Implementations herein provide for systems and methods related to teaching a beginner player how to play a sport with a net. In one implementation, a tennis training aid consists of two support posts and a cord. The cord is attached to each support post at substantially the same height and the cord is substantially parallel to a ground surface. The cord assists the player by acting as a dividing line between different sections of space.

A universal swing training apparatus is provided that includes a sports-related implement and a slide mechanism. The implement includes a proximal section and a distal section that are spaced apart to form a gap there-between. The slide mechanism is inserted within this gap and is connected to the upper end of the proximal section and the lower end of the distal section. The slide mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a sliding rail assembly that are cooperatively configured to insure that this upper end and this lower end are coaxial when the sliding rail assembly is situated in a coaxial position on the rail guide, and permit a lateral shift of this lower end relative to this upper end during a swinging of the implement.

A universal swing training apparatus is provided that includes a sports-related implement and a slide mechanism. The implement includes a proximal section and a distal section that are spaced apart to form a gap there-between. The slide mechanism is inserted within this gap and is connected to the upper end of the proximal section and the lower end of the distal section. The slide mechanism includes a rail guide, a plurality of front ball bearings, a plurality of rear ball bearings, and a sliding rail assembly that are cooperatively configured to insure that this upper end and this lower end are coaxial when the sliding rail assembly is situated in a coaxial position on the rail guide, and permit a lateral shift of this lower end relative to this upper end during a swinging of the implement.

A system has footwear and a striking device. The striking device has a shaft connected to a striking surface for contacting an object. A sensor affixed to the shaft changes electrical resistance when the striking surface is swung to contact the object to in turn generate a signal reflective of the deflection of the shaft. The footwear is configured with an array of sensors that change at least one electrical characteristic upon deflection when the player is operating the striking device. The footwear is to send signals reflective of the deflection of the feet as the shaft is swung. The signals reflective of the deflection of the shaft and the footwear are sent to a cell phone, notebook, PC or the like suitably programmed to present audio and visual images of the feet positions and movement and movement of the striking device (e.g., golf club, racket).

A system has footwear and a striking device. The striking device has a shaft connected to a striking surface for contacting an object. A sensor affixed to the shaft changes electrical resistance when the striking surface is swung to contact the object to in turn generate a signal reflective of the deflection of the shaft. The footwear is configured with an array of sensors that change at least one electrical characteristic upon deflection when the player is operating the striking device. The footwear is to send signals reflective of the deflection of the feet as the shaft is swung. The signals reflective of the deflection of the shaft and the footwear are sent to a cell phone, notebook, PC or the like suitably programmed to present audio and visual images of the feet positions and movement and movement of the striking device (e.g., golf club, racket).

An activity tracking racquet attachment device tracks activity such as calories burned over a period of using a racquet to which the device is attached. The device includes a housing having a first face and a perimeter sidewall extending from and around the first face. A processor is coupled to the housing. A motion detector is coupled to the housing such that the motion detector detects movement of the housing. The motion detector is communicatively coupled to the processor wherein the processor receives motion data from the motion detector. A coupler is coupled to and extends from a second face of the housing coupling the housing to an end of a handle of a racquet such that the first face of the housing faces outwardly from the end of the handle.

An activity tracking racquet attachment device tracks activity such as calories burned over a period of using a racquet to which the device is attached. The device includes a housing having a first face and a perimeter sidewall extending from and around the first face. A processor is coupled to the housing. A motion detector is coupled to the housing such that the motion detector detects movement of the housing. The motion detector is communicatively coupled to the processor wherein the processor receives motion data from the motion detector. A coupler is coupled to and extends from a second face of the housing coupling the housing to an end of a handle of a racquet such that the first face of the housing faces outwardly from the end of the handle.

The scorekeeping system includes a plurality of scoring elements. An upper bracket can be secured a first string having a first portion of the plurality scoring elements and a second string having a second portion of the plurality of scoring elements. The first string can have a first thread and a second thread, each of the first thread and the second thread being threaded through the first portion of the plurality of the scoring elements. The second string can have a third thread and a fourth thread, each of the third thread and fourth thread being threaded through the second portion of the plurality of the scoring elements.

The present disclosure relates to a novel scheduling system and in particular, a system for scheduling matches, practices, and related activities. The novel system includes a non-transitory machine readable storage medium containing instructions to cause a machine to generate a line-up for a match between at least two sports team; generate a food assignment for the match; generate a practice schedule for each sport team; and generate a series of line-ups for a season of play. Additionally, the non-transitory machine readable storage medium further contains instructions to cause a machine to generate a ranking of each sport team based on a record of each sports team.

The invention consists of a codification and cueing system for the optimization of adversarial or cooperative interactions between human actors engaged in sports and other activities. The system uses measurements from motion sensors to identify key events in the activity and participant's behavior to provide real-time cues to help the actors perform as well as train. The system is illustrated for a tennis application. The codification describes the players' interactions based on court events, such as the ball's trajectory relative to the court, and player behavioral events, such as the stroke phases and court movements. The cueing method can be implemented using different subsets of such events. In its simplest implementation, timing cues are obtained from the stroke backswing initiation, forward swing initiation and impact of the ball on the racket. Following the detection of these events, a signal is transmitted to the adversary where it is used to generate auditory, visual and/or haptic stimuli. These stimuli encode information that help the players anticipate the type of oncoming ball and hence the cue helps select, prepare for and execute the appropriate stroke. The anticipatory cue also primes the players' perceptual processes, directing attention to relevant aspects of the performance.