Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Apparatus and Method for Soccer Training and Practice
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to ball sports devices
and more particularly to a soccer practice device having a
tethered ball.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Soccer is a team sport and serious players practice long
hours with a team. When an individual player wishes to
practice on his or her own, difficulty arises. The part of
the game which involves kicking the ball a distance from the
player, for example shots on goal, creates a ball retrieval
problem.
A device to facilitate soccer practice for a single
player which returns the soccer ball to the player after it is
kicked has obvious benefits. Two such devices are disclosed
in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,620,186 and 4,147,353. Both devices,
however, have shortcomings in the anchoring means and the ball
holding means. Both the '186 and the '353 devices use a "tent
stake" means for anchoring the device. Anchoring by means of
a simple tent stake in the ground might be suitable for young
children, but not for stronger players. It is possible for a
high school, college or professional player to dislodge an
ordinary "tent" stake with a few powerful kicks. This makes
these soccer practice devices ineffective, and also
potentially dangerous. Further, the prior art devices lack
freedom of movement of the ball's tether around the stake. The
tether in the prior art devices wraps around the "tent stake"
anchoring means and prohibits the free movement of the ball
around and over the anchoring means. This lack of freedom of
movement of the ball also inhibits the ball from rolling back
to the player freely, smoothly and without the tangling of the
tether cord.
The problems in the ball holding means are also
significant. To a soccer player, the feel of the ball when
kicking is an important element of feedback and a vital aspect
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of training and practice. Existing prior art devices use
straps, sewn overlapping fastenings, metal rings or Velcro
closings to hold the ball. All of these coverings on the ball
cause an uneven, bumpy feel upon kicking the ball and impede
the rolling of the ball when it returns to the player.
It remains desirable to have a soccer practice device for
strong players which approximates normal game play.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a
method and apparatus to firmly and securely anchor a tethered
soccer ball.
It is another object of the present invention to provide
a method and apparatus to tether a soccer ball to an anchor
such that the tether does not become entangled with the anchor
during play.
It is another object of the present invention to provide
a method and apparatus to hold a soccer ball in a practice
device such that the ball retains the feel of a ball in normal
soccer play.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The problems of anchoring a tether and holding a soccer
ball are solved by the present invention of soccer practice
device having a stable anchoring means, and a tethering means
that resists tangling and which allows the ball to roll
smoothly.
The present invention is an apparatus for holding and
retrieving a soccer ball including an anchoring means which
consists of a spiral tie down stake. The spiral tie down stake
has a rotating loop which swivels 360° around the stake and
360° around the perpendicular axis of the loop preventing the
attached tether from tangling. An alternative anchoring means
consists of a weighted base, which is hollow and can be filled
with sand, or some fluid material, so that it is of sufficient
weight to prevent its movement when the attached soccer ball
is kicked. A smaller sized weight can be used when the
apparatus is intended for use by younger players. A
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detachable link is attached to the anchoring means. The
detachable link is attached to a swivel-eyebolt connection
allowing 360° spin for the ball. This link in turn is
connected to a first end of an elastic tether cord. Because
the tether cord is attached to the anchoring means by a
detachable link, the cord can be replaced with cords of
various lengths and various elasticities to enable different
skills and techniques to be practiced and to accommodate
players of different skill levels. Also the cord may be
replaced when worn. A second end of the tether cord is
attached to an adjustable durable nylon net for holding the
ball. The net can be adjusted to hold various sizes of soccer
balls. The net provides a natural feel to the player using
the device. Additionally, because the elastic cord is
attached to the swivel-eyebolt at the anchoring means, the net
with the ball can roll along the ground freely, back to the
player without becoming tangled. In a second embodiment of
the invention, a circular upper portion of the tie down stake
holds a ring. A detachable link attaches one end of a tether
cord to the ring. At the other end of the tether cord, a net
holds a soccer ball. The detachable link has a swivel-eyebolt
connection that allows a 360° spin for the ball.
The present invention together with the above and other
advantages may best be understood from the following detailed
description of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in
the drawings, wherein:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred
embodiment of a ball anchoring means according to principles
of the invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the tie down stake, the
rotating ring, the rotating loop and the detachable link of
Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tether and
detachable link of Figure 1;
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Figure 4 is a perspective view of the net holding the
soccer ball of Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a perspective view of a second preferred
embodiment of a ball anchoring means according to principles
of the invention;
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a third preferred
embodiment of a ball anchoring means according to principles
of the invention; and
Figure 7 is a side view of the anchoring means of Figure
6 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Figure 1 is shows a first embodiment of a soccer
practice device 10 according to the principles of the present
invention. The first embodiment of the soccer practice device
10 has a spiral tie down stake 15 which has a spiraled lower
portion 20, which, in use, is inserted into the ground. The
upper portion 25 of the stake is bent into a triangular shape
forming a handle for pushing the stake 15 in and pulling the
stake 15 out of the ground. A lower stop 30 and a upper stop
35 are positioned on the stake 15 between the handle 25 and
the spiraled lower portion 20. The stake 15 has a rotating
loop 40 which is attached to the stake 15 by means of a pin 45
and a rotating ring 50. The rotating ring 50 is held in place
along the length of the stake by the lower 30 and upper 35
stops. A detachable link 55 is attached to the rotating loop
40 by a clasp 60 which releases with a thumb spring mechanism
65. The detachable link 55 also has a swivel-eyebolt 70. The
swivel-eyebolt 70 holds one end of a tether 75, which in the
present embodiment, is an elastic cord. The other end of the
tether 75 holds a drawstring 80 for a net 85 which holds a
soccer ball 90. In the present embodiment, the elastic cord
tether 75 has clamped loops on both ends for attachment to the
swivel-eyebolt 70 and the drawstring 80, but other attachment
means are possible.
