Sports specific movement emulators and cams

[0001] This non-provisional patent application claims all benefits under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of pending U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/776,052 filed 23 Feb. 2006, entitled “Sport Specific Movement Emulators and Cams”.

[0002] This invention relates to sports specific movement emulators and cams. Emulators of the type disclosed herein permit the user to practice motions analogous to motions that must be used in a specific sport. In particular, one of the emulators permits the user to develop movements that use the thighs and waist to initiate a motion, such as a baseball pitch, baseball base steal and the like. Another of the emulators permits the user to emulate a running movement, and yet another permits the user to practice a golf swing.

[0003] Various exercising devices for exercising body and limb, e.g., leg or arm, muscles are known in the art. For example, typical barbells or weight bars have been known and used for quite some time. These devices generally include a set of disk shaped weight members, commonly referred to as free weights, and a bar on which the disk shaped weight members are supported. One can exercise and build muscle tone and muscle fiber over a period of time by lifting the bar in various lifting motions.

[0004] Other, more sophisticated apparatuses have been developed, including exercise apparatuses which include a cable connected to a vertical rack of weight plates and, through linkage devices, to a bar or handle. The bar or handle can be lifted or pulled resulting in a pulling tension applied to the cable which causes the cable to pull and lift a selected number of weights within the vertical weight rack.

[0005] In such known weight-type devices, weights are lifted as a user lifts, pushes, pulls, or otherwise moves a bar or other mechanism. As the weights are lifted, a resistance is felt by the user resulting from a gravitational force acting on the weights and countering the user's lift or stroke motion. The user must exert an amount of “work” to lift the weight (work being equal to the product of the force acting in the direction of motion and the distance through which it acts). The amount of power required to lift the weight is equal to the amount of work per unit of time. It is often beneficial for a weight-type exercising device to provide a greater resistance (and require a greater amount of work or power) during portions of a lift or stroke and a reduced resistance during other portions of the lift or stroke. The greater resistance portions of the lift or stroke can be employed for working certain muscles or working certain portions of muscle movements to a greater degree and to allow the user to concentrate more on building muscle strength and muscle size. The reduced resistance portions of the lift or stroke are employed to duplicate the body's natural strength level at different portions of a movement.

[0006] Certain known weight-type machines employ cams to assist in the resistance the user encounters during use. Typically, during the initial stroke on these machines, a low resistance is encountered by the user, but the resistance steadily increases over the span of the entire stroke, reaching a maximum resistance increase of about 30% at the end of the stroke. The above-described prior art exercise machines are designed to develop muscle size and strength in one muscle group only but do not serve to duplicate a particular sport specific motion. Emulators are not designed to make muscles larger but rather to force the brain to send higher electrical impulses to all of the muscles used in a sport movement.

[0007] The emulator user is forced to duplicate a sport specific movement such as hitting a golf ball, baseball or tennis ball, throwing a baseball or passing a football, kicking a soccer ball or football and running while making these movements in the correct muscle firing sequence to create the most powerful movement possible. If the correct movement and sequence are not performed correctly, the emulator becomes extremely difficult to use. Emulators perform these tasks and train all of the exact muscles used in a sport specific movement at the same time.

[0008] In addition, when using emulators, many muscles are being used at the same time and no one muscle or muscle group is isolated, preventing injuries from straining or over working the muscles. For example, in a golf swing there are as many as 80 different muscles used to swing a golf club. This means that the resistance load is distributed over a much larger group of muscles than prior art exercise equipment. As a result, each muscle is worked less and the possibility of injury is decreased by about 70%.

[0009] The old standard for learning new sports movements such a golf swing state that if you hit enough golf balls that your brain will learn this movement. Research in the field of motor memory learning and retrieval suggest that this is not an accurate statement. This research states that learning motor skills during the teenage years is much easier that trying to learn a golf swing at the age of 40. As a teenager the brain is helping the young golfer learn the proper muscle firing sequence. In the early 20's the part of the brain that was helping the golfer to learn the proper movements goes away fast. As an athlete gets older it becomes increasingly more difficult to learn motor skills just from performing them. It is estimated that at the age of 40 a new golfer will have to hit 10 times more balls than a 14-year-old in order to learn the same amount of motor memory information.

