US20220395736A1

US20220395736A1 - Tennis Trainer Apparatus

Info

Publication number: US20220395736A1
Application number: US17/661,932
Authority: US
Inventors: Ralph William Chrysler
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-06-11
Filing date: 2022-05-04
Publication date: 2022-12-15

Abstract

A tennis trainer apparatus has a base, a center tube, and an upper structure. The base of the tennis trainer apparatus has a plurality of evenly distributed legs which may have wheels attached for ease of positioning the apparatus in various positions on a tennis court. The center tube is easily adjustable by placing a pin in holes at varying heights. The upper structure has a left arm and a right arm, and each arm has a holding rod attached. A ball with a ball loop is removably attached to the holding rods so that when the ball is struck it can easily travel like a regular tennis ball. The ball loop is attached to the ball through use of a small rod which is inserted into the tennis ball. Ball extenders with at least one and preferably two holding rods attached are used to raise and lower the height of the ball and ball loop, to create any shot in tennis, including a serve. A tennis trainer apparatus can be easily adapted to additional sports.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 63/258,976 filed Jun. 11, 2021.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to the field of sports training products and more specifically to the field of racquet game training devices.

BACKGROUND

The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:

U.S. Patents

Patent Number	Kind Code	Issue Date	Patentee

US 3,893,669		Jul. 8, 1975	Myers
US 4,023,798		May 17, 1977	Pronin
US 5,516,116		May 14, 1996	Castro
US 5,957,781		Sep. 28, 1999	Kelly
US 6,334,821	B1	Jan. 1, 2002	Kita
US 6,648,780	B1	Nov. 18, 2003	Boldin
US 7,186,193	B1	Mar. 6, 2007	McFadden, Jr.

Foreign Patent

Patent number	Country	Date	Patentee

DE 202004016302	Germany	Mar. 10, 2005	Shvartzman

Players of sports require hand-and-eye coordination which skills improve with practice. Various training apparatuses have been developed to help players practice, but these apparatuses lack in efficiency, flexibility, affordability, and portability.
Tennis can be practiced, for example, by hitting a ball against a solid wall, but there is a lack of control in this practice. Throwing machines exist which throw a plurality of balls for the player to hit, but these have barriers in the speed, path, and rotation of the ball which may be difficult to surmount initially. Beginning players find these throwing machines to be difficult to master. Additionally, these machines are expensive to purchase.
Static tees have also been used to improve ball hitting skills. Such tees consist of a substantially cylindrical post with a lower end supported by means of a base stand or driven into the ground. An upper end of the substantially cylindrical post is substantially cup shaped and supports a ball. These are more useful for baseball and softball, but the tee would get in the way of a tennis racquets.
Tethered ball practice devices are well known in the prior art. These tethered ball practice devices consist of a ball fixedly or releasably attached to a frame or support. The frame or support may be a simple pole or a pole with an extension. Devices known in the prior art provide the opportunity to hit only one ball before resetting the device. These devices do not promote natural movement of the game of tennis because such devices allow only one hit at a time. Furthermore, tethered ball practice devices have a ball which swings in concentric circles, and the ball does not behave as a regular tennis ball.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form, that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Nor is this summary intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope.
A tennis trainer apparatus is used to make learning the game of tennis easier, faster, and with much improved results over current teaching methods. The tennis trainer is designed to be placed on a tennis court as a learning tool for an instructor to use while teaching a student the art of playing tennis properly. The tennis trainer holds a tennis ball suspended in midair at various hitting positions that a student needs to learn. With the ball suspended, the instructor is able to guide the student in stance, racket position, footwork, holding the racket and hitting the ball. When the ball is hit, it leaves the tennis trainer and travels like a regular tennis ball. A student can practice with or without supervision. A student can advance rapidly in tennis by using drills in a simulated tennis game situation.
A tennis trainer apparatus is used to teach both forehand and backhand as well as overhead and slicing in a natural, flowing movement to a student. The tennis trainer apparatus consists of a base which may have wheels supporting an inner vertical member which supports a right and a left holding rod. Said holding rods have horizontal training rods which hold ball loops with tennis balls attached. Alternatively, the horizontal training rods may hold extension arms which can be used to adapt the height of a tennis ball. A storage rack may alternatively be incorporated into the design of the tennis trainer apparatus or be a free-standing device. The tennis balls used with the tennis training apparatus are modified by inserting a small rod with a loop fixedly attached into a premade hole in the ball. The small rod fixedly attaches the ball loop to the ball.
Both the foregoing summary and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. Accordingly, the foregoing summary and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. Further, features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. For example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description.

