A metal foil satisfies following conditional equations (1), (2) and (3) to smoothly increase rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the shaft main body from a distal end side to a base end side while increasing a weight of a wound part of the metal foil

0.50<Lmf/Ls (1)

Lmr/Ls<0.90 (2)

0.03<Wm/Ws<0.09 (3) where Lmf: a length from a distal end position in the longitudinal direction of the shaft main body to a winding start position of the metal foil, Lmr: a length from the distal end position in the longitudinal direction of the shaft main body to a winding end position of the metal foil, Ls: a length of the shaft main body, Wm: a weight of the metal foil, and Ws: a weight of the shaft main body.

A metal foil satisfies following conditional equations (1), (2) and (3) to smoothly increase rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the shaft main body from a distal end side to a base end side while increasing a weight of a wound part of the metal foil
0.50<Lmf/Ls(1)
Lmr/Ls<0.90(2)
0.03<Wm/Ws<0.09(3) where Lmf: a length from a distal end position in the longitudinal direction of the shaft main body to a winding start position of the metal foil, Lmr: a length from the distal end position in the longitudinal direction of the shaft main body to a winding end position of the metal foil, Ls: a length of the shaft main body, Wm: a weight of the metal foil, and Ws: a weight of the shaft main body.

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 ball bat includes outer shell segments longitudinally spaced apart from each other to form a gap between them. A joint connects the segments. A first outer shell segment may include a barrel portion of the ball bat and at least part of a tapered portion of the ball bat. A second outer shell segment may include at least part of the tapered portion. The joint may include a tubular element having a first portion positioned within the first outer shell segment and at least partially overlapping an interior surface of the first outer shell segment, and a second portion positioned within the second outer shell segment and at least partially overlapping an interior surface of the second outer shell segment. The tubular element may include an elastomeric material. In some embodiments, the joint may be formed by an elastomeric material connecting the outer shell segments in the gap.

A disc launching device includes a long handle and a disc holder at one end of the handle. The handle may include a grip end for holding the handle, an attachment end opposite the grip end, and a shaft extending from the grip end to the attachment end. The disc holder is attached to the attachment end of the handle. It includes a front rail for holding one side of a disc, a back rail for holding an opposite side of the disc, and at least one support member extending between the front rail and the back rail. The front rail and the back rail form an opening on one side of the disc holder, configured to allow the disc to launch out of the disc holder through the opening when sufficient forward momentum is applied to the disc holder via the handle.

A golf club includes a golf club head, a shaft adapter secured within a hosel of the golf club head, and a shaft secured within the shaft adapter. The golf club shaft is formed from a fiber reinforced polymer and extends along a longitudinal axis between a tip end and a grip end. The golf club shaft includes a tip end section, a grip end section, and a tapered section between the tip end section and the grip end section. The tapered section of the shaft includes a reference portion within the upper half that has a frustoconical shape with a near-constant taper rate, and a narrowed portion within the lower half. The narrowed portion is recessed relative to a reference surface extrapolated from the frustoconical shape.

A golf aide is described for providing tactile feedback to a user during a golf swing. The golf aide has a shaft (12) with a golf grip (11), an arm (14) having a linking element (13) coupling the arm (14) to the shaft (12) at a first end of the arm (14), and a tactile indicator (15) arranged at a distal end of the arm (14) opposite the linking element (13). The tactile indicator has a width greater than a width of the arm and the shaft (12), arm (14) and tactile indicator (15) are fixedly arrangeable such that the distance and angle between a portion of the golf grip to be gripped during a golf stroke and the tactile indicator is equivalent to a predetermined target distance and angle between hands and a lateral upper arm portion of an inside arm of a user at an apex of a backswing of a golf stroke.

A golf club 2 includes a head 4, a shaft 6, and a grip 8. The club 2 has a forward club flex of greater than or equal to 140 mm. The forward club flex is measured for a golf club in the completed state. The grip 8 has a weight Wg of less than or equal to 30 g. With the golf club 2, a force acting on the player's body during a swing can be reduced. The golf club 2 can stabilize swing.

A construct for a hockey stick that includes a shaft having with variable cross-sectional geometry. The shaft may include one or more portions with pentagonal and heptagonal cross-sections that increase the bending stiffness of the hockey stick shaft. The hockey stick may additionally include a blade that has a slot feature, which allows the blade to have areas of differing stiffness.

A golf club includes a golf club head, a shaft adapter secured within a hosel of the golf club head, and a shaft secured within the shaft adapter. The golf club shaft is formed from a fiber reinforced polymer and extends along a longitudinal axis between a tip end and a grip end. The golf club shaft includes a tip end section, a grip end section, and a tapered section between the tip end section and the grip end section. The tapered section of the shaft includes a reference portion within the upper half that has a frustoconical shape with a near-constant taper rate, and a narrowed portion within the lower half. The narrowed portion is recessed relative to a reference surface extrapolated from the frustoconical shape.