components, but rather the pattern of motion that these components accomplish.

Because the apparatus effectively simulates a human sparring partner, those skilled in the art will now appreciate how to assist a boxer, martial person or any other type of boxer in refining his or her skills, such as speed, accuracy and defense. The boxing balls on the apparatus can be struck continuously to test speed and accuracy, also defensive to simulate counterstrikes, or both, and thus all skills can be tested.

Further developments and improvements of the invention are fully possible without departing from the scope of the invention. While the most practical and preferred embodiment has been shown and described, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

In any claims that follow and in the general description of the invention, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word "comprising" is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. the features specified may be associated with further features in various embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A kind of sports training equipment, this sports training equipment comprises:

a base member adapted to be attached to a surface;

a support extending from the base member;

at least one arm rotatably connected to said support; and

Attach the ball at the free end of the arm.

2. The athletic training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm is also obliquely attached to the support.

3. The athletic training device of claim 1, wherein the arm is also pivotally connected to the support.

4. The athletic training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arm is rotationally and/or tiltingly and/or pivotally connected to the support.

5. The athletic training apparatus of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the arms are constructed of a resilient material.

6. The athletic training device of claim 5, wherein the arms are elastic to allow the arms of the tether to stretch and compress.

7. The athletic training apparatus of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the arm comprises a first arm member and a second arm member, the first arm member being adapted to slidably engage the second arm member pieces.

8. The athletic training apparatus of claim 7, wherein said arm includes arm locking means adapted to relatively lock said first arm member and said second arm member.

9. The athletic training apparatus of claim 8, wherein the ball is mounted on a free end of the second arm.

10. Athletic training equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the support comprises a first part and a second part, the first part being fixedly connected to the base and adapted for sliding engagement the second component.

11. The athletic training apparatus of claim 10, wherein the support includes locking means adapted to lock the second part within the first part.

12. Athletic training equipment as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ball is made of a soft padded material.

13. An athletic training device comprising:

Chassis suitable for surface mounting;

a hollow cylindrical support extending outwardly from the chassis;

an axis slidable within said support and lockable along said support;

at least one exercise member rotatably mounted along said axis at a predetermined height, said exercise member comprising a first arm and a second arm, said first arm being adapted to slidably engage said second arm; and

Attach the ball at the free end of the second arm.

14. The athletic training apparatus of claim 13, wherein the exercise member is further pivotally mounted along the axis.

15. The athletic training apparatus of claim 13, wherein the exercise member is further mounted obliquely along the axis.

16. The athletic training apparatus of claim 13, wherein the exercise member is rotatably and/or pivotally and/or obliquely mounted along the axis.

17. The athletic training apparatus of any one of claims 13-16, wherein the exercise member includes a circular bearing journaled about the outer surface of the shaft such that the member reaches smooth movement.

18. An athletic training device comprising:

Chassis suitable for surface mounting;

a hollow cylindrical support extending outwardly from the chassis;

an axis slidable within said support and lockable along said support;

at least one resilient arm rotatably, pivotally and tiltably mounted along said shaft at a predetermined height, providing irregular three-dimensional movement of said resilient arm relative to said shaft; and

A ball attached to the free end of said resilient arm.

19. The athletic training device of claim 18, wherein said resilient arm includes a circular bearing journaled about an outer surface of said shaft to provide smooth movement of said arm.