HK1079720B - Golf exerciser - Google Patents

Description

Golf exercising device

Technical Field

An apparatus for strengthening muscles used in golf swing activities.

Background

The prior art has recognized substantial benefits of enhancing the muscles required for swing motion, particularly for golf club swing muscles. The prior art contains several proposals. All of these are problematic and none are widely used for a variety of reasons.

Most patents suggest that the golf swing exerciser remain in a fixed position during the swing to apply swing resistance. This does not achieve the effect of orienting the resistance in an effective direction throughout the swing, as described in us patents 4229002, 4135714, 4253663, 3462156 and 3966203.

There are several other patents, including 5050874 and 5284464, which suggest that the oscillating resistance member is mounted on a central pivot so that as the oscillation progresses, the resistance member follows an arc. This is also not optimal because the golf swing is significantly different from a circular arc.

Another us patent 5242344 suggests a more complex movement of the oscillating resistance, but this requires cumbersome and complex instruments.

The object of the present invention is a swing exerciser that can be applied to, and is particularly suitable for exercising the muscles used in golf swings by applying a resistive force in an amount and direction that effectively matches the force and direction required for the swing. The present invention also simplifies the necessary equipment so that swing exercises can be achieved in a particularly efficient manner without undue expense.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a golf exerciser using a handle moving from a back swing area to a hitting area along a simulated golf swing, an elastically deformable tension system being connected to the handle to resist movement of the handle for exercising purposes, the exerciser comprising:

a. the tensioning system includes a first length of tensioning element having one end attached to the handle;

b. the first length of tensioning element extending from the handle to an upper stretch zone on the exerciser's rear swing side above the exerciser's shoulders;

c. the arrangement of the first length of tensioning element creating elastic resistance to downward movement of the handle below the upper stretch zone;

d. the tensioning system includes a second length of tensioning element having a second connection to the handle bar and extending between an upper stretch zone and a lower stretch zone, the lower stretch zone being located on the rear swing side of the exerciser below the hip of the exerciser;

e. a second connection of the second length of tensioning element to the handle arranged to create elastic resistance to movement of the handle laterally away from the line between the upper and lower stretch zones and towards the hitting zone;

f. the arrangement of the second length of tensioning elements creates negligible resistance to downward movement of the handle below the upper stretch zone; and

g. the combined resistance forces generated by the first and second lengths of tensioning elements of the tensioning system are greatest when the handle is moved into the hitting region.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a golf swing exerciser having a swing resistor connected to an exercise handle moving along a curve from a rear swing region to a hitting region, the golf swing exerciser comprising:

a. said swing resistor being elastically extensible and connected to the handle by first and second lengths of rope;

b. the first length of cord extends from the handle to an upper stretch zone on the exerciser's rear swing side above the exerciser's shoulders;

c. the second length of cord extending from the handle to the upper stretch zone and from the handle to the lower stretch zone, the lower stretch zone being located on a rear swing side of the exerciser below the hip of the exerciser;

d. said swing resistor being arranged to provide a primary resistance to downward movement of the handle below the upper stretch zone by said first length of rope;

e. the swing resistor is arranged for providing main resistance to the movement of the handle away from the upper and lower stretching regions towards the hitting region through the second length of rope; and

f. the combined resistance of the two lengths of cord is greatest when the handle reaches the hitting region.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of providing resistance to an exercise handle simulating the movement of a golf swing along a curve from a back swing region to a hitting region, the method comprising:

a. attaching a first resistance to the end of the shaft of the exercise handle and causing said first resistance to stretch the first elastic cord, thereby providing significant resistance to exercise for downward movement of the handle from the rear swing region and insignificant resistance to exercise for lateral movement of the handle to the hitting region;

b. attaching a second resistance to the end of the shaft of the exercise handle and causing said second resistance to stretch the second elastic cord, thereby providing insignificant resistance to exercise for downward movement of the handle from the rear swing region and significant resistance to exercise for lateral movement of the handle to the hitting region;

c. selecting the resistances for the first and second elastic cords such that the first resistance is very small relative to downward movement of the handle from the rear swing zone and the second resistance is very small relative to lateral movement of the handle at the hitting zone; and

d. the combined resistance of the first and second resistances is maximized when the handle is moved into the hitting region.