In operation, the tie down stake 15 anchors the tethered
soccer ball 90. The ball 90 may be kicked about by the user
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without tangling the tether 75 because of the freedom of
movement of the ball 90 in relation to the stake 15 as will be
described below.
Figure 2 shows the tie down stake 15, the rotating ring
50, the rotating loop 40 and the detachable link 55 with
indicators showing the freedom of movement of the various
components. The rotating ring 50 and rotating loop 40 form a
rotating tether cord attachment means which provide the soccer
ball with the freedom of movement to simulate realistic soccer
ball play. The detachable link 55 with the swivel-eye bolt 70
provides even more freedom of movement. The rotating ring 50
rotates around the stake 15 with 360° freedom of movement.
The rotating loop 40 rotates around the pin 45 with 360°
freedom of movement. The swivel-eyebolt 70 rotates around the
axis of the detachable link 55 with 360° freedom of movement.
The rotational freedom of movement of the ring 50, the loop
40, and the swivel-eye bolt 70 allows the soccer ball 90
tethered to the stake 15 to spin and roll with a minimum of
tangling of the tether 75.
Figure 3 shows the tether 75 with clamped loops at both
ends. One end of the tether 75 is connected to the swivel-
eyebolt 70 of the detachable link 55. The swivel-eyebolt 70
allows 360° rotation about the axis of the detachable link 55.
The tether 75 is removable from the stake 15 so that cords of
various lengths and degrees of elasticity may be attached to
the stake 15. This allows players with different skill levels
to be accommodated and enables different techniques to be
practiced such as indirect and direct kicks, penalty kicks,
corner kicks, goal kicks, throw-ins, and trapping. In
addition, by being removable, worn tethers may be easily
replaced.
Figure 4 shows the soccer ball 90 enclosed in the net
85. The net 85 may be made of nylon or some other strong,
flexible material. Because of the adjustability of the net 85
with the drawstring 80, the net 85 can accommodate various
sizes of soccer balls. After the soccer ball 90 is inserted
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into net 85, the drawstring 80 is drawn snug and tied off and
then attached to the tether 75.
Figure 5 shows a second alternative embodiment of the
soccer practice device according to principles of the present
invention. The second alternative embodiment has a weighted
base 100 and a connection element 110 to anchor the soccer
ball 90. The detachable link 55 attaches to the base 100 by
means of the connection element 110. The ball is tethered as
before with the elastic tether 75 and the net 85. The
weighted base 100 shown is cylindrically-shaped with tapered
sides, but other shapes may be used. Also, the weighted base
100 may be of various sizes, for instance sized according to
the strength and skill levels of the anticipated users. The
weighted base 100 may be made of plastic or metal. The
weighted base 100 is hollow and may be filled through the
filling opening 115 by sand or some other dense filling
material.
Figures 6 and 7 show a third alternative embodiment of
the soccer practice device according to principles of the
present invention. The third alternative embodiment has a tie
down stake which has a spiraled lower portion 120, which in
use, is inserted into the ground. The upper portion of the
stake is formed into a circular holder 125 that holds a ring
130 which is free to travel along a substantial portion of the
circular upper portion of the stake. A handle 135 projects
from the tie down stake below the circular holder 125. In
operation, the spiraled lower portion is inserted into the
ground 140, and a tether is attached to the ring 130 by for
example the detachable link 55 shown in Figure 1. The
circular holder 125, ring 130, and rotating detachable link 55
provide a high degree of freedom of movement for the soccer
ball and simulate the motion of the ball in free play.
The tie down stake and handle as shown in Figures 6 and 7
are made of one piece of material spiraled and turned to form
this embodiment of the soccer practice device. Alternatively,
the device could be formed of a plurality of pieces. For
example, the lower portion, upper portion and handle could be
manufactured as separate pieces which are then assembled to
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form the soccer practice device. Other manufacturing and
assembly configurations are possible within the scope of the
invention.
The present invention allows a serious player of any
ability to go out to a soccer field or back yard on his or her
own and get in an intensive practice on a particular skill, at
his or her owr~ pace in an efficient manner. Further, the
device is of simple construction of durable individual parts
capable of being quickly exchanged to allow for the practice
of a variety of techniques by players at different skill
levels, as well as enabling any worn part to be readily
replaced.
It is to be understood that the above-described
embodiments are simply illustrative of the principles of the
invention. Various and other modifications and changes may be
made by those skilled in the art which will embody the
principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and
scope thereof.
