Assisting Muscle Contraction for Enhancing Athletic Performance

Abstract

A specialized article of clothing is configured to enhance speed and/or accuracy of a golf swing or baseball swing. The clothing employs tension and/or flexure members configured to enhance muscle function, thereby increasing muscular strength and/or speed for improving athletic performance. The tension and/or flexure members provide for storage and release of strain energy during a wearers movement. The article of clothing may be configured for alternative movements, including throwing, jumping, and running. The article of clothing may be adapted to reduce strain on fatigued or injured muscles, or it may be configured to limit the range of motion of a joint, such as to prevent injury.

1 . An article of clothing comprising:
 a first connector configured for connecting to a first side of at least one joint,   a second connector configured for connecting to a second side of the at least joint, the second side being opposite to the first side and   a tension member coupled to the first connector and the second connector, the tension member being deformable for storing energy during a first movement of the at least one joint and producing a restoring force during a second movement of the at least one joint.   
     
     
         2 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 1 , wherein the tension member comprises at least one of a set of elastic materials, the set comprising a spring, a bungie, a rubber band, an elastic chord, an elastic panel, and an elastic thread. 
     
     
         3 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 1 , wherein the tension member is configurable for producing a constant restoring force. 
     
     
         4 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 1 , wherein the tension member is configurable for producing a restoring force in more than one direction. 
     
     
         5 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector is configurable for attaching directly to an appendage of the wearer's body. 
     
     
         6 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector comprises an adjustable connector. 
     
     
         7 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 1 , wherein the tension member is configurable for providing a predetermined amount of non-zero pre-tension. 
     
     
         8 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 1 , further comprising at least one anchor configurable for attaching to the first connector. 
     
     
         9 . An article of clothing comprising:
 a first connector configured for connecting to a first side of at least one joint,   a second connector configured for connecting to a second side of the at least joint, the second side being opposite to the first side and   a flexure member coupled to the first connector and the second connector, the flexure member being deformable for storing energy during a first movement of the at least one joint and producing a restoring force during a second movement of the at least one joint.   
     
     
         10 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 9 , wherein the flexure member comprises at least one of a set of elastic materials, the set comprising a spring, a bungie, a rubber band, an elastic chord, an elastic panel, and an elastic thread. 
     
     
         11 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 9 , wherein the flexure member is configurable for producing a constant restoring force. 
     
     
         12 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 9 , wherein the flexure member is configurable for producing a restoring force in more than one direction. 
     
     
         13 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector is configurable for attaching directly to an appendage of the wearer's body. 
     
     
         14 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 9 , wherein at least one of the first connector and the second connector comprises an adjustable connector. 
     
     
         15 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 9 , wherein the flexure member is configurable for providing a predetermined amount of non-zero pre-tension. 
     
     
         16 . The article of clothing recited in  claim 9 , further comprising at least one anchor configurable for attaching to the first connector.