In addition, the present invention also provides a golf swing exerciser comprising:

a. pulleys disposed on the rear swing side of the exerciser at the upper and lower tension zones such that at least one upper pulley is located above the exerciser's shoulders and at least one lower pulley is located below the exerciser's hips;

b. one end of the resistance rope is connected to the exercise handle, and the other end of the resistance rope is fixed at a fixed position;

c. the resistance rope penetrates through the upper pulley and resists the downward movement of the handle from the rear swing area;

d. the resistance rope passes through a pulley on the exercise handle, extends between the upper pulley and the lower pulley and resists the movement of the handle far away from the upper stretching area and the lower stretching area and enters the hitting area; and

e. the resistance cord passes through at least one movable pulley whose movement is resisted by an elastically deformable element.

Further, the present invention provides a golf swing exerciser comprising:

a. pulleys disposed on the rear swing side of the exerciser at the upper and lower tension zones such that at least one upper pulley is located above the exerciser's shoulders and at least one lower pulley is located below the exerciser's hips;

b. the first resistance rope is connected to the exercise handle at one end and fixed at a fixed position at the other end;

c. the first resistance rope penetrates through the upper pulley and resists the downward movement of the handle from the rear swing area;

d. the two tail ends of the second resistance rope are connected to the handle, penetrate through the upper pulley and the lower pulley and resist the movement of the handle far away from the upper stretching area and the lower stretching area and enter the hitting area; and

e. each of said resistance cords passes through at least one movable pulley, the movement of which is resisted by an elastically deformable cord.

The swing exerciser of the present invention is particularly suitable for golf swings because a golf swing travels through a long complex curve in going from the back swing zone to the hitting zone. The resistance property of the present invention can effectively resist the progress of the golf grip at different regions of the golf swing, thereby feeling the golf exerciser comfortable and natural while the swing exercises.

Since most of the muscular power applied to strike a golf ball is concentrated in the swing near the striking zone, the present invention has significantly increased resistance in this swing zone. This makes muscle work particularly difficult when the golf grip is close to the hitting region, which can effectively develop the muscular power required for the golf swing to do work.

The present swing exerciser achieves these advantages using a resistance system that uses two lengths of cord or tensioning element connected to the exercise handle to apply elastically deformable resistance to the movement of the handle through a golf swing. Both resistance devices or tensioning elements are disposed on the exerciser's rear swing side to apply resistance to the movement of the handles downward and forward from the rear swing region to the hitting region. A first tensioning member extends from the upper stretch zone above the exerciser's shoulders to resist downward movement of the handles, and a second tensioning member extends from the handles to the upper and lower stretch zones to resist forward movement of the handles into the hitting zone. Preferably, the combined resistance of the first and second elements is greatest when the handle enters the striking zone.

Drawings

FIGS. 1 and 2 are partially schematic views showing a preferred embodiment of the golf exerciser of the present invention, FIG. 1 being a rear swing position, and FIG. 2 being a hitting zone;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating the general power and direction involved in the exerciser of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3 is represented by resistance cords extending from the golf grip to the upper resistance region, and FIG. 4 is represented by resistance cords extending from the golf grip to the upper and lower resistance regions;

fig. 5A and B and fig. 6-9 schematically illustrate several preferred embodiments of the exerciser of the present invention, in which different arrangements of tension cords and elastically deformable elements are used.

Detailed Description

As schematically shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the golfer swings the handle 25 connected to the cord or tensioning member to effectively resist the movement of the handle 25 through the golf swing of complex curvature for the purpose of exercising. The cords, tensioning elements, and resistance system will be explained in detail below, and the illustration of fig. 1 and 2 is intended to show the positional deployment of the resistance system relative to a golf swing exerciser.

Golf swing resistance system 10 of the present invention is disposed on the rear swing side of an exerciser and includes an upper resistance region 11 and a lower resistance region 12. One tension element 14 extends from upper resistance region 11 to handle 25 and the other tension element 15 extends between upper resistance region 11 and lower resistance region 12 while passing over or through a pulley or low friction element 26 on handle 25. The tensioning element 14 primarily resists downward movement of the handle 25 from the rear swing region shown in fig. 1 to the lower striking region shown in fig. 2. Tensioning element 14 may also add some increased resistance as handle 25 passes through the hitting region shown in fig. 2. Tension element 15 primarily resists movement of handle 25 away from upper and lower resistance regions 11 and 12 and into the hitting region shown in FIG. 2. The tensioning element 15 offers relatively little resistance to downward movement of the handle 25 from the rear swing region shown in fig. 1.

