Combination practice baseball bat and laser

Abstract

A baseball or softball bat is disclosed by which to enable a player to practice his batting swing. The bat includes a hollow interior and handle and barrel portions that are detachably connected together. A low power laser is carried by the bat at the hollow interior thereof. The laser is positioned so as to emit a laser beam downwardly through the handle of the bat so that a spot of light is cast upon a playing surface upon which the player is standing while holding the bat. As the player strides forwardly while moving the bat during a practice swing, the light spot will correspondingly move along the playing surface. By monitoring the path of the light spot as it moves along the practice surface, a coach will gain a visual indication as to the mechanics of the player's swing so that the swing can be evaluated. The laser can also be coupled to a golf club (e.g., a putter) to generate a laser beam towards a playing surface so as to enable a golfer to practice his swing.

1 . In combination: 
 a bat to be held by a player to practice his swing; and    a laser coupled to said bat so as to emit a laser beam downwardly towards and cast a light spot on a practice surface upon which the player is standing while holding the bat so that the light spot will move along the playing surface as the bat moves during the player's practice swing, the path of the light spot along the practice surface providing a visual indication of the player's swing.    
   
   
       2 . The combination recited in  claim 1 , wherein said bat has a hollow interior, said laser being carried by said bat at the hollow interior thereof.  
   
   
       3 . The combination recited in  claim 2 , wherein said bat has a handle to be held by the player and a barrel at which to strike a ball, said laser being carried at the hollow interior of said bat so as to emit a laser beam through said handle and towards the practice surface upon which the player is standing.  
   
   
       4 . The combination recited in  claim 3 , wherein each of the handle and the barrel of said bat are detachably connected together to permit access to said laser carried at the hollow interior of said bat.  
   
   
       5 . The combination recited in  claim 4 , wherein each of said handle and said barrel has a screw threaded end, said screw threaded ends adapted to be rotated into mating engagement with one another whereby said handle and said barrel are detachably connected together.  
   
   
       6 . The combination recited in  claim 5 , wherein said laser is carried at the hollow interior of said bat by one of the screw threaded ends of said handle and said barrel so that the optical axis of said laser is coincident with the longitudinal axis of said bat.  
   
   
       7 . The combination recited in  claim 6 , wherein the one of said screw threaded ends of said handle and said barrel at which said laser is carried has a channel formed therein, said laser being removably received in and retained by said channel.  
   
   
       8 . The combination recited in  claim 1 , wherein said bat is manufactured from plastic.  
   
   
       9 . In combination: 
 a golf club to be held by a golfer to practice his swing; and    a laser coupled to said golf club so as to emit a laser beam downwardly towards and cast a light spot on a practice surface upon which the golfer is standing while holding the club so that the light spot will move along the practice surface as the club moves during the golfer's practice swing, the path of the light spot along the practice surface providing an indication of the golfer's swing.    
   
   
       10 . The combination recited in  claim 9 , also including a sleeve attached to the shaft of the golf club to be held by the golfer to practice his swing, said laser being received in and retained by said sleeve.