Coaching Stick Agility Training Device, Swivel Clip and Assembly

Abstract

A training aid for use during footwork, coordination, speed and/or agility training exercises is provided. The training aid is one or more obstacles about which a player weaves, jumps, or ducks and includes at least one coaching stick. The coaching stick is elongate, has opposite free ends, and has a transverse cross-section that is uniform along substantially a full length of the coaching stick. Preferably, the coaching stick is elliptical in transverse cross-section and defines an elliptical outer periphery that has a width greater then its depth. Accordingly, the coaching stick has a wide face as viewed in one direction and a narrow face as viewed in a different direction. Swivel clips for connecting coaching sticks together and methods of assembling a training circuit are also disclosed.

1 . A training aid for footwork, coordination, speed and/or agility training exercises, comprising an obstacle including at least one coaching stick, said coaching stick being elongate, having opposite free ends, and having a transverse cross-section that is uniform along substantially a full length of said coaching stick and that is an elliptical shape defining an elliptical outer periphery that has a width greater then its depth thereby providing a wide face when viewed in one direction and a narrow face when viewed in a different direction. 
   
   
       2 . A training aid according to  claim 1 , comprising a set of multiple, separate ones of said coaching stick, each coaching stick being substantially identical and having a uniform elliptical transverse cross section along its full length. 
   
   
       3 . A training aid according to  claim 2 , wherein said wide face of each of said coaching sticks is at least 1.5 times the size of said narrow face of each of said coaching sticks. 
   
   
       4 . A training aid according to  claim 2 , wherein said wide face of each of said coaching sticks is at least about twice the size of said narrow face of each of said coaching sticks. 
   
   
       5 . A training aid according to  claim 4 , wherein each of said coaching sticks is hollow, is made of plastic or metal, and is at least about 60 inches in length. 
   
   
       6 . A training aid according to  claim 2 , further comprising at least one swivel clip for securing a pair of said coaching sticks together. 
   
   
       7 . A training aid according to  claim 6 , wherein said swivel clip includes a pair of opposed sockets secured back-to-back and rotatable relative to each other thereby permitting adjustment of the angle at which said pair of coaching sticks secured to said clip extend relative to each other. 
   
   
       8 . A training aid according to  claim 7 , wherein each socket has a set of prongs with end tips that define an open end of said socket through which a coaching stick is receivable. 
   
   
       9 . A training aid according to  claim 8 , wherein each set of prongs defines a relatively wide C-shaped channel extending through said socket in a first direction and a relatively narrow C-shaped channel extending through said socket in a second direction transverse to said first direction. 
   
   
       10 . A training aid according to  claim 9 , wherein said coaching stick is receivable within said relatively wide C-shaped channel to dispose said wide face of said coaching stick at said open end of said socket, and wherein a coaching stick is receivable within said relatively narrow C-shaped channel to dispose said narrow face of said coaching stick at said open end of said socket. 
   
   
       11 . A training aid according to  claim 10 , wherein said relatively wide C-shaped channel extends orthogonal to said relative narrow C-shaped channel within each socket. 
   
   
       12 . A training aid according to  claim 11 , wherein said prongs are sufficiently resilient to enable said prongs to hold said coaching stick in one of said relatively wide C-shaped channel and relatively narrow C-shaped channel by snap fit engagement. 
   
   
       13 . A training aid for providing obstacles for footwork, coordination, speed and/or agility training exercises, comprising:
 a plurality of separate, substantially-identical, elongate coaching sticks having a uniform elliptical transverse cross-section along substantially its full length, said elliptical transverse cross-section providing each coaching stick with a wide face when viewed in one direction and a narrow face when viewed in a different direction; and   at least one clip for securing a pair of said coaching sticks together, said clip having a pair of opposed sockets located back-to-back and enabling said pair of said coaching sticks to be secured together in a wide face-to-wide face orientation, a narrow face-to-narrow face orientation, and a wide face-to-narrow face orientation.   
   
   
       14 . A training aid according to  claim 13 , wherein said pair of opposed sockets are interconnected such that they are rotatable relative to each other thereby permitting adjustment of the angle at which said pair of coaching sticks secured to said clip extend relative to each other. 
   
   
       15 . A training aid according to  claim 14 , wherein at least one of said sockets has a set of prongs with end tips that define an open end of said socket through which a coaching stick is receivable and that are sufficiently resilient to grip said coaching stick by snap fit engagement. 
   
   
       16 . A training aid according to  claim 15 , wherein said set of prongs defines a relatively wide C-shaped channel extending through said socket in a first direction and a relatively narrow C-shaped channel extending through said socket in a second direction orthogonal to said first direction. 
   
   
       17 . A training aid according to  claim 16 , wherein said coaching stick is receivable within said relatively wide C-shaped channel to dispose said wide face of said coaching stick at said open end of said socket, and wherein a coaching stick is receivable within said relatively narrow C-shaped channel to dispose said narrow face of said coaching stick at said open end of said socket. 
   
   
       18 . A training aid according to  claim 17 , wherein each of said sockets of said pair of sockets is substantially identical. 
   
   
       19 . A training aid according to  claim 18 , wherein said wide face of each of said coaching sticks is at least about twice the size of said narrow face of each of said coaching sticks, and wherein each of said coaching sticks is hollow, is made of plastic or metal, and is at least about 60 inches in length. 
   
   
       20 . A method of developing footwork, coordination, speed and agility skills in athletes, comprising the steps of:
 providing a plurality of coaching sticks on a playing surface to define obstacles about, over or under which a player must weave, jump or duck along a predetermined path of movement;   each of said coaching sticks being elongate and having an elliptical transverse cross-section along substantially its full length such that each coaching stick has a relatively wide face when viewed in one direction and a relatively narrow face when viewed in a different direction; and   arranging said coaching sticks so that a selected one of said faces is disposed transverse to the line of sight of an approaching player advancing on said path of movement through said coaching sticks.   
   
   
       21 . A method according to  claim 20 , further comprising the step of securing a pair of said coaching sticks with a swivel clip, and wherein said arranging step includes selecting and disposing the pair of coaching sticks held by the clip in selected orientations including one of a wide face-to-wide face orientation, a narrow face-to-narrow face orientation, and a wide face-to-narrow face orientation.