The combined resistance of tensioning elements 14 and 15 is maximized as handle 25 approaches and passes through the hitting region shown in fig. 2, so that the exerciser needs the greatest muscular strength in moving handle 25 through the hitting region. The combined effect of tensioning elements 14 and 15 is predetermined to allow the exerciser to actually swing handle 25 through the curve of the golf swing and provide appropriate resistance along each increment of the swing so that the exerciser can strengthen the muscles used in the golf swing. While each tensioning element 14 and 15 provides some resistance to the golf swing, the combined effect of the two elements 14 and 15 must optimize the resistance to be overcome during the swing exercise. To exercise the muscles of swinging the golf club head downward into the hitting area, a downward resistance is required; while lateral resistance is required to exercise the muscles required to swing the golf club head forward through the hitting region.

Fig. 3 schematically shows the resisting function of the tensioning element 14 when the handle 25 is moved in a golf swing along the broken line 20. The shortest distance that tension member 14 extends from upper resistance region 11 to handle 25 in the upper rear swing region, tension member 14 elongates significantly as handle 25 moves down curve 20 to the mid swing region, providing resistance to downward handle movement. When the handle 25 is moved into the hitting region at the lower end of the swing curve 20, the tensioning element 14 is further elongated.

Tension element 15, as shown schematically in FIG. 4, extends between upper resistance region 11 and lower resistance region 12 and over a pulley or low friction element 26 on handle 25. When the handle 25 is moved from the rear swing position to the intermediate swing position, the tensioning element 15 slides over the pulley 26 and is only slightly elongated, providing little resistance to this downward movement. As handle 25 advances into the hitting region shown at the lower end of swing curve 20, tensioning element 15 elongates significantly as handle 25 moves away from upper and lower resistance regions 11 and 12. The tensioning element 15 now provides a strong resistance to movement of the handle 25 through the striking zone, so that the golf hitting muscles need to be strengthened when swinging the handle 25 through the striking zone.

The combined action of tensioning elements 14 and 15 provides resistance to downward movement of the handle from the rear swing region and progressively and significantly increases resistance to movement of handle 25 into the hitting region. Repeatedly swinging handle 25 through swing curve 20 against the resistance provided by tensioning elements 14 and 15 enhances the exerciser's golf hitting muscles and provides golf hitting ability.

Fig. 5A and B show a preferred embodiment for accomplishing the above-described function, wherein fig. 5A shows the handle 25 in the rear swing position and fig. 5B shows the striking position. Upper resistance region 11 mounts two fixed pulleys 21 and 31 and lower resistance region 12 mounts an additional pair of fixed pulleys 22 and 32. The tensioning element 14 is fixed to the pulley 21 in the upper stretching zone 11, for example, extending from a fixed connection point 16 on the handle 25, through the pulleys 31 and 32 and to the opposite end 17. The tension element 14 is made of an elastically stretchable material, such as a stretchable bungee cord or tube, that resists stretching and retracts from a stretched position. When handle 25 is moved from the rear swing position of fig. 5A to the striking position of fig. 5B, tensioning element 14 elongates as it slides over pulleys 31 and 32, providing resistance to movement of handle 25.

The tensioning element 15 is formed as a closed loop, passing through the fixed pulleys 21 and 22 and the pulley 26, the pulley 26 being movable with the handle 25. The tensioning element 15 may also be made of a rubber band or tube that stretches resistively when the handle 25 is moved from the rear swing position to the striking position. The combined resistance of tensioning elements 14 and 15 is greatest as handle 25 passes through the hitting region of fig. 5B.

