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 performance feedback based on the user's decisions and timing. 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. Some embodiments include various pitch recognition training, which may be against replicated real-life pitchers.

A protective foam material and pads are disclosed herein. The material is a rounded foam pellet having a hole through the center of the pellet. The pellets may be arranged and interconnected to form a pad. These pads may be applied to persons, animals, or other objects for protective functions.

The present disclosure provides sports apparatus including sports headwear and an impact detection arrangement for coupling to the sports headwear, e.g. a rugby scrum cap, to be worn by a user. The arrangement has a sensor for detecting an indication of an acceleration change experienced by the user's head when the sports headwear is being worn. The arrangement also has a visual indicator, e.g. an arrangement of LEDs, to provide a visual indication when the detected acceleration change exceeds a threshold. Advantageously, the present disclosure allows for immediate attention to be drawn to a player who has experienced a high g-force to their head, and therefore immediately alerts anyone in the vicinity that a medical check is needed to assess symptoms caused by the impact.

A sports and performance media positional detection system, comprising: at least two elements, with at least one element involved in the sporting activity; a power source; and machine-to-machine communication, which are collectively arranged such that if any two or more elements interact, their electromagnetic properties can be detected thus allowing the position of the interacting elements to be communicated to a decision maker. The system can be applied to at least one stationary element, which can be the playing surface, lines defining the boundaries, or a set of goalposts; and at least one moving element, which could be a ball, footwear, or the participants themselves. The system can also be applied to performance media capture.

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 performance feedback based on the user's decisions and timing. 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. Some embodiments include various pitch recognition training, which may be against replicated real-life pitchers.

The present disclosure provides for various objects (weights, playing apparatuses, balls, clothing, etc.) that have liquid disposed in them to assist in building and strengthening small muscle fibers and/or nerves. The various objects can include weights, playing apparatuses such as objects that can be swung in sports, balls, and clothing or other objects that can be worn by humans or other animals. The objects include fluid paths and re-directions walls disposed within the fluid paths to direct fluid flow to particular areas within the objects. The designated areas to where fluid flow is directed aid in development of small muscle fibers and/or nerves due to the fluid sloshing around at those particular locations. Methods of making and using the various objects disclosed are also provided.

A device, sometimes mobile, which simulates human motion, such as an omnidirectional sensing target. The target that can detect and differentiate between projectile (bullet) hits to the head, body, and one or more peripheral regions (e.g., arms, pelvis, legs) of a humanoid-form target, elicit a physical response from the mobile device based upon the sensing data, and provide real time feedback to a user (shooter) via a user-friendly interface. The target includes multiple layers of conductive material separated by one or more insulating layers. Forming can be by wrapping planar sensing panel into a three-dimensional configuration such that the panel occludes a three-dimensional volume and presents surfaces sensing projectiles from all directions. Associated circuitry is configured to have a bullet pass through multiple zones and to electronically detect the bullet path based on a combination and/or sequence of zones detecting bullet passage.

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 performance feedback based on the user's decisions and timing. 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. Some embodiments include various pitch recognition training, which may be against replicated real-life pitchers.

A method is provided of causing a fumble or loss of control of a ball by a ball carrier, particularly in gridiron football or rugby. A defender makes contact with the ball carrier and subsequently applies force to the arm, hand, wrist, elbow, or combinations thereof of the ball carrier sufficient to dislodge the ball.

An athletic training system (200) has a data recording system (202) and a data engine (204). The data recording system (202) is configured to record an athletic competition event. The event may have a first team of players competing against a second team of players. The data engine (204) is configured to receive data associated with the recorded athletic competition event. The data engine (204) processes the data and displays the data as a replay of the event in animated form.