Racket Grip Reference Point Trainer

Abstract

An attachment to the handle of a racket that tactically indicates to a player whether his/her hand has properly gripped the handle of a racket for a desired tennis stroke (e.g., forehand, backhand, etc.). The attachment is a band composed of rubber or a similar elastic material positioned around of the racket handle positioned such that the outer edge of the player's hand and smallest finger of the hand (also known as the pinky finger) rest on top of the band. The band further includes two ridges circumferentially equidistant from each other on the circular wrap, each protruding from the exterior the band to provide a surface against which the end of the player's finger will abut to provide a tactile stopping point for the player's hand when rotating the racket handle so as to achieve consistent hand placement for a designated grip as the player transitions from one grip to another during play.

Claims

1. A grip training device for tennis rackets or other sporting objects for use by players to position the hand at a designated point on the racket handle when gripped, with said device comprising; a band or wrap produced from relatively elastic materials in varying widths and diameters that encircles the handle of a tennis racket or other sporting objects, with said band containing two externally protruding ridges located circumferentially equidistant from each other with each ridge used by the player to abut the end of the finger during play to establish a tactile point of reference for desired hand positioning when gripping the racket;

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, one should reference the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0032] FIGS. 1 and 2 are an illustrations of the invention installed on or near the bottom portion of the handle of a tennis racket;

[0033] FIG. 2 is a closer view of FIG. 1 and illustrates an example of the proper positioning of the invention on the handle and shows the ridges of the device protruding further from the exterior surface of the band and positioned opposite each other on the handle;

[0034] FIG. 3 is an end view of the bottom of the handle of the racket (also called the end-cap) and illustrates the invention applied above the end-cap; the ridges of the invention are shown protruding from the exterior surface of the device; and

[0035] FIG. 4 is an illustration from the bottom of the racket showing a person's hand gripping the racket with the invention applied to the racket handle; the end of the pinky finger of the hand is abutting one of the two ridges of the invention to demonstrate placement to use the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] FIG. 1 is a view of a tennis racket 10 with the invention shown as applied on the racket handle 12 on or near the bottommost end (also called end-cap) 14 of the handle 12. Basically, the invention is composed of a band 16 of varying widths, thicknesses and diameters that is made of elastic material such as rubber, silicone or similar materials and can be easily applied and removed from the racket by stretching and applying over the end-cap 14 of the racket handle 12.

[0037] As shown more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, included on the band 16 at two points equidistant from each other on the circular band are ridges 18 that protrude from the exterior surface of the band and act as a tactile physical stop for a player's pinky finger 20 as the racket is rotated among various types of grips during play. When the invention is applied and the hand grips the racket handle, the pinky finger 20 and the outer edge of the hand 22 (specifically, the region including the Musculus abductor digiti minimi muscle of the hand) lay on top of the invention, and the end of the pinky finger abuts to one of the two ridges 18. The band 16 may be positioned around the tennis racket handle so that the ridges 18 are located directly across from each other at any point on any of the handle's bevels 26, which are the generally flat sides of the industry-standard octagonal-shaped racket handle. The ability to rotate the device to be situated in any position around the racket handle allows the invention to be utilized for any type of designated grip that the player desires, and the dual-positioning of the ridges equidistant from each other on the band 16 allows for utilization if the device when either side of the tennis racket is being used during play.

[0038] The circular, elastic band 16 is typically produced by conventional extrusion or injection molding techniques with tooling designed to accommodate many varieties of sizes, textures and colors depending on user preferences. The band 16 is produced in different diameter sizes to generally fit standard-sized tennis racket handle grip sizes produced in the industry for rackets used by children and adults. The band 16 must be small enough in diameter to ensure that it creates a tight fit over handle so as to not rotate or slide during the rigors of play. The ridges 18 are designed to be thick enough and of sufficient height from the exterior of the band 16 that they can still be felt by the player when a standard overwrap grip is applied over the invention.

[0039] Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Now that the invention has been described,