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a simple preferred embodiment using a single fixed pulley 21 in upper resistance region 11 and a single fixed pulley 22 in lower resistance region 12. This embodiment also uses a single resistance cord 18, one end of which is attached to a point 16 on the handle 25, passing through the upper pulley 21 as is the tensioning element 14. After passing around upper pulley 21, the rubber cord acts as tensioning element 15, returning from pulley 21 to pulley 26 on handle 25, down to pulley 22 in the lower resistance region, and back to fixed end 17 on upper pulley 21. The rubber element is passed from pulley 21 through pulley 26 and tensioned down to pulley 22 providing the above-mentioned function of the above-mentioned tensioning element 15. The cords 18 provide the elastic extension necessary for the tensile resistance of the tension elements 14 and 15 to achieve the resistance function previously described. The embodiment of fig. 6 achieves all of these advantages with a single rope and a minimum of pulleys.

The embodiment of fig. 7 shows a further simplification, in which a single fixed pulley 21 and a moving pulley 26 on the handle 25 are used. An elastically stretchable tension element 14 extends from one end 16 fixed to handle 25 through pulley 21 and down to fixed attachment point 19 of lower resistance region 12. Tension element 15 extends from fixed attachment point 17 of pulley 21 through pulley 26 and down to the same end attachment point 19 of lower resistance region 12. This saves pulleys, but the tensile length of the tension element 15 is short, requiring the selection of a suitable elastic material. The function of the tensioning elements 14 and 15 is the same as described for the other embodiments.

The embodiment of figure 8 schematically illustrates the use of a combination of inelastic cords and elastically deformable tension elements. Where a single cord 18 is used, cord 18 is essentially inelastic or not particularly stretchable for providing the function of tensioning elements 14 and 15. The tensioning element 14 passes from one end 16 fixed to the handle 25 up through the fixed pulley 31, down to the movable pulley 38 and back up to the fixed pulley 21. From pulley 21 down through handle pulley 26 and down to fixed pulley 22 and up to movable pulley 42 and down to fixed end 43, serving as tension member 15. The movement of the movable pulleys 30 and 42 is resisted by respective elastic resistance elements 35 and 36. These may be extension springs or rubber cords or tubes whose elongation provides the necessary resistance to the system 10. An elastically deformable element 35, shown in phantom, extends from a fixed end 37 through fixed pulley 32 and upwardly to an opposite end 39 connected to a movable pulley 38. In a similar manner, the elastic tensile member 36, also shown in phantom, extends upwardly from the fixed end 34 through the fixed pulley 44 and downwardly to an opposite end 45 connected to the movable pulley 42. The movement of pulleys 38 and 42 is indicated by double-headed arrows.

When the handle 25 is moved along the swing curve of the exercise, the tensioning members 14 and 15 follow the movement of the handle, so that the elastic members 35 and 36 must be stretched to provide the necessary swing resistance. And, the resistance is greatest when the handle 25 is moved into the hitting region.

The embodiment of fig. 9 shows another case where a combination of inelastic and elastically stretchable cords is used. It comprises an exercise handle 25 to which are attached inelastic tensioning members 14 providing mainly downward resistance and tensioning members 15 providing mainly horizontal resistance. The tension element 14 passes upwardly from one end 16 fixed to the handle 25 through the fixed pulley 51, down to the movable pulley 52 and back upwardly to the fixed end 53. Movement of pulley 52 is resisted by an elastically stretchable cord 55, and a tensioning element 55 is attached to pulley 52 and passes through a fixed pulley 56 and extends upwardly to a fixed end 57. When handle 25 moves downward from the rear swing or upper tension region near fixed pulley 51, tensioning element 14 pulls up on movable pulley 52, stretching elastic cord 55, resisting this downward movement.

The non-elastic tensioning element 15 forms a loop with both ends attached to the handle 25, preferably at points 60. Starting from point 60, the upper portion of the tensioning element 15 passes through a fixed upper pulley 61, extends down to a movable pulley 62, returns up to a fixed pulley 63, and down to a fixed lower pulley 64, whereby the lower portion of the tensioning element 15 returns to the attachment point 60 of the handle 25. When the handle 25 is moved downwards from the rear swing region, the tensioning element 15 produces a small upward movement of the movable pulley 62. However, as the handle 25 moves laterally away from the upper and lower extension regions in which the fixed pulleys 61 and 64 are located, the tension member 15 moves the movable pulley 62 further upward as the handle 25 reaches the hitting region. The elastically stretchable cord 65 resists the movement of the pulley 62 by extending downwardly from the fixed end 67 through the fixed pulley 66 and to the movable pulley 62.

