A ball, and in particular a baseball or softball, including one or more sensors such as accelerometers and/or inertial measurement units, and systems and methods using the same to improve a pitcher's pitching performance are described herein. In some embodiments, the ball may include one or more inertial measurement units and/or accelerometers capable of monitoring motion of the ball while it is thrown. Once a ball is thrown, in response to the inertial measurement unit(s) and/or accelerometer(s), one or more indicators may be caused to perform an action. For example, one or more user interfaces may be used to display graphs for illustrating a trajectory of a ball after it has been thrown. Various statistics, such as velocity, a change in vertical displacement, a change in horizontal displacement, and a spin rate may also be indicated on the user interface.

A system for providing full scale participant practice and instruction by at least one self-propelling drone including a control platform incorporating a first processor. A second processor is incorporated into the drone which is in operative communication with the control platform, the second processor receiving a stream of instructions for operating a powered drive chassis incorporated into the drone for traversing the drone upon a practice surface during a training iteration. The stream of instructions includes at least one algorithmic protocol for instructing the drive chassis to execute a progression of movements either mimicking or responding to physical movements of a physical participant engaged in the training iteration.

A first list of available players is provided to each individual user who then selects a first fantasy lineup, where selections by another individual user does not preclude other individual users from also selecting the same player. First fantasy lineups are received from each individual user, the fantasy lineups comprising one or more players selected from the first list of available players. Each individual user may provide a replacement lineup prior to the end of a game. A subsequent list of available players is provided to each user and does not include players from the first fantasy lineup. Subsequent fantasy lineups from each individual user are received comprising only players selected from the subsequent list of available players. None of the players of the first fantasy lineup for an individual user is included in any subsequent fantasy lineup of the individual user.

A universal athleticism rating system and related athletic performance measuring systems for accurately detecting and recording athletic performance are disclosed. The athleticism rating system evaluates individual athletes against a common, standardized, set of athletic performance tests. Each athlete performs the athletic tests and his or her scores in the individual tests are entered into a standardized calculation to produce a single athletic performance score. The related performance measuring system is preferably a timing system that ensures quick, easy, and accurate collection of athletic event timing related data without the need for the athlete to wear any special detection devices or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the performance measuring system integrates with the rating system to provide seamless athletic data collection and rating of athletes.

An Internet of Thing (IoT) device includes a body with a processor, a camera and a wireless transceiver coupled to the processor.

An apparatus includes support members, a cable, a rolling mechanism and a tackling bag. The cable is configured to extend between the support members. The rolling mechanism is configured to traverse the cable and includes first and second sets of wheels. The cable is configured to extend between two wheels of the first set of wheels and between two wheels of the second set of wheels. The tackling bag is configured for attachment to the rolling mechanism. When a downward force is applied to the tackling bag, the pulley device detaches from the wheel housing and a portion of the cable extends around one of the two wheels of the first set of wheels and around one of the two wheels of the second set of wheels to prevent the rolling mechanism from further traversing the cable once the downward force is applied to the tackling bag.

The present application relates to the technical field of rubber balls, specifically discloses a ball for competitions and toy games, wherein a power supply installation groove is arranged on the ball body, and a sealing plug for sealing the power supply installation groove is arranged on the power supply installation groove, in which a power supply module is arranged, the power supply module comprises a power supply and a power supply contact arranged at bottom of the power supply, wherein a flexible LED light strip is pasted on an inner side of the ball body in a ring shape, and the flexible LED light strip is provided with a light strip contact, wherein the light strip contact is arranged below the power installation groove. The flexible LED is attached to the inner side of the ball body in a ring shape, so that the ball body emits light more uniformly.

Embodiments of the invention relate to throwable toys such as shuttles and balls. In some of the illustrative embodiments a shuttle includes means to determine information relating to the throw or state of motion of the shuttle, and means to convey an audio information signal to a user during the throw.

An Internet of Thing (IoT) device includes a transceiver coupled to a processor. Blockchain smart contracts can be used with the device to facilitate secure operation.

Virtual and augmented reality sports training environments are disclosed. A user interacts with virtual players in a simulated environment of a virtual reality sporting event. In some embodiments, the user's actions and decisions are monitored by the simulated environment. The environment evaluates the user's performance, and provides quantitative scoring based on the user's decisions and timing. Coaches and other users may design customized scenarios or plays to train and test users, and the resultant scores may be reviewed by the coach. In one application, real life pitchers and their pitching data are tracked and replicated in a simulated pitching environment. A team of users may practice against a simulation of a pitcher they are about to compete against, swinging at pitches that they would see in a real game. Such environments may maximize effective practice time for users, and help develop better players with improved decision-making skills.