Advantages

Accordingly several advantages of one or more aspects are as follows: a tennis trainer apparatus is used to teach both forehand and backhand as well as overhead and slicing in a natural, flowing movement to a student. A tennis trainer apparatus is adaptable, with extension arms which can be used to adapt the height of a tennis ball. The tennis trainer apparatus is adaptable in height. A training tennis ball is made by inserting a slender rod into a pre-punched or predrilled hole in a tennis ball. The training tennis ball slides off the tennis trainer with minimal friction and approximates a regular tennis ball in play. The tennis trainer apparatus can also be used for conditioning. A person of any age can use the tennis trainer to increase strength, movement, and cardiac health.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the drawings may contain text or captions that may explain certain embodiments of the present disclosure. This text is included for illustrative, non-limiting, explanatory purposes of certain embodiments detailed in the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 generally shows a front view of an embodiment of a tennis trainer apparatus.

FIG. 2 generally shows a front view of an alternative embodiment of a tennis trainer apparatus.

FIG. 3 generally shows a cut-out side view of two ball loops and the attachment of the ball loops to tennis balls.

FIG. 4 generally shows a side and a front view of a tennis ball extender.

FIG. 5 generally shows a front view of a tennis ball extender that is placed upside down to hold ball loops in an alternate position.

FIG. 6 generally shows a front view of an alternative embodiment of three ball extenders of varying lengths.

FIG. 7 generally shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of a ball extender.

FIG. 8 generally shows a side view of one embodiment of an optional storage rack.

FIG. 9 generally shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of an optional storage rack.