The design of fig. 9 provides suitable mechanical advantage and suitable elastic cord resistance, resisting slightly downward movement of the handle 25 from the rear swing region and resisting more strongly horizontal movement of the handle toward the striking region. This provides a suitable working exercise for the golf swing muscles.

The illustrated embodiment is only one small variation of tension elements 14 and 15 that extends between the upper and lower resistance regions. The fixed end of the cord can be fixed in many different positions, and countless combinations of elastically deformable cords and tensioning elements can be used. The number of pulleys used is arbitrary and they can also be arranged in many different ways. The upper resistance regions of the two tension elements need not coincide and may be located at different positions.

Thus, all of the embodiments that may be used conform to the basic principle of providing resistance to downward movement of the upper resistance region of the swing side of the handle behind the exerciser, and the resistance element extending between the upper and lower resistance regions provides resistance to horizontal movement of the handle away from the resistance region of the swing curve and into the hitting region.

Claims (27)

1. A golf exerciser for use with a handle that moves from a back swing region to a hitting region along a simulated golf swing, an elastically deformable tensioning system coupled to the handle for resisting movement of the handle for exercising purposes, the exerciser comprising:

a. the tensioning system includes a first length of tensioning element having one end attached to the handle;

b. the first length of tensioning element extending from the handle to an upper stretch zone on the exerciser's rear swing side above the exerciser's shoulders;

c. the arrangement of the first length of tensioning element creating elastic resistance to downward movement of the handle below the upper stretch zone;

d. the tensioning system includes a second length of tensioning element having a second connection to the handle bar and extending between an upper stretch zone and a lower stretch zone, the lower stretch zone being located on the rear swing side of the exerciser below the hip of the exerciser;

e. a second connection of the second length of tensioning element to the handle arranged to create elastic resistance to movement of the handle laterally away from the line between the upper and lower stretch zones and towards the hitting zone;

f. the arrangement of the second length of tensioning elements creates negligible resistance to downward movement of the handle below the upper stretch zone; and

g. the combined resistance forces generated by the first and second lengths of tensioning elements of the tensioning system are greatest when the handle is moved into the hitting region.

2. The exerciser of claim 1 wherein at least one length of tensioning element is an extensible elastic cord.

3. The exerciser of claim 2 wherein said extensible elastic cord is passed over a pulley.

4. The exerciser of claim 1 wherein said first length of tensioning element extends from said second length of tensioning element to a handle.

5. The exerciser of claim 1 wherein the second connection of the second length of tensioning element to the handle is made by a low friction element secured to the handle.

6. The exerciser of claim 1 wherein the resistance provided by said tensioning system is inclined to a degree above horizontal as the handles are moved into the hitting zone.

7. The exerciser of claim 1 wherein said first and second tensioning members are cords passing through respective fixed and movable pulleys of the upper and lower tension zones, the movement of the movable pulley being resisted by the extensible elastic cord.

8. A golf swing exerciser having a swing resistor connected to an exercise handle moving along a curve from a rear swing region to a hitting region, said golf swing exerciser comprising:

a. said swing resistor being elastically extensible and connected to the handle by first and second lengths of rope;

b. the first length of cord extends from the handle to an upper stretch zone on the exerciser's rear swing side above the exerciser's shoulders;

c. the second length of cord extending from the handle to the upper stretch zone and from the handle to the lower stretch zone, the lower stretch zone being located on a rear swing side of the exerciser below the hip of the exerciser;

d. said swing resistor being arranged to provide a primary resistance to downward movement of the handle below the upper stretch zone by said first length of rope;

e. the swing resistor is arranged for providing main resistance to the movement of the handle away from the upper and lower stretching regions towards the hitting region through the second length of rope; and

f. the combined resistance of the two lengths of cord is greatest when the handle reaches the hitting region.

9. The swing exerciser of claim 8 wherein at least one length of cord is elastically extensible.

10. The swing exerciser of claim 8 wherein the resistance to swing exerted by the two lengths of cord is inclined to some extent above horizontal when the handles reach the hitting region.

