Football training aid and method

Abstract

A training aid is attached to the rear region of a user's helmet and alerts the player with an audible beep when the player's head drops into a downward unsafe or improper position. A printed circuit board containing a horn, battery and tilt switch is located within a protective housing attached by an adhesive to the rear region of the player's helmet. An external switch enables the player to manually turn the circuit ON or OFF.

1 . A training aid comprising:
 a helmet including a protective outer shell having two side regions, a rear region and a front region, said front region being formed with an opening to provide a field of vision for a wearer; and   a signaling device attached to the helmet to provide a signal to the wearer when the front region of the helmet is in a downwardly facing direction.   
     
     
         2 . The training aid defined in  claim 1  wherein the signaling device is positioned in the rear region of the helmet. 
     
     
         3 . The training aid defined in  claim 2  wherein the signaling device is attached on an exterior surface of the rear region of the helmet. 
     
     
         4 . The training aid defined in  claim 2  wherein the signaling device is mounted within an interior of the helmet adjacent the rear region. 
     
     
         5 . The training aid defined in  claim 1  wherein the signal is an audible signal. 
     
     
         6 . The training aid defined in  claim 1  wherein the signaling device includes a tilt switch. 
     
     
         7 . The training aid defined in  claim 6  wherein the tilt switch is a MEMS tilt switch. 
     
     
         8 . The training aid defined in  claim 6  wherein the signaling device includes a battery and a signaling horn; and in which the tilt switch upon reaching a predetermined angle actuates an electrical circuit between the battery and signaling horn. 
     
     
         9 . The training aid defined in  claim 1  wherein the signaling device includes a printed circuit board containing a tilt switch, a battery and an audible horn; and
 wherein said printed circuit board is located within a protective housing attached to the rear region of the helmet. 
 
     
     
         10 . The training aid defined in  claim 9  wherein the protective housing is attached to the rear region of the helmet by an adhesive. 
     
     
         11 . The training aid defined in  claim 9  wherein an external switch is mounted on the housing for controlling an ON/OFF condition of the signaling device. 
     
     
         12 . The training aid defined in  claim 9  wherein the protective housing has a generally dome-shaped configuration. 
     
     
         13 . The training aid defined in  claim 1  wherein the signaling device is mounted between two and three inches above a bottom edge of the helmet on an exterior surface of the rear region. 
     
     
         14 . The training aid defined in  claim 1  wherein the signaling device is actuated upon the helmet moving downwardly through the angle approximately 90° or more from vertical. 
     
     
         15 . A method of training a football player not to drop the player's head prior to contact with another player including the steps of:
 mounting a signaling device on a helmet being worn by the player;   actuating the signaling device automatically upon the player tilting his head into a critical downward position; and   sounding an audible alarm upon actuating the signaling device to warn the player to keep his head in an up position.   
     
     
         16 . The method defined in  claim 15  including the steps of placing the signaling device in a protective housing formed of an impact resistant plastic; and mounting the protective housing on a rear region of the helmet. 
     
     
         17 . The method defined in  claim 16  including the step of mounting the protective housing on an exterior surface of the helmet with a pressure sensitive adhesive. 
     
     
         18 . The method defined in  claim 15  including the step of mounting the signaling device within the interior of the helmet adjacent a rear region of the helmet. 
     
     
         19 . The method defined in  claim 15  including the step of providing the signaling device with a manually operated ON/OFF switch. 
     
     
         20 . The method defined in  claim 15  including the steps of providing the signaling device with a tilt switch and completing an electric circuit upon the player's head moving downwardly approximately 90° or more from an upright vertical position. 
     
     
         21 . A training aid for mounting on a protective headgear comprising:
 a protective housing having a generally dome-shaped configuration;   an alarm circuit containing a tilt switch, a signaling device and a battery mounted within the protective housing; and   an attachment device for securing the protective housing on a rear region of the headgear.