[0010] When the user is working out on the golf emulator the resistance that they encounter during the work out forces the brain to turn on the motor memory learning switch. The switch is not coming on because a particular movement is being made but because the brain is being forced to send a much higher level of electrical impulses from the brain to the appropriate golf muscles. This change in the level of electrical impulses is what forces the brain to turn on the learning switch. When this switch comes on everything that the user is doing while working out on the emulator is stored in motor memory.

[0011] Forcing the brain to send a higher level of impulses to the movement specific muscles forces these muscles to function at a higher contraction level without making them larger. For example, when a user swings a golf club, the brain sends only the required amount of electrical impulses to the muscles to move a 10-ounce driver. However, when the user works out on a golf emulator set at 50 pounds, the brain is forced to send up to fifty times more electricity to all the muscles associated with the swing. Simply put, a user working out on an emulator demands and receives more electricity from the brain.

[0012] To duplicate the actual sport specific movement requiring the use of different levels of strength at different intervals within the movement, unique cam designs are used on emulators to create up to 5 times more resistance in the beginning of the movement than at the end. These cam designs are what distinguish emulators from prior art exercise equipment found in the gym that isolates only one muscle for the purpose of increasing the size of that muscle.

[0013] Emulators also create a level of flexibility for the user that other equipment cannot duplicate in a sport specific movement. As the user allows the emulator arm to return to the starting position the user is stretching the sport specific muscles and connective tissue used for that movement. This stretching effect will also decrease the likelihood that a user will injure muscles used in the sport specific movement during competitive play or during training.

[0014] Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a sports specific movement emulator that permits an athlete to practice and develop specific motions needed to participate skillfully and at a high level in a particular sport.

[0015] It is another objective of the present invention to provide an emulator that forces the user to train and strengthen sports specific muscles in the lower body safely and repetitively.

[0016] It is another objective of the present invention to provide a sports specific movement emulator that forces the user to practice proper running motion.

[0017] It is another objective of the present invention to provide a sports specific movement emulator that forces the user to practice a proper golf swing.

[0018] It is another objective of the present invention to provide an improved cam and axle assembly for a golf swing emulator.

[0019] It is another objective of the present invention to provide an improved cam and axle assembly for a batting emulator.

[0020] It is another objective of the present invention to provide an improved cam and axle assembly for a throwing emulator.

[0021] Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is set forth below.

[0022] The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a sports specific movement emulator to allow an athlete to practice and develop specific motions. Emulators have various designs such as a leg launch emulator, a running emulator and a golf swing emulator. For example, a leg launch emulator includes space with space to part uprights whereby one upright carries a weight stack consisting of a number of individual weights for slidable movement. The belt assembly can be affixed to a pulley with a cable for example when emulating a moveable way from one base towards the next in a baseball context. A running emulator utilizes a passive treadmill positioned between the lateral tubular uprights with a pair of leg adjustment assemblies positioned for telescoping movement on the uprights. A golf swing emulator also includes a base with space to part uprights having stabilizer bars with a carrier arm pivotally connected to the top portion of each upright for rotational movement.

[0023] Engineered emulator cams having a five to one resistance ratio for the natural strength sequence for performing a sport specific movement. Specific muscles of a sport are exerted at the appropriate levels therefore during the appropriate levels. Such emulator cams include a golf emulator cam, a batting emulator cam and a throwing emulator cam.

[0046] For a better understanding of the invention and its operation, turning now to the drawings,

[0047] Referring now specifically to the drawings, a motion emulator according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 at reference numeral 10. The emulator 10 includes a base 12 and a pair of spaced-apart uprights 14, 16 attached to and extending upwardly from the base 12. Upright 16 carries a weight stack 18 consisting of a number of individual weights 20 mounted for sliding movement between the members of the upright 16. A desired number of weights 20 can be selected for use in a conventional manner, as by placing a selector pin 19 in a hole of a selected weight 20 whereby that weight 20 and the weights 20 on top of the selected weight 20 are lifted in unison, while the lower weights remain stationary.