FIG. 10 generally shows a top view of a plurality of tennis trainer apparatuses in use on a tennis court.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As a preliminary matter, it will be readily understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
While embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure and are made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself.
It is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein. Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. To the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail. Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While multiple embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. While the apparatus is generally shown as pertaining to tennis players and tennis balls, it should be understood that the tennis training apparatus may be used for exercising and training of many different types of athletes and should not be limited to tennis players and tennis balls.
The word attached as used herein may refer to gluing, welding, inserting, or otherwise affixing materials together as is suitable for the materials being used.
FIG. 1 generally shows a front view of an embodiment of a tennis trainer apparatus. The tennis trainer apparatus consists of a base, a center tube, and an upper structure. A base has a plurality of legs represented by legs 254, 264 equidistantly spaced apart and radially extending from a five-way connector 260. Optional wheels 234, 272, 268 are at ends of the plurality of legs 254, 264. Optionally, three- way connectors 256, 270 may be inserted in legs 254, 264 to hold a plurality of pipes 262 on which a holding rack as shown in FIG. 8 may be installed in some embodiments. A plurality of horizontal supports 239, 241, 243, and 245 are attached to a plurality of vertical supports 247, 249, and 253 in a manner so that a plurality of ball loops 251 and 253 may be supported by the horizontal supports. A plurality of end caps 252, 266 may be installed on ends of the plurality of legs 254, 264 respectively. The base furthermore has an extension tube 250 which connects to the five-way connector 260. While the preferred material for the tennis trainer apparatus is furniture grade polyvinyl chloride tubes with ultraviolet light inhibitors, the tennis trainer apparatus may be also be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. Likewise, the optional wheels 234, 272, 268 may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The wheels may have a locking device to ensure that the device stays in the position it is placed in. Such locking mechanisms are well known in the prior art.
A center tube consists of a bottom inside center tube 248, a connector 246, and a top inside center tube 244. Top inside center tube 244 has a series of openings in it in which a pin or rod 240 made of steel, other metal, or other suitable strong material may be inserted to adjust the height of the tennis trainer apparatus. Alternatively, the height may be adjustable by a friction mount. The center tube inserts into outside center tube 238 which is part of an upper structure. The upper structure also contains a three-way connector which connects to tubes 219, 221 and outside center tube 238. Tube 219 connects to tube 217. Tube 221 connects to tube 223. Holding rod 206 is attached to an outside end of tube 217. Holding rod 225 is attached to an outside end of tube 223. A ball 233 and a ball loop 231 are shown hanging from holding rod 225. Eye screws or other rings 216, 218, 220, 222 are attached to tubes 219 and 221 in order to hold ball extenders which are not in use. A ball extender is shown removably attached by a hook 224 to ring 222. The ball extender consists of a supporting member 226 attached to a horizontal support 228 and to hook 224. Horizontal support 228 is attached on each end to supporting members 236 and 230 respectively. Supporting member 236 is attached to holding rod 234. Supporting member 230 is attached to holding rod 232. A ball extender is removably attached by a hook 208 to ring 206. Supporting member 210 is attached to hook 208 and horizontal support 206. Horizontal support is attached on each end to supporting members 209 and 214 respectively. Supporting member 209 is attached to holding rod 211. Supporting member 214 is attached to holding rod 212. While the preferred material of ball extenders is furniture grade polyvinyl chloride with ultraviolet light inhibitors, ball extenders may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. Hooks may be made of metal, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. A ball 235 is shown on a ball loop 237 hanging from holding rod 211 but the ball 235 and ball loop 237 could be hanging from holding rod 212.
FIG. 2 generally shows a front view of an alternative embodiment of a tennis trainer apparatus. A base has a plurality of legs 15, 17 equidistantly spaced apart and radially extending from a bottom end of a base vertical member 20. Said legs 15, 17 may alternatively have wheels 54, 56, 52 spaced appropriately on a bottom edge of the legs 15, 17. The legs 15, 17 may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. Likewise the optional wheels may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The wheels may have a locking device to ensure that the device stays in the position it is placed in. Such locking mechanisms are well known in the prior art.
The base vertical member 20 is large enough in diameter to hold an inner vertical member 18. Said inner vertical member 18 slides up and down within the base vertical member 20 to adjust the height of the apparatus. Said inner vertical member 18 has regularly spaced openings 16 in a side of the inner tube 18 whereby a pin 14 can be inserted to adjust the height of the apparatus. A set screw may also be used to hold the inner vertical member 18 in place at a height desired by a user. The inner vertical member 18 may be tubular, square, or any other shape that would fit into the base vertical member 20. The base vertical member 20 could be tubular, square, or any other appropriate shape. The inner vertical member 18 may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material. The base vertical member 20 may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials.
A right horizontal training rod 5 and a left horizontal training rod 3 are fixedly attached with a three-way attachment 12 to the inner vertical member 18. This three-way attachment 12 may be with a fitting, a weld, or any other way that would be appropriate with the materials of the inner vertical member 18 and horizontal training rods 3, 5. The horizontal training rods 3, 5 are made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials.
