A racquet including a frame including a head portion, a handle portion, and a throat portion. The head portion forms a hoop that defines a string bed plane. The head portion of the racquet being formed of a fiber composite material. When the racquet is tested under the racquet lateral bending test, the racquet has a lateral deflection of at least 6.5 mm when measured in a first direction that is parallel to the string bed plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. When the racquet is tested under a racquet forward/rearward bending test, the racquet has a forward/rearward deflection with respect to the longitudinal axis of less than 7.3 mm when measured in a direction that is perpendicular to the string bed plane and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

An Unloader assembly to control load distribution about a joint is disclosed. The assembly including an upper collar attachable above the joint and a lower collar attached below the joint, and a hinge positioned between the upper attachment and the lower attachment. The Unloader further includes a compression assembly includes an arm attached at one end to the hinge and a housing into which the arm is slidable. The housing further includes a bushing and a variable resistance beam positioned between the arm and the bushing. The variable resistance beam provides a variable degree of rigidity to provide different levels of resistance to compression.

An Unloader assembly to control load distribution about a joint is disclosed. The assembly including an upper collar attachable above the joint and a lower collar attached below the joint, and a hinge positioned between the upper attachment and the lower attachment. The Unloader further includes a compression assembly includes an arm attached at one end to the hinge and a housing into which the arm is slidable. The housing further includes a bushing and a variable resistance beam positioned between the arm and the bushing. The variable resistance beam provides a variable degree of rigidity to provide different levels of resistance to compression.

An object is to provide a badminton racket capable of easily achieving different performance properties on both sides of the hitting surface easily. A racket includes a frame which extends annularly, a grip, and a string which is stretched across the frame to form a hitting surface on both sides of the frame. The frame is formed to make the front surface portion and the back surface portion thereof asymmetrical in shape in a cross sectional view taken along a plane orthogonal to the extension direction of the frame. The formation of the frame into such an asymmetrical shape makes it possible to change performance properties on shuttlecock hitting between the front and back sides of the hitting surface at the time of hitting the shuttlecock, thus making it possible for the player to obtain two difference capabilities with the single racket simply by changing his or her grip.

An object is to provide a badminton racket capable of easily achieving different performance properties on both sides of the hitting surface easily. A racket includes a frame which extends annularly, a grip, and a string which is stretched across the frame to form a hitting surface on both sides of the frame. The frame is formed to make the front surface portion and the back surface portion thereof asymmetrical in shape in a cross sectional view taken along a plane orthogonal to the extension direction of the frame. The formation of the frame into such an asymmetrical shape makes it possible to change performance properties on shuttlecock hitting between the front and back sides of the hitting surface at the time of hitting the shuttlecock, thus making it possible for the player to obtain two difference capabilities with the single racket simply by changing his or her grip.

In a tennis racket, longitudinal strings extending in a longitudinal direction and transverse strings extending in a transverse direction intersect each other to form a plurality of meshes. At a center, in the transverse direction, of a head, a ratio of an area St of a tip mesh located closest to a tip in the longitudinal direction relative to an area Sc of a center mesh located at a center in the longitudinal direction is not less than. The center mesh is formed in a rectangular shape having short sides in the longitudinal direction and long sides in the transverse direction. Preferably, from the center mesh to the tip mesh, an area of each mesh is set so as to be not larger than an area of a mesh adjacent thereto at a tip side.

A resilient rod that provides adjustable directional resistance is disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, a resistance level may be determined based on a thickness of the rod and a position of an applied force with respect to a fulcrum point. In another aspect of the invention, at least one spine may be attached to the beam to increase a diameter of the beam along one axis. A resistance level may be determined based on a thickness of the rod, a position of an applied force and an orientation of the at least one spine with regard to the direction of the applied force. In other aspects of the invention, the resilient rods may be incorporated into various equipment that provide for adjustable resistance levels. In still other aspects of the invention, the resilient rod may be incorporated into medical devices that provide adjustable support for injured limbs or joints.

A resilient rod that provides adjustable directional resistance is disclosed. In one aspect of the invention, a resistance level may be determined based on a thickness of the rod and a position of an applied force with respect to a fulcrum point. In another aspect of the invention, at least one spine may be attached to the beam to increase a diameter of the beam along one axis. A resistance level may be determined based on a thickness of the rod, a position of an applied force and an orientation of the at least one spine with regard to the direction of the applied force. In other aspects of the invention, the resilient rods may be incorporated into various equipment that provide for adjustable resistance levels. In still other aspects of the invention, the resilient rod may be incorporated into medical devices that provide adjustable support for injured limbs or joints.

Disclosed is a tennis racket including: an oval frame adapted to support a latticework, and through-bands for the strands of latticework cord, each band being received in an outer housing in the frame and including through-tubes for the strands, the tubes being inserted in the direction of the interior of the frame in through-holes provided in the frame. Each band is arranged flush with the outer edge of the cross-section of the frame, and an outer shell of the cross-section of the frame is essentially diamond shaped.

Disclosed is a tennis racket including: an oval frame adapted to support a latticework, and through-bands for the strands of latticework cord, each band being received in an outer housing in the frame and including through-tubes for the strands, the tubes being inserted in the direction of the interior of the frame in through-holes provided in the frame. Each band is arranged flush with the outer edge of the cross-section of the frame, and an outer shell of the cross-section of the frame is essentially diamond shaped.