[0048] A lift pulley assembly 22 is mounted at the top of the uprights 14, 16 and includes a bracket 24 that carries a rotatable lift pulley 26. A lower pulley 28, as shown in FIG. 2, is mounted for rotation between the members of the upright 14. Its position on the upright 14 can be adjusted by mounting the pulley 28 in a selected hole 30 in the spaced-apart members of the upright 14 using a pin 31. A cable 32 passes over the lift pulley 26 and connects to chain 33 that interconnects with a second cable 34 having a spring loaded hook 35 at the free end. When the lower pulley 28 is adjusted into a different one of the holes 30, the cable 34 must be moved to a different link of the chain 33 to remove any slack created. A ball 36 on the end of the cable 34 prevents the cable 34 from passing between the pulley 28 and its housing 37. A push-off bar 38 is positioned on the base 12 at the bottom of the upright 14 and enables the user to push away from the uprights 14, 16 as a part of the motion emulation process. The mechanism described above and many similar ones are conventional, and are widely used as a means of strength training.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, the belt assembly 40 includes an elongate belt 42 fabricated from leather, a heavy fabric such as canvas or webbing, or some other suitable material. The belt 42 includes a buckle 44 for engaging and locking with an opposed end 45 of the belt 42. Other closure means, such as opposed patches hook and loop material attached to the belt may be used, as may an integral belt formed of hook material on one side and cooperating loop material on the other side.

[0050] In the belt assembly 40, a pair of brackets 46, 48 and eyes 50, 52 permit opposite ends of a cable 54 to be attached to the belt 42. A pulley assembly 56 is captured on the cable 54 and includes a pulley 57 around which the cable 54 extends. The pulley assembly 56 is attached to a cable 58 that is releasably attached to the hook 35 on the end of cable 34.

[0051] Sports specific motions may be emulated by placing the belt 42 around the waist sufficiently tightly so that twisting or rotating motion of the wearer relative to the motion emulator 10 may be carried out without motion of the belt 42 around the wearer's waist. For example, a wearer emulating a move away from one base toward the next base in a baseball context twists the upper-torso toward that base and simultaneously pushes off with the leading leg and thigh. Merely attaching the cable 34 directly to the belt 42 would result in most of the weight being translated into a twisting force directed onto the belt 42, causing it to rotate on the wearer's waist. With use of the cable 54 and pulley assembly 56, the wearer emulates the movement of the actual sprint because the weight remains centered directly behind the wearer instead of moving around the waist.

[0052] Many other motions may be similarly emulated, for example, a forward step toward home plate during the pitching motion, rotator cuff exercises for pitchers, change of direction exercises for football players, change of direction movements of tennis players, ice skating maneuvers, lower body movement during a golf swing and many others. The pulley 28 may be adjusted vertically and the amount of weight varied as required for the size of the wearer and the nature of the emulation being carried out.

[0053] Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, an emulator specifically designed for emulating a proper running motion is shown, and broadly indicated at reference numeral 100. The emulator 100 includes framework rails 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 108, 110, and 112 (the framework rails 104, 106, 108, 110, and 112 are intentionally omitted from FIG. 5 to clearly show the features of the emulator) which are mounted to a passive treadmill 114. By “passive” it is meant that the treadmill 114 is moved only by the user as he or she runs on the treadmill, and is not otherwise powered by an electric motor, as are conventional treadmills. The emulator 100 also includes two laterally spaced-apart tubular uprights 116, 118.

[0054] A pair of leg adjustment assemblies 120, 150 are positioned for telescoping movement on the uprights 116, 118, respectively, as is most clearly shown in FIG. 4. Adjustment holes 122 cooperate with a pop pin 124 in the leg adjustment assembly 120 to permit the leg adjustment assembly 120 to be fixed and maintained at a desired height. The leg adjustment assembly 120 comprises an adjustable sleeve 125 mounted to the upright 116, having a supplemental tube 126, and a bearing block 127 connected thereto. A first axle 128 extends laterally through the bearing block 127 and is exposed on both sides of the bearing block 127. An L-shaped cam functioning device 130 is attached on one end of the first axle 128 and a leg extension housing 132 is connected to the other end.

[0055] Gas cylinders 134, 136, preferably Nitrogen gas cylinders, are mounted at one end to a stationary lower brace 138 and on the other end to an adjustable sleeve 140, 142, respectively, which are positioned around the L-shaped cam functioning device 130. The sleeves 140, 142 are positioned on each end of the cam functioning device 130 having a bore (not shown) extending therethrough. The bore is positioned adjacent to a corresponding adjustment hole 144 on the cam functioning device 130 with a pop pin 145 extending through both the bore and the hole 144 for adjusting the position of the sleeves 140, 142. The movement of either sleeve 140, 142 along the cam functioning device 130 adjusts the resistance applied by the gas cylinders 134, 136.

