GB2466012A

GB2466012A - Ball rebound practice wall

Info

Publication number: GB2466012A
Application number: GB0822267A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Timothy J Worboys; James Spencer Allaway
Original assignee: WALLJAM Ltd
Current assignee: WALLJAM Ltd
Priority date: 2008-12-05
Filing date: 2008-12-05
Publication date: 2010-06-09
Also published as: GB0822267D0

Abstract

A sports training rebound wall comprises at least one visually defined target, and a non-planar rebound surface encompassing the target area(s), with areas of the rebound surface exhibiting different coefficients of restitution such that the rebound angle and speed of a ball striking the surface varies depending on which area of the surface the ball strikes. A zone within the target area(s) may be harder and less resilient than outside the target area(s), such that a ball bouncing off a target area has a faster rebound speed. The surface may include areas of different texture and/or friction coefficient for varying the spin of a rebounding ball. The wall may be mounted to a building or freestanding. When freestanding, the wall may comprise a concrete base 6.1 with metal framework 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 for supporting panels 6.6 which are covered with a rebound cladding 6.7 having the desired surface characteristics. The panels may be mounted back-to-back to allow simultaneous use by two users (fig. 16). The wall may include additional targets such as a basketball hoop (fig. 12), an upper catch net 5.1, 6.11 for catching balls directed above the wall, a video camera and television monitor for recording and analysing user training (fig. 14), a memory ink or memory imaging layer which displays for a short period the ball impact point (fig. 15), and/or advertising material (fig's 8, 9, 19 & 21).

Description

TITLE

Sports Training Aid

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a training aid for ball control sports, and provides a unique low technology sports training facility designed to benefit locations with limited land availability. The purpose of the invention is to encourage play and develop skills ranging from grass root skills to elite skills through interaction and repetition, for a number of mainstream ball control sports including football and tennis.

Background Art

A generation ago it was commonplace for children to develop grass roots ball control skills by playing with a ball against a vertical wall surface, such as the wall of a garage or of a house, or a garden wall. Sadly that habit is on the decline, due in part to current more limited land availability and in part to the current greater attraction of computer games which are heavily promoted and advertised, and which attract children off the streets. One result is that the present generation of young children has much less exposure to the essentially repetitive skill development routines of, for example, hitting or kicking a ball repetitively against a wall.

The Invention The invention aims to cure the above deficiency by providing a sports training aid which can be used where land availability is very scarce, and which can have the effect of developing both grass roots skills and elite skills in the person in training. To achieve that objective, the invention provides a sports training aid as defined in claim 1 herein.

The practice wall provides, for a person in training, the facility of being able to direct a ball repeatedly and forcefully against the rebound surface of the practice wall. The non-planar nature of that rebound surface ensures that when the ball hits different areas of the wall, it will be selectively deflected at different rebound angles. That, coupled with the fact that the ball is controlled to rebound from areas of the wall having different coefficients of restitution, means that the person in training has to react both to different rebound angles and different rebound speeds of the ball. As a generality it is preferred that the coefficient of restitution, of the rebound surface should be such as to slow down the ball on rebound, which enables the sports training aid to occupy a smaller area of a sports field or sports pitch or sports hall than if the ball were to bounce off of a hard and rigid surface from which the ball would rebound at high speed.

In addition to having the characteristics of a variable angle and variable coefficient of restitution, the rebound surface of the wall preferably also comprises areas of different texture andlor areas of different surface coefficient of friction, which selectively maintain or reduce to different extents the spin of a spinning ball rebounding therefrom. An ability selectively to control the spin of a ball rebounding from different parts of the wall is particularly beneficial in more advanced training, when the person in training is able to develop and perfect skills in controlling the spin of the ball.

The above three mutually interactive surface properties of the wall, summarised as Angle, Restitution and Texture, can be referred to as the ART of the practice wall. No other sports training aid has been proposed that simultaneously controls these three aspects of a practice wall, and the control of those three aspects enables a person in training to direct a ball repeatedly against the practice wall, responding with progressively increasing skill to the variable angle, speed and spin of the ball as it bounces back from the practice wall.

