Baseball batting stride device and system, and method of using same

Abstract

An apparatus for modifying the stride of a baseball batter's swing motion, including means of capturing a lower portion of a baseball batter's foot and means of elastomerically tethering the capturing means to substratum, wherein the batter's leading toes are allowed to stride in any direction essentially free of substantial distal destabilizing hindrance.

Having described a preferred embodiment of the invention, what is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for modifying the stride of a baseball batter's swing motion, comprising: 
 means of capturing a lower portion of a baseball batter's foremost ambulatory appendage; and    means of elastomerically tethering the capturing means to substratum, wherein the batter's leading toes are allowed to stride in any direction essentially free of substantial distal destabilizing hindrance.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus described in  claim 1  hereinabove, wherein said capture means comprises a stirrup sized to circumnavigate at least a lower portion of a baseball batter's foremost ambulatory appendage.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus described in  claim 2  hereinabove, wherein said stirrup is long enough to capture the batter's lowermost leg, the ankle, the arch portion of the batter's foot or the ball of the batter's foot, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         4 . An apparatus described in  claim 2  hereinabove, wherein said stirrup is long enough to capture the arch portion of a batter's foot.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus described in  claim 2  hereinabove, wherein said stirrup further comprises: 
 a first terminus and a second portion, said first terminus including one matable part of a fastening assembly selected from the group consisting of a hook-and-loop fastening system, an interlocking quick-release buckle system, at least one snap system, a standard buckling system, and combinations thereof;  
 said second portion comprising a cooperating mate-part of said fastening assembly, capable of ready capturing and uncapturing.  
 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus described in  claim 5  hereinabove, wherein: 
 said first terminus comprises an aperture sized to accept said stirrup inserted therethrough;  
 said second portion comprising a second terminus including one matable part of a hook-and-loop fastening system, and further comprising an intermediate portion including the cooperating mate-part of said hook-and-loop fastening system, said second terminus insertable through said aperture and doubling back against said intermediate portion for cooperative mating of said hook-and-loop fastening system.  
 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus described in  claim 6  hereinabove, wherein said stirrup further comprises a means of releasably anchoring to said tethering means, selected from the group consisting of a hook-and-loop fastening system, an interlocking quick-release buckle system, at least one snap system, a standard buckling system, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         8 . An apparatus described in  claim 7  hereinabove, wherein said releasable anchoring means comprises one matable part of an interlocking quick-release buckle system attached to said first terminus of said stirrup, and the other matable part of an interlocking quick-release buckle system attached to said and end of said tethering means.  
     
     
         9 . An apparatus described in  claim 8  hereinabove, further comprising auxiliary untethering means.  
     
     
         10 . An apparatus described in  claim 9  hereinabove, wherein said auxiliary untethering means comprises a fastening assembly selected from the group consisting of a hook-and-loop fastening system, an interlocking quick-release buckle system, at least one snap system, a standard buckling system, and combinations thereof.  
     
     
         11 . An apparatus described in  claim 10  hereinabove, wherein said auxiliary untethering means comprises at least one matable snap near a second tether terminal end, and a cooperating matable snap anchored to said substratum.  
     
     
         12 . An apparatus described in  claim 11  hereinabove, wherein said auxiliary untethering means comprises a plurality of matable snaps aligned along said second tether terminal end, and cooperating matable snaps anchored to said substratum.  
     
     
         13 . An apparatus described in  claim 12  hereinabove, wherein said substratum comprises a plurality of alignments of cooperating matable snaps.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus described in  claim 13  hereinabove, wherein said substratum comprises carpet.  
     
     
         15 . An apparatus described in  claim 12  hereinabove, further comprising at least one grommet along a foremost margin of said substratum, capable of accepting impalement by a means for staking said substratum to the underlying surface.  
     
     
         16 . An apparatus described in  claim 15  hereinabove, comprising a plurality of said marginal grommets, spaced to assure the desired level of staking of said substratum.  
     
     
         17 . An apparatus described in  claim 12  hereinabove, comprising a plurality of separate capture means, one worn by one batter and another worn by another batter “on deck”.  
     
     
         18 . An apparatus described in  claim 17  hereinabove, wherein each separate capture mean comprises tethering means having the length, width, thickness and elasticity suitable for optimal modification of the batting swing motion of the particular wearer.  
     
     
         19 . A method of modifying the stride of a baseball batter's swing motion, comprising the steps of capturing a lower portion of a first baseball batter's foremost ambulatory appendage batter's with a device claimed hereinabove, and utilizing same during batting practice.  
     
     
         20 . A method described in  claim 19  hereinabove, further comprising the steps of untethering said capture means of said first batter, then tethering a second batter whose lower portion of the foremost ambulatory appendage has been captured by a separate capture means.