[0056] A leg extension tube 146 moves into and out of the leg extension housing 132 in a telescoping fashion for emulating the correct movement of a runner's foot. A second axle 147 extends laterally from and is rotatably connected to the leg extension tube 146 for rotational movement relative to the leg extension tube 146. A foot pedal 148 is rotationally connected to the second axle 147 to provide rotational movement of the runner's ankle. The foot pedal 148 is hinged and shown in the closed position. The underside of the foot pedal 148 is comprised of rubber or a rubber composite. The leg adjustment assembly 150 is identical to the leg adjustment assembly 120 described above.

[0057] The emulator 100 includes a pair of hand holds 152, 154 that permit the user to stabilize his or her position during use of the emulator 100. Two arm assemblies 156, 158 (not shown in FIG. 5 for clarity) are mounted above the leg assemblies 120, 150. The arm assemblies 156, 158 are identical to the leg assemblies 120, 150 described above in both design and function, except that hand holds 152, 154 take the place of the pedal 148. A running motion causes the arms to move in a fixed pattern controlled by the adjustment of the arm assemblies. A laterally-extending cross-support 166 provides support and rigidity to the arm assemblies 156, 158.

[0058] Referring now specifically to the drawings, a golf swing emulator according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 6 at reference numeral 210. The emulator 210 includes a base 212 and two spaced apart uprights 214, only one of which is shown. A pair of stabilizer bars 216, only one of which is shown, is attached to the uprights 214 to the base 212. A carrier arm 218 is pivotally connected to the top portion of each upright 214 for rotational movement relative to the uprights 214. A carrier arm adjustment assembly 220 is positioned on the uprights 214 for adjusting the carrier arm 218. The adjustment assembly 220 comprises an adjustment rod 221, having adjustment holes 222 extending therethrough, and a sleeve 223 for receiving the adjustment rod 221. The adjustment holes 222 cooperate with a pin 224 in the sleeve 223 to permit the carrier arm 218 to be fixed and maintained at a desired path.

[0059] A gas cylinder assembly 226, as shown in FIG. 7, is located within the carrier arm 218. The assembly 226 comprises a gas cylinder 228, of a known type, and a plastic sled 230 connected to the shaft of the gas cylinder 228. A pair of pull arms 232 are positioned on either side of the gas cylinder 228 and spaced-apart from the cylinder 228. One end of the pull arms 232 protrude through the plastic sled 230 and are connected thereto by a pair of nuts 233, as illustrated in FIG. 9. The second end of the pull arms 232 are connected together by a horizontal cylinder pull bracket 234 having an opening 236 on the end. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a gas cylinder housing 238 comprises an annular tube 240 and a perpendicularly extending end cap 242. The end cap 242 is designed to communicate with the top portion of the gas cylinder 228, while a bolt 244 extends through the annular tube 240 and corresponding holes on the carrier arm 218. A nut 246 is attached to the bolt to securely hold the gas cylinder 228 stationary within the carrier arm 218.

[0060] As shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, a bottom axle plate 246 and top axle plate 248 are connected to the top portion of the carrier arm 218 on one end, and connected to each other in an overlapping fashion on the other end. The bottom axle plate 246 includes a gear housing 250 separated from the bottom plate 246 and top plate 248 by a pair of spacer blocks 252. An axle bore 254 extends through the bottom plate 246, while the top plate 248 has a corresponding bore (not shown) for receiving an axle 256. The axle 256 is connected to the bottom plate 246 by way of an axle housing 258, a washer 260, screw 262, and bronze bushing 263, as shown in FIGS. 12, 13, and 14. Two gears 264 are rotatably mounted within the gear housing 250.

[0061] A swing arm 266 is attached to the axle 256 by a pin 268 that extends through corresponding holes on the axle 256 and swing arm 266 (not shown). A grip 270 is attached to the end of a swing arm 266 by a grip adjusting assembly 272, as shown in FIG. 6. In the illustrated example, the grip 270 resembles the grip of a golf club. The grip adjustment assembly 272 allows adjustment of the grip 270 in the horizontal and vertical direction. Adjustment holes 274 cooperate with a pin 276 in the grip adjusting assembly 272 to permit the grip 270 to be fixed and maintained at a desired position.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 14, an adjustment member 278 is mounted to the axle 256 having numerical indicators 280 attached thereto, representing the amount of resistance of the emulator 210. An adjustment sled 282 is slidably mounted on the adjustment member 278 and is adjustable along the body of the adjustment member 278 by an adjustment screw 286. One end of the adjustment screw 286 is connected to the axle 256 by way of an adjustment screw guide 288, while the other end is mounted within the adjustment sled 282. Rotational movement of the screw 286, causes the sled 282 to move toward or away from the axle 256, depending on the direction of rotation of the screw 286. A chain 290 is connected to the axle 256, extending through the sled housing 278 and between the gears 264, while the other end is connected to the cylinder pull bracket 234, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0063] During use of the emulator 210, a user grips the grip 270 and simulates the swing of a golf club. During the back stroke and follow-through, the adjustment sled 282 acts as a cam and pulls the chain 290 toward the axle 256. The movement of the chain 290 exerts an upward force on the cylinder pull bracket 234, which in turn pulls the plastic sled 230, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11. The plastic sled 230 compresses the shaft of the gas cylinder 228 into the cylinder body, creating resistance.

