Methods, apparatus and kits for modifying natural feathers that are used in sporting goods that result in long lasting feathers with increased mechanical stability, reliability and durability as well as improved flight consistency is disclosed. Some of the sporting goods that use natural feathers are badminton shuttlecocks, arrow fletchings, and darts. The disclosed methods consist of controlled treatment of feather shuttlecocks with crosslinking agents to crosslink the keratin protein present on the natural feathers of the shuttlecock.

The present invention provides an improved shuttlecock for use in a racquet sport games. The shuttlecock has a core housing with an upper portion and a lower half round shaped portion secured in a flexible nose cone. Tail fins having strengthened base areas are secured to the core housing. The flexible nose cone has an interior impact cushion zone against which the half round shaped portion rests for absorbing and redistributing forces applied to the nose cone by a racket, or the like.

The present invention provides an improved shuttlecock for use in a racquet sport games. The shuttlecock has a core housing with an upper portion and a lower half round shaped portion secured in a flexible nose cone. Tail fins having strengthened base areas are secured to the core housing. The flexible nose cone has an interior impact cushion zone against which the half round shaped portion rests for absorbing and redistributing forces applied to the nose cone by a racket, or the like.

A tailgating game assembly including a first platform, a second platform, a projectile a first deformable target, a second deformable target, a third deformable target, and a club. In use, the club is used to hit the projectile off of the platform towards the three deformable targets. The game is meant to simulate the chipping aspect of golf. The club included in the assembly is capable of height adjustment, and is suitable for both right and left handed competitors. The projectile included may be a golf ball, a shuttlecock, or any projectile suitable to strike with a club.

A tailgating game assembly including a first platform, a second platform, a projectile a first deformable target, a second deformable target, a third deformable target, and a club. In use, the club is used to hit the projectile off of the platform towards the three deformable targets. The game is meant to simulate the chipping aspect of golf. The club included in the assembly is capable of height adjustment, and is suitable for both right and left handed competitors. The projectile included may be a golf ball, a shuttlecock, or any projectile suitable to strike with a club.

The invention concerns a gaming device (1) to throw and catch a ball or a shuttlecock comprising a basket (20) structured around two rigid walls (21, 23) and elastic means (22, 24) for throwing the ball or the shuttlecock with a certain velocity by stretching the gaming device (1), while making it easier to catch the projectile in the structured basket (20) when the gaming device (1) is in resting position.

A device to function as a training aid designed to improve the tennis serves, ground strokes and volleys, badminton serves and strokes, volley ball serves and returns, baseball batting, racquet ball serves and returns, and squash serves and returns. It is also useful in any activity where the user seeks to improve striking performance when a sports object is suspended in a particular three-dimensional space location.

A device to function as a training aid designed to improve the tennis serves, ground strokes and volleys, badminton serves and strokes, volley ball serves and returns, baseball batting, racquet ball serves and returns, and squash serves and returns. It is also useful in any activity where the user seeks to improve striking performance when a sports object is suspended in a particular three-dimensional space location.

A collapsible game piece and methods of using the same are disclosed. The collapsible game piece can have one or more collapsible zones, each of which can move between a collapsed state and an expanded state, optionally including partially collapsed states in-between. The collapsible game piece can have a projectile end with a projectile opening sized to receive a projectile (e.g., a ping pong ball). The collapsible game piece can have a nose end and optionally a nose piece. The collapsible game piece can optionally include a tail and fins. When thrown or tossed, the collapsible game piece can fly until it lands, potentially collapsing one or more of the collapsible zones, which results in ejection of the projectile from the projectile opening. Various games can be played using the collapsible game piece.

An automatic shuttlecock collecting and supplying apparatus including: a shuttlecock storage hopper that has a exit hole at the end of the bottom and having the bottom inclined toward the exit hole; a launching tube unit that temporarily keeps one shuttlecock and includes at least two rotary launching tubes; a launching unit that launches shuttlecocks in the launching tubes forward by striking the shuttlecocks; a shuttlecock supply unit that is disposed behind the launching tubes and supplies shuttlecocks into an aligned launching tube; and a conveyer unit that connects the exit hole and the shuttlecock supply unit to convey the shuttlecocks in the shuttlecock storage unit to the shuttlecock supply unit.