The construction of the sports training aid of the invention is preferably such that the rebound surface comprises a rigid backing structure covered with a rebound cladding having the desired variable coefficient of resilience or the desired variable texture and/or surface coefficient of friction. That rebound cladding may be provided by a sheet of foamed rubber or plastics material, such as polyethylene foam or polyurethane foam, the coefficient of restitution of which can be easily controlled in factory conditions as between different panels of the cladding which are applied to the rigid backing structure. The panels do not have to be rectangular in shape. For example if a visually defined target area on the practice wall is a circle, then that circle may be made from a circular piece of cladding inlaid into an identical sized opening in the surrounding cladding, but having a different rebound characteristic as defined by its different coefficient of resilience or its different texture and/or surface coefficient of friction as compared the surrounding cladding. The colour of that inserted portion of cladding may also be different from the colour of the surrounding area, so that the colour difference defines the visually defined target area. If the inlaid piece of cladding is harder and less resilient than the surrounding cladding, then that particular target area will have a faster rebound speed of a ball bouncing off the target area, as compared with the same ball delivered at the same speed bouncing off the surrounding cladding.

Instead of the rebound cladding being provided by discrete panels of foamed plastics or rubber material, it is feasible that the rebound cladding could be applied directly to the rigid backing structure of the wall in an unset state as a liquid, emulsion, paste, foam or gel under conditions which enable the coefficient of restitution, or surface texture or surface coefficient of friction of that cladding material to be controlled and varied between different parts of the wall.

The sports training aid of the invention may be designed to be suspended from anchorages provided on the wall of an existing building structure, or may be free-standing. If free-standing, then the training aid preferably comprises a concrete base supporting a tubular metal framework on which rigid backing panels are mounted. Such a free standing structure could be single-sided or double-sided. To create a double sided wall, which would permit two persons or two teams to train simultaneously one against each side of the wall, the structure would comprise sets of rigid backing panels mounted on opposite sides of the tubular metal framework, facing in opposite directions. Preferably there would be a catch net across the top of the wall, to catch and return balls which are aimed so high that they would otherwise pass completely over the wall and be lost on the other side of the sports training aid, A double-sided sports training aid as described above, with two non-planar rebound surfaces facing in mutually opposite directions, is particularly suited to use in a sports training environment in which different persons or teams of persons train simultaneously against opposite sides of the practice wall, while third or fourth persons or teams of persons can practice against targets such as a basket ball basket or a simulated set of cricket stumps supported at opposite ends of the wall.

The great advantage of the sports training aid of the invention is that it presents a significant wall area which can be used for artistic or for advertising purposes. The advertising revenue possibilities are extensive, since the person in training must necessarily concentrate on the rebound surface of the wall and will therefore be very receptive to any advertising information applied thereto. The use of that advertising space is potentially of advantage to persuade children and young people to play outdoors, because if the advertising is relevant to the youth culture of the particular persons in training, then they will identify with the training aid and will be more willing to interact with it in a repetitive training regime.

Another possibility open to the manufacturer of a sports training aid according to the invention is to provide a video camera and recorder facing the person in training, either at an edge of the practice wall or looking out through a window formed in the practice waU, and a television monitor for displaying the recorded video footage or an analysis of that footage at the end of each training session. For elite training, that enables a person alone, or a person accompanied by a coach or trainer, to analyse his or her technique at intervals throughout a period of training.

An alternative option open to the manufacturer of a sports training aid according to the invention is to apply a memory ink or memory imaging layer over the rebound surface or over a part of the rebound surface of the wall. By "memory ink" there is meant an ink or dye which is activated by impact or by pressure to change colour for a short defined period before reverting to its original colour. Thus the memory ink coated area of the rebound surface will display to the person in training the exact point of impact of a ball directed against the wall surface. The same effective result can be caused by using a memory imaging layer which typically may be a twin ply surface layer with a gel between the two layers. If for example the top layer is transparent and the gel translucent, then normally the surface would appear as the colour of the gel layer. On impact with the ball, however, the two layers will be pressed together at the point of impact, and the gel squeezed out from between the two layers in that one impact point, displaying the colour of the bottom layer or if the bottom layer is itself transparent the colour of the wall beneath the bottom layer. The colour of the wall reverts to its original colour when the top surface re-establishes its original shape which may be one or several seconds after the impact. The person in training can then see visual evidence of the accuracy of his attempt to hit a target area on the wall over one or several ball impacts.

