Swing trainer

Abstract

A swing trainer composed of a handle, pulley, and cord connected to the handle and passing through the pulley permits a user to freely move the handle in any direction as well as rotate about its longitudinal axis so that he or she can engage in movement specific resistance training in a muscle memory fashion. The swing trainer preferably includes all or portion of a golf club (e.g., golf grip), tennis racket, baseball bat, hockey stick, or other piece of sporting equipment which the user will be training on. Because the handle is connected to the cord, the user can turn, rotate, and swing the handle in the same manner as he or she will when engaged in a sport, and the cord will slide on the pulley during this motion. Resistance, in the form of weights or the like, can be applied during the swing without obstructing the natural motion of the swing because the shifting, turning or rotating movement will translate into sliding of the cord through the pulley and force being applied from the pulley to the resistance (e.g., weights). Furthermore, a ball shaped device may be substituted for the handle for resistance training of the specific movements required for throwing a football or baseball, or for rolling a bowing ball or sliding a curling stone.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A handle assembly for use with a weight stack or resistance machine, comprising: 
 a handle;    a pulley connectable to a weight stack or resistance machine; and    a cord which passes through said pulley and is connected to said handle at two points separated along a length of said handle, said handle being freely rotatable about a longitudinal axis passing through the handle and being freely shiftable, movable or turnable with said cord passing through said pulley during shifting, moving or turning.    
     
     
         2 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said cord is made of rope.  
     
     
         3 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said cord is made of rubber material.  
     
     
         4 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said cord is or includes a metal cable.  
     
     
         5 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  further comprising a protective sheath positioned over said cord at one or more locations.  
     
     
         6 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  further comprising a swivel connector associated with said pulley.  
     
     
         7 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said handle includes a golf club grip.  
     
     
         8 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said handle includes at least a portion of a softball or baseball bat.  
     
     
         9 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said handle includes at least a portion of a hockey stick.  
     
     
         10 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein said handle includes It least a portion of a tennis racket.  
     
     
         11 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein at least one of said two points where said cord and said handle are connected includes a member which encircles said handle and permits rotation of said handle within said member.  
     
     
         12 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein at least one of said two points where said cord and said handle are connected includes washer assembly which fits within said handle and permits rotation of said handle relative to said washer assembly.  
     
     
         13 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 1  wherein the handle is in the form of a ball.  
     
     
         14 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 13  wherein said ball is a football.  
     
     
         15 . The handle assembly as recited in  claim 13  wherein said ball is a bowling ball.  
     
     
         16 . A ball device for use with a weight stack or resistance machine, comprising: 
 a ball member; and    a connector connected to and spaced away from the ball member for connecting the ball member to a weight stack or resistance machine, said connector permitting rotation of said ball member about an axis through said ball member which extends to said connector, and said ball member being freely shiftable, movable or turnable with respect to said connector during shifting, moving or turning.    
     
     
         17 . The ball device of  claim 16  wherein said ball member is a football.  
     
     
         18 . The ball device of  claim 16  wherein said ball member is a bowling ball.