A soccer teaching aid

Abstract

A football teaching aid comprises a football ( 20 ) having a number of differently coloured target areas ( 21, 22, 23, 24 ) marked on the surface of the football ( 20 ), each indicating an area on the surface of the football ( 20 ) to be struck to send the football ( 20 ) along an associated flight path. Thus, in practice, a football coach can direct a player to strike the football ( 20 ) in one of the coloured target areas ( 21, 22, 23, 24 ), which is easily identified by the player, to achieve a desired shot.

1 . A football teaching aid comprising a football having one or more striking targets marked on a surface of the football, each striking target indicating an area on the surface of the football where the football should be struck to send the football along an associated flight path or trajectory when struck in said target area.  
     
     
         2 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 1  wherein each striking target is denoted -by a coloured area on the surface of the football.  
     
     
         3 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein different striking targets are denoted by different coloured areas on the surface of the football.  
     
     
         4 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each striking target is denoted by an arrow marked on the surface of the football, a head of the arrow pointing to the striking target.  
     
     
         5 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each striking target is denoted by a numbered target area on the surface of the football.  
     
     
         6 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim wherein indicia such as a line forming an equator line extends around the football providing striking targets for the player to hit either above or below the line to keep the football either low or high in flight respectively.  
     
     
         7 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim wherein a pair of spaced-apart substantially horizontal and parallel target lines extend around the football defining therebetween a central equatorial band with an upper striking target area above the band and a lower striking target area below the band.  
     
     
         8 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the striking targets comprise a central target located centrally on a face of the football, a right side-spin striking target and a left side-spin striking target on opposite sides of the face of the football.  
     
     
         9 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the striking targets additionally comprise an upper target area at a top of the face of the football and a lower target area at a bottom of the face of the football.  
     
     
         10 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 8  or  9 , wherein arrows are denoted on one or more of the striking targets pointing towards the optimum striking position on the striking target.  
     
     
         11 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the striking targets are denoted by a set of different coloured bands arranged in a cruciform array on a side of the football.  
     
     
         12 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 11 , wherein arrows of contrasting colour extend outwardly in each coloured band from an inner central portion towards an outer end of the band.  
     
     
         13 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 12 , wherein each arrow is tapered, the arrow increasing in width towards the outer end of the band.  
     
     
         14 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the striking targets comprise heading targets on the surface of the football for striking the football with the head to direct the football in a desired direction.  
     
     
         15 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 14 , wherein the heading targets comprise a central heading target located central. on a face of the football, a right side heading target and a left side heading target on opposite sides of the face of the football.  
     
     
         16 . A football teaching aid as claimed in  claim 15 , wherein the central heading target has a centre spot surrounded by a two-part outer ring comprising an upper segment and a lower segment above and below an equator of the football.  
     
     
         17 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the football is a soccer ball.  
     
     
         18 . A football teaching aid as claimed in any preceding claim in combination with a football boot, said football boot having defined striking areas denoted on the surface of the boot.