Drawings In the drawings: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a single-sided sports training aid according to the invention; Figure 2 is a front view of the sports training aid of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view taken from the front and slightly to one side of a sports training aid according to the invention; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a free-standing full sized sports training aid according to the invention; Figure 5 is a perspective view of a free-standing half-sized sports training aid according to the invention; Figure 6 is an exploded view showing the internal construction of the sports training aid of Figure 5 (that of Figure 4 would be comparable); Figure 7 is a constructional detail of one end of the base of the sports training aid of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a front view of a further sports training aid of the invention, showing one possibility for advertising display; Figure 9 is a perspective view of a sports training aid similar to that of Figure 5, without any branding; Figure 10 is a front view of the sports training aid of Figure 9, showing the possibilities for commercial branding; Figure 11 is a perspective view of a sports training aid similar to that of Figure 4, but showing an optional moving target attachment; Figures 12 and 13 are perspective end views of the sports training aid of Figure 11, but including optional end attachments for basket ball training and for soccer heading training; Figure 14 is a perspective view of a sports training aid according to the invention equipped with a video camera and recorder and television monitor play-back screen; Figure 15 is an illustration of different aspects of play-back and technique analysis that can be demonstrated to the person in training through the television monitor screen of Figure 14; Figure 16 is a perspective view from above showing how a sports pitch or sports hail can be sub-divided into four zones each making use of one side or one end of the practice wall of a sports training aid according to the invention; Figure 17 is a perspective view of a free-standing sports training aid according to the invention, illustrating one potential for advertising revenue; Figure 18 is an end view of the sports training aid of Figure 17; and Figure 19 to 21 are front views of three different practice walls of sports training aids according to the invention, showing different possibilities for combining advertising information with the one or more visually defined target areas.

Figures 1 and 2 illustrate schematically the essential elements of a sports training aid according to the invention. A practice wall 1.1 as illustrated in Figure 1 is made of a sound absorbent material and is clad with a restitution and contoured pad 1.2 which defines a non-planar rebound surface for a ball being kicked or struck against that surface. A graphic membrane 1.3 covers the contoured pad 1.2, and is in turn covered by a textured skin 1.4 or a skin which has selectively different surface frictional characteristics across its surface. Figure 2 illustrates very schematically how the wall can be divided into different visually defined target areas as defined either by the areas of different shading or the four quadrants defined by the crossing white lines.

The different areas of the wall can selectively deflect a ball at different rebound angles, can selectively slow down a ball striking the different areas of the wall to different extents, either slowing the return, speeding it up (relative to the slowed down return) or killing the ball dead; and different areas which selectively either stop or encourage the spin of the ball striking that area.

When a player repeatedly strikes or kills a ball against the above non-planar rebound surface, then the rebounding ball has a wide variety of different control characteristics depending on exactly where the ball strikes the wall.

The angle of the wall, for example, can deflect the ball away from the player or focus the perfect return, depending on the precise area struck.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a similar wall, taken from in front and slightly to one side, and illustrates the variable angle characteristics of the rebound surface. The surface of Figure 3 has a central area 3.1 bounded by incurved edge portions 3.2. Areas of more acute curvature 3.3 are provided near the top of the wall to provide unexpected rebound angles to a ball striking those surfaces; and a convex portion 3.4 of the top of the wall causes a ball striking that portion to fly upwards to an angle that would make it out of play to a footballer or simulate a lob return for a tennis player. All of the above variable angles 3.1 to 3.4 can be matched with correspondingly variable coefficients of restitution, so that not only the angle but the speed of the ball bouncing back from the different portions of the wall is markedly different.

Figure 4 and 5 illustrate smaller and larger versions of a free standing sports aid according to the invention, with the very minimum of marking applied to the wall to define the visually defined target areas. In Figure 4 the markings simulate a goal area for football practice and a tennis net for tennis practice, whereas in Figure 5 only the tennis net is shown. It will be seen, more clearly in Figure 4, how the shape of the non-planar rebound surface includes a row of depressions high up on the wall, just below the cross bar of the depicted goal net, to vary the rebound angles of a ball striking the wall in those areas.

