A racket includes a frame and strings carried within the frame. A vibration dampening member is carried by the frame and can be positioned in a groove in the outer periphery of the frame. A vibration dampening member can also be positioned in a neck attached to the frame and carried by a handle.

This present invention relates to a protective cover for use with a handle on a piece of sports equipment, such as a baseball bat, to protect the handle from the elements (e.g., rain, sleet, snow) and/or physical damage. The protective cover preferably includes a contoured interior with an integrated memory foam that provides a convenient location to place a pair of cleats or other accessory, a hook and loop fastener positioned on the exterior surface to attach additional accessories, and a patch or other surface upon which useful information may be recorded and displayed.

A tennis-ball collector which includes a chassis, a drive train, an energy source, wheels, and a motor. The tennis-ball collector is useful for collecting scattered tennis balls after a game or practice without the need to bend and pick them up by hand. The device moves balls using a vacuum system or a drive belt.

A system for providing player training including a grid of individually powered, processor controlled and communicable lighting elements and sensors which are embedded within a playing surface associated with the event, the lighting elements interfacing with at least one of a player worn sensor and/or a remote processor device for providing a visual illustration of any number of parameters associated with an actual player performance, including real time motion progressions of the player which are represented on the field surface and/or recreated on a processor driven screen which films or otherwise tracks the event. The simulated progressions can further replicate the desired motions of the positional player's intended motions or those of an opposing positional player and in lieu of the actual player being on the playing surface.

A method for determining a relative performance measure between at least two players in a sport, comprising: receiving position information relating to each of the players and a sporting projectile as each player hits or receives the sporting projectile, and determining, based on an analysis of the position information, the relative performance measure between the players.

The current invention aims at improving the playability, durability, and spin generation of different playing rackets, as tennis, squash, and badminton rackets. The method to do so is by applying mechanical forces which generate relative motion of the latitudinal strings over the longitudinal strings. This is done in order to create friction that generate depressions in the contact points of the latitudinal strings with the longitudinal strings. These depressions, made by the described method and machine, induce more friction, and generate spin, while increasing the playability and durability during the play.

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 tennis ball may include a non-foamed thermoplastic core defining an internal volume, the core having an outer meltable surface. The core may include a thermoplastic material having a specific gravity of 0.86 to 1.38, a flexural modulus of 2.0 to 50.0 MPa, and a Shore D hardness of 10 to 70. The thickness of the thermoplastic material may be between 3.0 and 8.0 mm and configured to maintain dimensional stability at internal pressures of between zero and 15 psi. The tennis ball may further include a felt cover at least partially covering the core, wherein the tennis ball conforms to ITF and USTA size, weight, deformation and rebound requirements.

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.

Devices, systems, and methods for training baseball and softball batters, to identify types of pitched balls (fast ball, curve ball, slider and changeup) and locations (strike or non-strike zone) of pitched balls in order to increase hitting accuracy A motion sensor can be triggered by the leading foot of a pitcher. The motion sensor can use cone or fan shaped sensor to detect the passage of a pitched ball from the pitcher. When the motion sensor is triggered, a signal can be sent to a black out lens that blocks the vision of a hitter being trained to identify the types and locations of the pitched balls. The training includes changing the lens from transparent to opaque at selected distances between the hitter and the pitcher. Batters can be trained to keep their eyes on the pitched balls until the ball reaches the batter. Golfers can be trained to not have to look up when their club hits the ball, where the black out lens are go opaque when the golf swing passes into the motion sensor.