Described herein are devices and systems relating to sports training equipment, for example, for baseball. These devices and systems can comprise a mat with markers identifying a plurality of positions on the mat. In some embodiments, the system can comprise removably attachable footpads to identify ideal foot positions for an athletic performance. In some embodiments, the footpads comprise one or more pressure sensors. The system can comprise one or more position sensors on a ball, and one or more position sensors removably attachable to a hand-held sports instrument. In some embodiments, the system can comprise a memory, communicatively coupled to a processor and a camera, with executable instructions to implement a set-up component, a user recognition component, a practice component, and instructional component, and a play component.

An endcap system for a sporting implement includes a base portion and a transverse extension projecting from the base portion. The base portion has a bottom surface with a central axis normal thereto. A receptacle opposite the bottom surface is configured to receive a portion of the sporting implement. The extension is configured such that, during swinging of the sporting implement with a hand of a user gripping around the sporting implement portion, the extension contacts an exterior lateral portion and upper portion of a fifth metacarpal of the hand and the hand is constrained in both the transverse and longitudinal aspects while being allowed rotation of a first metacarpal of the hand away from the central axis.

A muscle activating and exercising device and a method of activating and exercising muscles of the human body. The device includes an outer material and at least one flexible inner material. The device is an elongated device that is pliable enough to be wrapped around an object. The device also has an outer surface that creates a frictional fit between the device and the wrapped object. The wrapped object could be, for example, a wrist or ankle on a human limb or a location on a portion of sports equipment (e.g., a lacrosse stick, baseball bat, hockey stick, golf club or tennis racket). The method includes a method of activating muscles using the device. Through such a method, a user can, for example. build muscle strength and/or reduce muscle tremors.

A method may include receiving a group of images taken by a camera over time in an environment, in which the camera may be oriented within the environment to capture images of an object in a substantially same direction as a launch direction of the object, and the group of images including a first image and a second image. The method may further include: identifying a first position of the object in the first image; identifying a second position of the object in the second image; generating a flight vector based on the first position of the object and the second position of the object; and determining one or more flight parameters using the flight vector. Additionally, the method may include: generating a simulated trajectory of the object based on the flight parameters; and providing the simulated trajectory of the object for presentation in a graphical user interface.

An improved anchor fitting (10) for anchoring a tether cord (22) to a hollow ball (12). The anchor fitting (10) includes an anchor body (16) comprising a shank portion (18) and a head (20) at one end of the shank portion. The anchor body is received in a hole (14) in the wall of the ball and defines an axial passage through which the tether cord extends. The anchor fitting includes two rigid shoulder-defining bodies (26) and (28) which are located within the ball and which extend perpendicularly relative to one another when assembled. The shoulder-defining bodies define holes in which the shank portion of the anchor body is received, with the head (20) abutting an inner side of the shoulder-defining body (28). A flexible resilient rubber washer (34) is located between the shoulder-defining bodies and an interior side of the wall for absorption of impact forces acting on the wall of the ball when the ball is struck by a bat.

A swing training assembly includes a shuttle, a shuttle travel track, a tensioner, a shuttle displacement line and a shuttle pulley. The shuttle resides in the shuttle travel track and the shuttle pulley and shuttle displacement line are adapted to linearly displace the shuttle to different shuttle positions within the shuttle travel track in response to displacement forces applied to the shuttle pulley by a user pulling on the shuttle displacement line. The tensioner provides an opposing counter-force to control the rate of shuttle displacement. The swing training assembly may also include body positioning limits to maintain proper body alignment while the user pulls on the shuttle displacement line.

The present invention relates to a ball game racket with strings that comprise at least one string comprising a superelastic material.

In a first aspect, a method for monitoring a golf swing is provided that includes coupling a mobile telephone to a golf club and employing the mobile telephone coupled to the golf club to monitor acceleration of the mobile telephone as the mobile telephone swings while a user swings the golf club, collect acceleration information based on the monitored acceleration of the mobile telephone as the mobile telephone swings, analyze the collected acceleration information to determine one or more characteristics of the golf swing based on the collected acceleration information, and output information regarding the one or more characteristics of the golf swing on the display of the mobile telephone. Numerous other aspects are provided.

A system that wirelessly integrates actual sports equipment with a computer and the internet to allow players remotely located from one another to play a competitive simulated sports game. An individual player may opt to play solo or practice to improve basic techniques. The system includes motion sensors connected to the player and a motion sensing device, all containing circuits and contact or motion sensors coupled with signal processing and radio frequency transmitter circuitry, thereby wirelessly communicate game performance information to a remote receiver-computer. The computer displays player information and visually simulates and controls a game between two players via the internet, having similar equipment and remotely located from each other. Standard sports equipment may be retrofitted with the sensors and associated circuitry to convert such equipment into “smart equipment” for use with the system. The system employs specially developed computer software to process player performance data, control game play, communicate game information between players, generate and control visual simulations and display player performance information.