Both Figures 4 and 5 show a catch net 4.1 and 5.1 respectively, above the non-planar rebound surface of the wall, for catching and returning a ball which is aimed so high that it misses the wall.

Figure 6 shows an exploded view of the sports training aid of Figure 5. A base 6.1 is made from concrete blocks which are described in greater detail in Figure 7. The concrete blocks are interlocked together to form the complete base 6.1, and may then be filled with sand or gravel or even concrete, to increase the stability and rigidity of the base. Because of the shape of the base, which follows the shape of the bottom edge of the non-planar rebound surface, the sports training aid of Figures 5 and 6 is extremely stable and will stand up to repeated impacts even with a heavy football without movement.

The base 6.1 is designed to stand on level ground without the need for sub-ground foundations. A shaped metal collar 6.2 encircles the concrete blocks of the base 6.1, assisting in the securing together of those concrete blocks.

Upstanding from the base 6.1 is a tubular metal framework 6.3 including end hoops 6.4 and a roof section 6.5 which together form a rigid framework for mounting an array of rigid backing panels 6.6. The surface of each rigid backing panel 6.6 is secured to a rebound cladding 6.7. Because of the modular construction, each individual panel 6.6 may be coated with a cladding 6.7 which has a different rebound characteristic, so that across the entire surface of the complete sports training aid as it is shown in Figure 5 the rebound characteristics vary with the different coefficients of restitution of the different cladding materials 6.7.

It will be seen from Figure 6 that the roof section 6.5 has along its lower long edges metal channel sections 6.8. The resulting channels continue across the ends of the erected wall through channel members 6.9, for securing in place optional attachments which will be described later.

Across the top of the practice wall there are provided a number of convex panels 6.10 which provide the curved top of the wall corresponding to the curved top 3.4 of Figure 3. A catch net 6.11 is also bolted to the top of the structure. Figure 7 shows in detail the way in which the base 6.1 of Figure 6 is constructed. A number of individually shaped concrete blocks 7.1 is secured together by link members 7.2 each of which comprises a vertical channel portion topped by a holding plate 7.3. Bolts 7.4 secure the holding plates 7.3 to the conciete blocks 7.1, and the vertical channels provide the anchorage for the tubular frame members 6.3 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 shows how a sports training aid according to the invention can be set out for tennis training. Different visually defined target areas are marked on the wall, and each will have its own individual characteristic of rebound angle, coefficient of restitution (affecting the rebound speed of the ball) and texture or surface coefficient of friction (affecting the spin of the ball). The catch net above the wall provides a good surface for advertising display.

Figure 9 shows a basic smaller sized wall for football training, and Figure 10 shows how that same product might look with a much more detailed display of visually defined target areas. On the rebound surface.

Figure 11 shows how the edge channel 6.8/6.9 as described above with reference to Figure 6 can be used to support a detachable and adjustable target 11.1 which can be moved to any position across the length and height of the wall. The same channels at the ends of the wall can be used as illustrated in Figures 12 and 13 to support a basket ball net or a suspended football for soccer heading practice, permitting the ends of the sports training aid to be used in addition to the non-planar rebound surfaces on the two opposing faces of the sports training aid.

Figures 14 and 15 show a more sophisticated and advanced version of a sports training aid according to the invention. A video camera 14.1 is positioned in a small window recessed into the wall near the top, and films the person in training during a training session. At the end of the training session the results of that video can be displayed on a television monitor screen 14.2 either as simple video footage to show the players technique or as an analysis of the players' repeated deliveries, as shown in the upper and lower television screen depictions respectively of Figure 15.

Instead of the video camera of Figure 14, the rebound surface of the wall or a relevant portion of that rebound surface may be coated with a memory ink or a memory imaging layer which displays, for a short period only, the point of impact of a ball on the rebound surface. The result would be a visual image of that point of impact over one or several ball strikes, so that the actual wall surface (as opposed to the video screen 14.2 of Figures 14 and 15) displays the locations of ball impacts.