11. The swing exerciser of claim 8 wherein the second length of cord is made of a resiliently stretchable material and is arranged in a loop between the upper and lower tension zones.

12. The swing exerciser of claim 11 wherein the ends of the loop are connected to the handles and the low friction members supporting the loop in the upper and lower tension areas.

13. The swing exerciser of claim 11 wherein the loop passes over a movable pulley, the movement of which is resisted by an elastically extensible cord.

14. The swing exerciser of claim 8 wherein the first and second lengths of cord are threaded through respective fixed pulleys of the upper and lower stretching regions and a traveling pulley, the movement of which is resisted by the resiliently stretchable cord.

15. The swing exerciser of claim 14 wherein the resiliently stretchable cord passes through a fixed pulley.

16. The swing exerciser of claim 8 wherein the connection of the second length of cord to the handle is via a pulley.

17. A method of providing resistance to an exercise handle moving along a curve from a back swing region to a hitting region of a simulated golf swing, the method comprising:

a. attaching a first resistance to the end of the shaft of the exercise handle and causing said first resistance to stretch the first elastic cord, thereby providing significant resistance to exercise for downward movement of the handle from the rear swing region and insignificant resistance to exercise for lateral movement of the handle to the hitting region;

b. attaching a second resistance to the end of the shaft of the exercise handle and causing said second resistance to stretch the second elastic cord, thereby providing insignificant resistance to exercise for downward movement of the handle from the rear swing region and significant resistance to exercise for lateral movement of the handle to the hitting region;

c. selecting the resistances for the first and second elastic cords such that the first resistance is very small relative to downward movement of the handle from the rear swing zone and the second resistance is very small relative to lateral movement of the handle at the hitting zone; and

d. the combined resistance of the first and second resistances is maximized when the handle is moved into the hitting region.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising extending said first resistance from the handle to a first resistance region on a rear swing side of the exerciser above the exerciser's shoulders.

19. The method of claim 17, including extending said second resistance from the handle to a first resistance region on the exerciser's rear swing side above the exerciser's shoulders and from the handle to a lower resistance region on the exerciser's rear swing side below the exerciser's hips.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising forming the second resistor as a loop extending from a handle.

21. The method of claim 17, including causing the first and second elastic cords to resist movement of the movable sheave.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising passing the first and second elastic cords over a fixed pulley.

23. A golf swing exerciser comprising:

a. pulleys disposed on the rear swing side of the exerciser at the upper and lower tension zones such that at least one upper pulley is located above the exerciser's shoulders and at least one lower pulley is located below the exerciser's hips;

b. one end of the resistance rope is connected to the exercise handle, and the other end of the resistance rope is fixed at a fixed position;

c. the resistance rope penetrates through the upper pulley and resists the downward movement of the handle from the rear swing area;

d. the resistance rope passes through a pulley on the exercise handle, extends between the upper pulley and the lower pulley and resists the movement of the handle far away from the upper stretching area and the lower stretching area and enters the hitting area; and

e. the resistance cord passes through at least one movable pulley whose movement is resisted by an elastically deformable element.

24. The exerciser of claim 23 wherein said cords pass over a plurality of movable pulleys, movement of each movable pulley being resisted by a corresponding plurality of resiliently deformable cords.

25. The exerciser of claim 24 wherein the resiliently deformable cord is threaded over a fixed pulley.

26. A golf swing exerciser comprising:

a. pulleys disposed on the rear swing side of the exerciser at the upper and lower tension zones such that at least one upper pulley is located above the exerciser's shoulders and at least one lower pulley is located below the exerciser's hips;

b. the first resistance rope is connected to the exercise handle at one end and fixed at a fixed position at the other end;

c. the first resistance rope penetrates through the upper pulley and resists the downward movement of the handle from the rear swing area;

d. the two tail ends of the second resistance rope are connected to the handle, penetrate through the upper pulley and the lower pulley and resist the movement of the handle far away from the upper stretching area and the lower stretching area and enter the hitting area; and

e. each of said resistance cords passes through at least one movable pulley, the movement of which is resisted by an elastically deformable cord.

27. The exerciser of claim 26 wherein the resiliently deformable cord is threaded through a fixed pulley.