[0064] Emulator cams are engineered to have a 5 to 1 resistance ratio, which means there is five times less the resistance at the end of the sport specific movement then at the beginning of the movement. The range of resistance is the natural strength sequence for performing the sport specific movement. This design forces the body to use the core muscles first, such as the lower body and waist, and then the weaker muscles, such as the hands and arms. The cams force the brain to give all of the muscles used in the sport specific movement higher levels of electrical impulses. All of the sport specific muscles are exerted at the appropriate levels during the use of the emulator, while not increasing muscle mass. The impulse level to the sport specific muscles changes after a 60 second work out.

[0065] Referring now specifically to the drawings, a golf cam to be used in conjunction with a golf swing emulator according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 15 at reference numeral 310. The cam 310 includes a welded axle 312, and is attached to a golf swing emulator of a known type. A swing arm 314 is attached to the axle 312, wherein pivotal movement of the arm 314 causes the cam 310 to rotate about the axis of the axle 312. The cam 310 has a generally pear shaped body 311 with one end having a relatively small radius of curvature and the other end with a relatively large radius of curvature. A cable attachment bracket 316 is located on the exterior rail of the cam for connecting the cable of the emulator (not shown). This improved design eliminates the need to make mechanical changes when switching from right to left handed use, and vice-versa.

[0066] Referring now specifically to the drawings, a batting cam to be used in conjunction with a batting emulator of a known type is shown in FIG. 16 at reference numeral 410. The cam 410 includes a cam axle housing 412 that is a round tube, and stop blocks 414, both of which are welded to the cam body 411. The stop blocks 414 are spaced an equal distance away from the cam axle housing 412. A cable attachment bracket 416 is located on the exterior of the cam 410 for connecting the cable of the emulator (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, an axle 418 includes a base 420 having a perpendicularly extending axle 422 and pin 424. The axle 422 is inserted into the housing 412 and rotated until the pin 424 is positioned against a stop block 414. A batting swing arm 426 is attached to the bottom of the axle 422, with a quick release pin (not shown). During use, a batter in the right handed stance moves the swing arm 426 counterclockwise. The pin 424 pushes the adjacent stop block 414, causing the cam 410 to pivot about the axis of the axle 422. The device can be easily adjusted for a batter in a left handed stance by moving the swing arm 426 from one side of the cam 410 to the other side of the cam 410 in the clockwise direction.

[0067] Referring now specifically to the drawings, a throwing cam to be used in conjunction with a throwing emulator of a known type is shown in FIG. 19 at reference numeral 510. The cam 510 includes a cam axle housing 512 that is a round tube, and stop blocks 514, which are welded to the cam body 511. The stop blocks 514 are arranged in pairs and spaced an equal distance away from the round tube 512. A cable attachment bracket 516 is located on the exterior of the cam 510 for connecting the cable of the emulator (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, an axle 518 includes a base 520 having a perpendicularly extending shaft 522 and locking pin 524. The axle 522 is inserted into the housing 512 and rotated until the pin 524 is positioned between a pair of stop blocks 514. A swing arm 526 is attached to the bottom of the axle 522, with a quick release pin (not shown). During use, a right handed user moves the swing arm 526 in the clockwise direction. The pin 524 pushes against the adjacent stop block 514, causing the cam 510 to pivot about the axis of the axle 522. The device can be easily adjusted for a left handed user by disengaging the locking pin 524, and moving the swing arm 526 180 degrees into a position whereby the locking pin 524 is between the opposite pair of stop blocks 514.

[0068] Sports specific movement emulators and cams are described above. Various details of the invention may be changed without departing from its scope. Furthermore, the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation.