PADDLEBALL TRAINING APPARATUS AND METHODS

Abstract

A paddleball training apparatus and methods are provided for practicing paddle sports, such as pickleball, in absence of a court. The paddleball training apparatus comprises a rectangular box having a front end and a rear end. A top playing surface includes holes for receiving balls hit by players while an undersurface allows the balls to roll inside the box toward a ball trough adjacent to the rear end. A net indicator on the top playing surface between a first hole and a second hole represents a net over which players must hit balls to score game points. The first hole adjacent to the front end represents a ball that falls short of passing over the net. The second hole is just beyond the net indicator and represents an ideal shot just over the net. Third and fourth holes are farther from the net indicator and represent diminishing scores.

Claims

1. A paddleball training apparatus, comprising: a rectangular box having a front end and a rear end; a top playing surface including holes for receiving balls; an undersurface that allows balls to roll inside the box; and a ball trough for collecting the balls.

2. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one ball and at least one paddle for hitting the ball onto the top playing surface.

3. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the box is made from wood, or any other suitable material without limitation.

4. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holes have diameters suitable for receiving pickleballs that are hit by players that are standing at a distance from the front end.

5. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holes have different diameters so as to vary the difficulty of hitting balls into the holes.

6. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holes comprise a first hole, a second hole, a third hole, and a fourth hole.

7. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 6, wherein a net indicator is displayed between the first hole and the second hole.

8. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first hole is disposed closest to the front end and configured to represent a ball hit by a player that falls short of passing over a net represented by the net indicator.

9. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first hole is configured to be associated with a negative score.

10. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 9, wherein the second hole is disposed just beyond the net indicator and configured to represent an ideal shot wherein the ball was hit just over the net.

11. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 10, wherein the second hole is configured to be associated with a maximal positive score.

12. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 11, wherein the third hole and the fourth hole have diameters that are larger than the diameter of the first hole and the diameter of the second hole.

13. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 12, wherein the third hole is configured to be associated with a positive score that is less than the maximal positive score.

14. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fourth hole is configured to be associated with a positive score that is less than the positive score associated with the third hole.

15. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 14, wherein the diameter of the fourth hole is larger than the diameter of the third hole.

16. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ball trough is disposed adjacent to the rear end.

17. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ball trough is configured to capture balls rolling inside the box.

18. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 17, wherein multiple depressions are disposed in the bottom of the ball trough.

19. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 18, wherein the depressions are configured to prevent the balls from rolling around in the ball trough as their number increases.

20. The paddleball training apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a foot that is fixed to the undersurface to raise the front end and cause the balls to roll toward the ball trough.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which:

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of an exemplary embodiment of a paddleball training apparatus, according to the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 2 illustrates a bottom view of an exemplary embodiment of a paddleball training apparatus in accordance with the present disclosure; and

[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary-use environment wherein a first team and a second team use paddles and a pair of paddleball training apparatuses in competitive game play, according to the present disclosure.

[0015] While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. The present disclosure should be understood to not be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. It will be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the paddleball apparatus and methods disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, specific numeric references such as first paddle, may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should not be interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted that the first paddle is different than a second paddle. Thus, the specific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific details may be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The term coupled is defined as meaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to the component through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms about, approximately, or substantially for any numerical values or ranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part or collection of components to function for its intended purpose as described herein.

[0017] Pickleball typically is played on a badminton-sized court with a tennis-like net, using a perforated plastic hollow ball. The ball is struck by players using pickleball paddles that resemble large table tennis paddles. Pickleball paddles generally are made from wood, graphite, aluminum, carbon fiber, fiberglass, composite materials, and other suitable materials. A difficulty associated with games such as pickleball and other similar paddleball sports is they require access to a court. Given that time spent practicing translates directly into improved skills during gameplay, players lacking access to a court are denied an opportunity to practice enough to develop their skills. Embodiments presented herein provide an apparatus and methods that enable players to practice paddleball sports, such as pickleball, without having to access to a game court.

[0018] FIGS. 1-2 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a paddleball training apparatus 100, according to the present disclosure. The paddleball training apparatus 100 generally comprises a rectangular box 104 having a front end 108 and a rear end 112. The box 104 includes a top, playing surface 116, an undersurface 120, as well as side surfaces (not shown). It is contemplated that the box 104 may be made from wood, or any other suitable material without limitation.

[0019] In general, playing surface 116 includes several holes for receiving balls, such as pickleballs, that can be hit by practitioners of the apparatus 100 (i.e., players). In the illustrated embodiment, the playing surface 116 includes a first hole 124, a second hole 128, a third hole 132, and a fourth hole 136. The holes 124-136 have diameters suitable for receiving pickleballs that are hit by players that are standing at a distance from the front end 108. In some embodiments, the holes 124-136 may have different diameters so as to vary the difficulty of hitting the ball into the holes 124-136.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the first hole 124 is closest to the front end 108 and thus the first hole 124 can represent a shot (e.g., a ball hit by a player) that would fall short of passing over a net if the game were being played on a pickleball court. A net indicator 140 can be displayed on the playing surface 116, between the first and second holes 124, 128, to show players the location of the net. Given that hitting the ball into the first hole 124 represents a ball that did not pass over the net, the first hole 124 may be associated with a negative score, such as, by way of nonlimiting example, 1 game points. The second hole 128 is just beyond the net indicator 140, and thus the second hole 128 can represent an ideal shot wherein the ball was hit just over the net. As such, hitting the ball into the second hole 128 may be associated with a positive score, such as, by way of nonlimiting example, +3 game points.