A tennis trainer apparatus further consists of a right holding rod 30 and a left holding rod 6 which are fixedly attached to the right horizontal training rod 5 and left horizontal training rod 3 respectfully. The right and left holding rods 30, 6 are made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The right and left holding rods 30, 6 extend to either side of the horizontal training rods 3, 5 a sufficient distance so that a ball loop 8 or a ball extender 22 can fit on the holding rods 6, 30. A ball loop 8 is preferably made of braided line, however string, elastic, cording, leather, or other suitable material may be used. The ball loop 8 is fixedly attached to a tennis ball 10 as shown in FIG. 3 . The ball loop 8 is removably attached to the holding rods 6, 30, respectively. A ball 2 is optionally fixedly attached above the left holding rod 6 in some embodiments. A ball 4 is optionally fixedly attached above the left holding rod 32 in some embodiments. Balls 2, 4 are used as toss reference for serving. After mastering a serve on a stationary ball, a student can toss a tennis ball to a height of ball 2 and ball 4 and then hit the tennis ball when it drops to a level of ball loop 8.
A ball extender 22 is shown removably attached to the right holding rod 30 but could be attached to either holding rod. The ball extender 22 has a hook 32 which removably attaches the ball extender 22 to the holding rod 30. An extension holding rod is fixedly attached to the hook 32 on a top end and an extension holding rod 24 on a bottom end. The ball extender 22 may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. A ball loop 26 is preferably made of braided line, however string, elastic, leather, cording, or other suitable material may be used. The ball loop 26 is fixedly attached to a tennis ball 28 as shown in FIG. 3 . The ball loop 26 is removably attached to the extension rod of the ball extender 22.
A plurality of storage arms 34, 42, 36, 46 extend from the base vertical member 20. These storage arms 34, 42, 36, 46 are evenly spaced and fixedly attached to the base vertical member 20 for storage of extra ball loops 38, 40, 44, 48 that may be used with the tennis training apparatus. The plurality of storage arms 34, 42, 36, 46 may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials.
FIG. 3 generally shows a cut-out side view of two ball loops and the attachment of the ball loops to tennis balls to form training tennis balls. Ball loop 60 is fixedly attached to a slender rod 62. The slender rod 62 is partially inserted into a pre-drilled or punched hole in a tennis ball 58. A slender rod 68 is fixedly attached to a ball loop 66. The slender rod 68 is shown as fully inserted into a pre-drilled hole in a tennis ball 64. The slender rod 68 is turned sidewise to prevent it from coming out. The slender rods 62, 68 may be made from metal, plastic, or any other suitable rigid material. The ball loops 60, 66 are preferably made of braided line but may be made of string, elastic, rubber, cord, leather, or any other suitable material.
FIG. 4 generally shows a side and a front view of a tennis ball extender. A hook 1250 is attached to a supporting member 1248. The supporting member 1248 is attached to supporting member 1244 by use of a supporting member and three-way connectors and elbow connectors. A holding rod 1242 is attached by an elbow connector to supporting member 1244. A ball loop 1240 is shown removably attached to the holding rod 1242. The ball loop 1240 is attached to a ball 1236. A hook 1260 is attached to a supporting member 258. The supporting member 1258 is attached to a horizontal supporting member 1256 using a three-way connector. Horizontal supporting member 1256 is attached to supporting members 1251 and 1253 with elbow connectors. Supporting member 1251 is attached to holding rod 1252. Supporting member 1253 is attached to holding rod 1254. A ball loop is shown removably attached to the holding rod 1254. The ball loop 1239 is attached to a ball 1238. Ball extenders may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials.
FIG. 5 generally shows a front view of a tennis ball extender that is placed upside down to hold a ball loop in an alternate position. In this position, the ball extender can be used as a tool to place the ball loop on a holding rod on a tennis trainer apparatus for upper shots. A hook 1262 is attached to a supporting member 1264. The supporting member 1264 is attached to horizontal supporting member 1268. Horizontal supporting member 1268 is attached to supporting members 1270 and 1276 on either end respectively. Supporting member 1270 is attached to holding rod 1272. Supporting member 1278 is attached to holding rod 1276. Holding rods 1272 and 1276 have small grooves their surface to removably hold a ball loop 1274. Ball loop 1274 is attached to ball 1266.
FIG. 6 generally shows a front view of an alternative embodiment of three ball extenders of varying lengths. A short ball extender consists of a hook 70 that is fixedly attached to an extension rod 72 of a short length. An extension holding rod 74 extends forward and backward a sufficient length to hold a ball loop. A medium ball extender consists of a hook 78 that is fixedly attached to an extension rod 76 of medium length. An extension holding rod 80 extends forward and backward a sufficient length to hold a ball loop. A long ball extender consists of a hook 82 that is fixedly attached to an extension rod 84 of a long length. An extension holding rod 86 extends forward and backward a sufficient length to hold a ball loop. In use, one, two, or three ball extenders may be attached together with one ball loop attached to the lowest extender.
FIG. 7 generally shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of a ball extender. The ball extender consists of a hook 88 fixedly attached to an extension rod 90. An extension holding rod extends right and left a sufficient length to hold a ball loop 94. A ball loop is attached to a tennis ball 96.
FIG. 8 generally shows a side view of one embodiment of an optional storage rack. The optional storage rack fits into upright tubes on a base of a tennis trainer apparatus. The optional storage rack may be made of plastic, polyvinyl chloride, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. The optional storage rack is shown as having four horizontal supports but may have a plurality of horizontal supports. A vertical support 298 is attached to a four-way connector 290. The four-way connector 290 is attached to a horizontal support 310 and a horizontal support 318 and a vertical support 296. Horizontal support 310 has an endcap 300. Horizontal support 318 has an endcap 326. Vertical support 296 is attached to a four-way connector 288. Four-way connector 288 is attached to horizontal supports 308 and 316 and horizontal support 294. Horizontal support 308 has endcap 302. Horizontal support 316 has endcap 324. Vertical support 294 is attached to four-way connector 286. Four-way connector 286 is attached to horizontal supports 306 and 314 and vertical support 292. Horizontal support 306 has endcap 304. Horizontal support 314 has endcap 322. Vertical support 292 is attached to three-way connector 284. Three-way connector 284 is attached to horizontal supporting members 280 and 312. Horizontal supporting member 280 has endcap 282. Horizontal supporting member 312 has endcap 320. A ball loop is shown removably attached to horizontal supporting member 316 but could be on any horizontal supporting member. A ball loop is fixedly attached to a ball 328. The optional storage rack can support a plurality of ball loops and balls on each horizontal support member.