One sports training aid according to the invention can be used to train a number of sports disciplines simultaneously, by dividing a sports pitch or sports hall into four separate sports zones as illustrated in Figure 16. That shows a notional sports area being divided into four to permit the training of tennis in zone 16.1, basket ball in zone 16.2, soccer in zone 16.3 and cricket -11 -in zone 16.4. The four zones are divided by the central wall 16.5 and by nets 16.6.

The sports training aid of the invention offers boundless opportunities for advertising revenue. Figures 17 and 18 illustrates how the sides and rear of a freestanding sports training aid can be used to display advertising bill boards.

The sports training aid of Figure 17 is also provided with a seating area 17.1 over which is a cantilevered roof 17.2, from which it will be understood that in municipal surroundings the training aid of the invention could have a double function as a bus shelter or park seating area.

Figures 19 to 21 illustrate other dvertising possibilities which the sports training aids of the invention offer. The catch net across the top of the practice wall is one good area available for advertising, and in general is unlikely to be damaged by graffiti because it would be made of a mesh structure and would be out of reach of the average vandal. The non-planar rebound surface itself, however, can be used for advertising purposes as illustrated in Figures 20 and 21, with the advertising literature either being placed alongside the target information as illustrated in Figure 21, or incorporated directly into the target information as illustrated in Figure 20.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A sports training aid comprising a practice wall against which a ball can be repeatedly aimed by a person in training, the wall comprising: one or more visually defined target areas; a non-planar rebound surface encompassing said one or more target areas for selectively deflecting at different rebound angles the rebound path of a ball directed against different portions of the non-planar rebound surface; and io a variable coefficient of restitution between different parts of the rebound surface, for selectively slowing down to different extents the rebound speed of a ball directed against different portions of the non-planar rebound surface.
2. A sports training aid according to claim 1, wherein the non-planar rebound surface comprises a central portion bounded by incurved edge portions.
3. A sports training aid according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the variable coefficient of restitution includes a harder and less resilient zone within the one or more visually defined target areas than outside those target areas, resulting in a faster rebound speed of a ball bouncing off the one or more visually defined target areas.
4. A sports training aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the wall comprises a rigid backing structure covered with a rebound cladding having the desired variable coefficient of restitution.
5. A sports training aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the non-planar rebound surface also comprises areas of different texture and/or areas of different surface coefficient of friction which selectively maintain or reduce to different extents the spin of a spinning ball rebounding therefrom.
6. A sports training aid according to claim 5 wherein the wall comprises a rigid backing structure covered with a rebound cladding having the desired variable texture and/or the desired variable surface coefficient of friction.
7. A sports training aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the practice wall is free-standing.
8. A sports training aid according to claim 7, comprising a concrete base supporting a tubular metal framework on which rigid backing panels are mounted, each backing panel being covered with a rebound cladding having the desired variable coefficient of restitution or texture or surface coefficient of friction.
9. A sports training aid according to claim 8, wherein two sets of rigid backing panels are mounted on the tubular metal framework, to define two practice walls facing in mutually opposite directions, to be used simultaneously by different persons in training.
10. A sports training aid according to claim 9, wherein at each end of the rigid backing structure there is provided a target for sports training, such as a basket for basketball practice or an image of wicket stumps for cricket practice.
11. A sports training aid according to any of claims 8 to 10, wherein the concrete base is sectional, comprising a number of concrete base blocks which are fastened together in use to create a rigid composite base.
12. A sports training aid according to any of claims 7 to 11, wherein along the top of the or each non-planar rebound surface is provided a catch net for catching any balls which are directed above the rebound surface by the person in training.
13. A sports training aid according to any of claims ito 6, wherein the wall is designed to be suspended from anchorage points in an existing building structure.
14. A sports training aid according to any preceding claim, wherein a video camera is mounted alongside the practice wall or in a window portion of the practice wall, for recording the movements of the person in training, and a television monitor is provided for replaying the recorded video footage or an analysis of that footage at the end of each training session.
15. A sports training aid according to any of claims I to 13, wherein the rebound surface of the practice wall or a relevant portion of that rebound surface is coated with a memory ink or a memory imaging layer which displays, for a short period only, the point of impact of a ball on the rebound surface.
16. A sports training aid according to any preceding claim, wherein the practice wall also provides a support surface for the display of advertising literature.