[0021] It should be understood that the apparatus 100 is not to be limited to solely the net indicator 140 shown in FIG. 1, but rather the playing surface 116 may include any one or more of a wide variety of diagrams, images, or engravings, that are intended to be purely aesthetic in nature or convey specific information to players. For example, in some embodiments, the score associated with each of the holes 124-136 may be displayed on the playing surface 116. In some embodiments, the net indicator 140 may be displayed on the playing surface 116 other than as shown in FIG. 1. Further, in some embodiments, various images related to playing pickleball, or other similar games, may be displayed on the playing surface 116, without limitation.

[0022] Beyond the second hole 128 are the third hole 132 and the fourth hole 136. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the third and fourth holes 132, 136 have diameters that are larger than the first and second holes 124, 128, with the diameter of the fourth hole 136 being the largest. Since it is easier to hit the ball into larger holes, the third and fourth holes 132, 136 may be associated with scores that are less than the score associated with the second hole 128. For example, in an embodiment, hitting the ball into the third hole 132 may generate +2 game points while hitting the ball into the fourth hole 136 may generate +1 game point. It is contemplated that a wide variety of scoring schemes may be associated with the holes 124-136 comprising the apparatus 100, without limitation.

[0023] As further shown in FIGS. 1-2, the apparatus includes a ball trough 144 disposed adjacent to the rear end 112. During game play, balls entering the holes 124-136 roll inside the box 104 and migrate into the ball trough 144 where they can be retrieved by players. In some embodiments, multiple depressions 148 may be disposed in the bottom of the ball trough 144. It is contemplated that balls migrating toward the ball trough 144 can fall into the depressions 148, thereby preventing the balls from rolling around in the ball trough 144 as their number increases. As shown in FIG. 2, a foot 152 may be fixed to the undersurface 120 so as to raise the front end 108 and cause the balls to roll toward the ball trough 144. It should be borne in mind, however, that the foot 152 may be implemented in various other embodiments than shown in FIG. 2, without limitation.

[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary-use environment 160 wherein a first team 164 and a second team 168 use paddles 172 and a pair of paddleball training apparatuses 100 in competitive game play, according to the present disclosure. The paddleball training apparatuses 100 generally are separated by a distance 176 and players 180 comprising the teams 164, 168 attempt to hit a ball 184 into holes disposed in the opponents' apparatus 100.

[0025] It is contemplated that any of various games and scoring systems may be utilized in environment 160. For example, in some embodiments, the game and scoring system may resemble a game of cornhole or horseshoes, wherein each of the teams 164, 168 stands near one of the paddleball training apparatuses 100. As described herein, each of the apparatuses 100 includes a net indicator 140 and several holes 124-136 that are increasingly distance from opponent players 180. On a turn, a player 180 may drop and bounce the ball 184 on the playing surface 116 (see FIG. 1) of the apparatus 100 and then hit the ball 184 with the paddle 172 in an attempt to get the ball 184 into the holes of the opponents' apparatus 100 to score game points.

[0026] In some embodiments, hitting the ball 184 into the first hole 124 represents a ball that did not pass over the net, thus earning the player 180 a negative score, such as 1 game points. However, hitting the ball 184 into the second hole 128 represents an ideal shot wherein the ball 184 was hit just over the net. As such, hitting the ball into the second hole 128 earns the player 180 a positive score, such as +3 game points. Further, hitting the ball 184 into the third hole 132 may generate +2 game points while hitting the ball into the fourth hole 136 may generate +1 game point. It is contemplated that a wide variety of scoring schemes may be associated with the holes 124-136 comprising the apparatus 100, without limitation.

[0027] In some embodiments, during a turn each hitting player 180 comprising a team hits 3 balls 184. Opponent players 180 stand at the rear end 112 (see FIG. 1) of the apparatus 100 while each ball 184 is hit, at which point the opponent players 180 can attempt to hit ball 184 back toward the apparatus 100 next to the hitting players 180. If the ball 184 enters any of the holes of the apparatus 100, the opponent players 180 receive the points associated with the hole. It is contemplated that, in some embodiments, the players 180 can play to 15 game points and win the game by 2 game points. Further, if either team goes over 15 game points, their score goes back to 8 game points. Any of various point scoring methods may be used without deviating beyond the spirit and the scope of the present disclosure.

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3, a portable net 188 may be positioned between the apparatuses 100 and the first and second teams 164, 168. The players 180 can use the paddles 172 to hit the ball 184 over the net 188 and into the holes of the apparatuses 100. It is contemplated that the net 188 may be used to further simulate playing in a paddleball court. As such, the net 188 and the apparatuses 100 may be used a variety of locations, such as backyards, parks, beaches, and the like, without limitation.

[0029] Moreover, in some embodiments, the holes 124-136 comprising the apparatus 100 may be altered, as desired. For example, in those certain embodiments wherein the net 188 is used in combination with the apparatus 100, the first hole 124 and the net indicator 140 may be omitted from the apparatus 100, without limitation. Thus, the players 180 can use the paddles 172 to hit the ball 184 over the net 188 into any of the holes 128-136 of the apparatus 100.

[0030] While the paddleball apparatus and methods have been described in terms of particular variations and illustrative figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the paddleball apparatus is not limited to the variations or figures described. In addition, where methods and steps described above indicate certain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the ordering of certain steps may be modified and that such modifications are in accordance with the variations of the paddleball apparatus. Additionally, certain of the steps may be performed concurrently in a parallel process, when possible, as well as performed sequentially as described above. To the extent there are variations of the paddleball apparatus, which are within the spirit of the disclosure or equivalent to the paddleball apparatus found in the claims, it is the intent that this patent will cover those variations as well. Therefore, the present disclosure is to be understood as not limited by the specific embodiments described herein, but only by scope of the appended claims.