FIG. 9 generally shows a side view of an alternative embodiment of an optional storage rack. The storage rack is shown as being made predominantly of polyvinyl chloride pipes and fittings but may be made of plastic, steel, aluminum, or any other suitable material or combination of materials. A base has a plurality of shaped legs 156, 158, 162, 168, 170, 174 equidistantly spaced apart and radially extending from a bottom end of a plurality of base vertical members 152, 156. Support member 160 is fixedly attached to base member 152. A plurality of holding arms is fixedly attached to support member 160 through use of cross fitting 178 and Three-way fitting 180. Support member 108, support member 160, holding arm 107, and holding arm 109 are fixedly attached to cross fitting 178. Holding arm 100, holding arm 101, and support member 108 are fixedly attached to Three-way fitting 180. End cap 98 is fixedly attached to holding arm 100. End cap 102 is fixedly attached to holding arm 101. End cap 110 is fixedly attached to holding arm 107. End cap 132 is fixedly attached to holding arm 109. A plurality of ball loops 106 with attached tennis balls 104 is shown looped around holding arm 100. A plurality of ball loops 112 with attached tennis balls 114 is shown looped around holding arm 107. A plurality of ball loops 136 with attached tennis balls 138 is shown looped around holding arm 101. A plurality of ball loops 140 with attached tennis balls 142 is shown looped around holding arm 109.
Support member 164 is fixedly attached to base member 166. A plurality of holding arms is fixedly attached to support member 166 through use of cross fitting 176 and Three-way fitting 182. Support member 164, support member 116, holding arm 115, and holding arm 117 are fixedly attached to cross fitting 176. Holding arm 119, holding arm 121, and support member 116 are fixedly attached to Three-way fitting 182. End cap 120 is fixedly attached to holding arm 121. End cap 118 is fixedly attached to holding arm 119. End cap 134 is fixedly attached to holding arm 115. End cap 126 is fixedly attached to holding arm 117. A plurality of ball loops 150 with attached tennis balls 148 is shown looped around holding arm 121. A plurality of ball loops 122 with attached tennis balls 124 is shown looped around holding arm 119. A plurality of ball loops 144 with attached tennis balls 146 is shown looped around holding arm 115. A plurality of ball loops 128 with attached tennis balls 130 is shown looped around holding arm 117.
FIG. 10 generally shows a top view of a plurality of tennis trainer apparatuses in use on a tennis court 204. A tennis court 204 has a net 184 and typical tennis court markings. A tennis trainer can be positioned anywhere on the tennis court and the ball positioned at any height on the trainer. The student then moves from various positions around the court to address and hit the ball from the tennis trainer apparatus to practice and perfect the various shots of tennis including but not limited to backhand, forehand, overhead, and slicing. The student can operate the machine alone or with a coach.
FIG. 10 depicts an example of an exercise starting with the return of a serve and continuing as a rally. The student practices moving quickly and properly to either side of a tennis trainer apparatus 192 which is placed on the tennis court 204. A student starts in position 194 then travels left and forward to hit a tennis ball on a ball loop using a backhand stroke at position 198. The student then travels left and back to position 200. The student then travels left and forward to position 196 where the student hits a tennis ball on a ball loop using a forehand stroke. The student then travels back and right to position 202. The student practices moving quickly and properly to either side of the tennis trainer apparatus 192 while alternating backhand and forehand shots. If a coach is present, mistakes can be corrected during the exercise. If someone is hanging the ball loops for the student, this exercise can be continued for a lengthy simulated rally. A tennis trainer apparatus may be placed as in position 186. A tennis trainer apparatus may be placed as in position 188. A tennis trainer apparatus may be placed as in position 190. Right-handed players use a left side of the tennis trainer apparatus to hit all forehand strokes including a serve. A right side of the tennis trainer apparatus is used for backhand strokes for right-handed players. Left-handed players use a right side of the tennis trainer apparatus to hit all forehand strokes including a serve. A left side of the tennis trainer apparatus is used for backhand strokes for left-handed players.
Although there have been shown and described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims.

Claims

I claim:

1. A trainer apparatus which is comprised of a base, a center tube, and an upper structure, said base being comprised of a plurality of legs and a support tube, said center tube comprised of a center support tube, and said upper structure comprised of a right support structure having at least one right holding rod and a left support structure having at least one left holding rod.

2. The trainer apparatus of claim 1 wherein said left holding rod and said right holding rod have an extension holding rod comprised of a tube connected to a hook on one end and at least one holding rod on another end.

3. The trainer apparatus of claim 1 which holds a ball which has a hole in it of sufficient size to insert a rod which is permanently attached to a loop, said loop becoming permanently attached to the ball, and said loop being removably attached to the right holding rod or left holding rod.

4. The trainer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the center support tube has a means to adjust a height of the tennis trainer apparatus.

5. The extension holding rod of claim 2 wherein the at least one holding rod has a groove in an underside to removably hold a loop.

6. The trainer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one left holding rod and at least one right holding rod is of a smooth material that a loop can easily be removed from by hitting an attached ball.

7. The trainer apparatus of claim 1 wherein there is a storage apparatus for balls on loops comprised of at least one vertical support and at least one horizontal support.

8. The trainer apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plurality of legs have wheels on them in order to move the apparatus.