What is provided is a football catching and throwing machine and method that includes an inclined upwardly angled path. The machine includes a collector configured to receive a football thrown into it; a ball translator configured to align the football and transport the football up the inclined path to a football accelerator that launches the football into the air; and a motor that operates the football accelerator.

A ball pickup device is provided, comprising a ball collector and a pull rod connected to the ball connector. The ball collector has ball inlets formed at the bottom of the ball collector and formed by transverse rods arranged at the bottom of the ball collector in parallel at intervals, and one ball outlet is formed by the interval between every two adjacent transverse rods. Each interval is smaller than the diameter of a ball. One end of each transverse rod is fixedly connected to the ball collector, and the other end is a movable end and located in the corresponding receding groove. When a ball is pressed, movable ends move along receding gooves to recede under the pressure of the ball, and the ball enters the ball collector. After the ball enters the ball inlet, movable ends move along receding grooves to gradually return.

A golf ball dispenser includes: a receptacle configured to hold multiple golf balls; a passageway connecting an outlet of the golf dispenser with the receptacle; a gateway coupled between the passageway and the receptacle to restrict a passage of the multiple golf balls into the passageway, the gateway being selectively moveable to allow a golf ball to pass into the passageway for delivery to a tee area; and a display device embedded in the golf ball dispenser to present at least information regarding the golf ball in flight after the golf ball is hit from the tee area. Further, methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products, for use with such golf ball dispensers, can control holding and dispensing of golf balls at a golf facility, e.g., a driving range.

The improvements in the device and method for training, directing and repeating batting movements while performing the batting action have been designed both mechanically and automatically. Mechanically, structural elements have been modified and incorporated in order to enable two players, alternately and independently from each other, to perform their work routines without varying the specifications established for each player in the device and method for training, directing and repeating batting movements while performing the batting action, and to enable a left-handed batter and a right-handed batter to train in the same device and under their respective specifications without affecting each other's settings. Another object of the improvements in the device and method for training, directing and repeating batting movements while performing the batting action is automatize the displacement of a ball from the carousel-basket to the contact area between the bat and the ball by incorporating mechanical and electronic elements.

Embodiments of the disclosure can relate to systems and methods for sorting balls. The systems and methods may involve the use of a ball-feeding mechanism for receiving one or more balls, and feeding the one or more balls to a projection element. The projection element may be located beneath the ball-feeding mechanism such that the balls drop from the ball-feeding mechanism to the projection element, and the balls then project from the projection element to a ball-sorting apparatus. The balls may then subsequently be sorted into a sorting container of one or more sorting containers based on the projected height of the ball.

A sports ball carrier is configured to fit inside a storage bag with ball rackets. The carrier may store sports balls in a substantially planar array that is one sports ball thick, and the width of the carrier may taper along its length generally simulating a racket form factor. A sports ball entry port may be provided for ball collection in a manner similar to a conventional ball hopper.

An automatic ball launcher includes a ball feed control system that includes a meter wheel with radially-spaced ribs or grooves to selectively block and pass balls to the flywheels of the launcher. The meter wheel rotates to selectively block and release a single ball to pass at a time. The controller of the launcher can be programmed to stop the meter wheel when a ball has been metered by monitoring the current at peak of the motor driving the meter wheel. A meter-event can be determined to have occurred when the current of the drive motor drops to a trough by a pre-set magnitude following a rise to a peak value. A remote control can be provided for the user to operate the launching machine and adjust a plurality of parameters.

A ball retrieval device; comprises: a) a telescopic tubing assembly suitable to house a plurality of balls; b) a retrieval mechanism suitable to allow the passage of a ball into said tubing assembly and to prevent its discharge therefrom; c) a positioning element suitable to cooperate with slotted connecting elements and to prevent the undesired rotation of parts of said telescopic tubing assembly relatively to one another; and d) capping element provided with stopping elements, suitable to release balls from the device when said stopping elements are in an open position.

An intelligent ball passing system is provided, including: a ball passing robot configured for carrying out a ball passing action according to human body postures, including: a video capture device configured for acquiring human body posture data, a movement mechanism configured for driving the ball passing robot to move according to a ball passing instruction, and a central processing module connected to the movement mechanism and the video capture device respectively; and a software system configured for controlling the ball passing robot to carry out the ball passing action, the central processing module recognizing and classifying the human body postures by using the software system that uses a BP neural network.

A basketball training apparatus includes a flat table portion including ball holders that are circular holes through the table portion dimensioned to hold a basketball; and legs that extend from the flat table portion and keep the table portion substantially level.