Method and Device for Training Athletes to Stay Low

Abstract

The invention is a method and device for training athletes to stay low. The device utilizes a series of belts, adjustable straps and foot ankle braces removably attached to each other via magnet connections so that when an athlete rises too far from the court, the straps disengage from the foot-ankle braces at the magnetic connection alerting both the athlete and the coach that the player is no longer staying low and has risen upward. The device facilitates several drills that teach the athletes to stay low during predefined sporting conditions.

1 . A device for training athletes comprising: a waist belt for attaching to the waist of an athlete, a pair of straps, a right foot ankle brace for attaching to the right ankle of an athlete, and a left foot ankle brace for attaching to the left ankle of an athlete, the waist belt being adjustable to fit differing waist sizes and removably attached to the pair of straps, one of the pair of straps being adjustable and removably attached via a magnetic connection to the right foot ankle brace, and the other of the pair of straps being adjustable and removably attached via a magnetic connection to the left foot ankle brace. 
     
     
         2 . The device for training athletes of  claim 1  wherein the waist belt further comprises: a plurality of attachment hoops fixedly attached to a piece of fabric comprising a left end, a right end, a top, and a bottom, the left and right ends having disposed thereon a hook and loop fastener connection such that the left end and the right end can attach to each other, the attachment hoops being attached to the piece of fabric in a line parallel to the bottom of the piece of fabric. 
     
     
         3 . The device for training athletes of  claim 2  wherein the right foot ankle brace and the left foot ankle brace each further comprises: a foot retainer, a leg retainer, and an upward facing magnet, the foot retainer being fixedly attached to the leg retainer and comprising a rectangular piece of fabric in the shape of a loop that extends downward towards the ground on each side of a players foot such that the foot retainer extends below the heal of the player, the leg retainer comprising a hook and loop fastener connection and a rectangular piece of fabric that encircles the lower leg of the player at a point where the leg meets the ankle, the upward facing magnet being fixedly attached to the leg retainer and comprising a magnet bracket and a magnet connection for attaching to the pair of straps. 
     
     
         4 . The device for training athletes of  claim 3  wherein each one of the pair of straps further comprises a closable hook for removably attaching to the hoops of the waist belt, a downward facing magnet for attaching to the upward facing magnets of the left and right foot ankle braces, an adjustable fabric strap, and a triglide strap adjuster for adjusting the length of the adjustable fabric strap. 
     
     
         5 . The device for training athletes of  claim 4  wherein a plurality of length indicia are printed on the adjustable fabric straps of each one of the pair of straps. 
     
     
         6 . The device for training athletes of  claim 4  further comprising: an additional attachment hoop fixedly attached to the waist belt at a point near the navel of the athlete when the waist belt is worn and a two part tether comprising a first tether and a second tether, the first and the second tethers each further comprising a closable hook, an outward facing magnet, an adjustable fabric strap, and a triglide adjuster, the closable hook being fixedly attached to the adjustable fabric strap of the two part tether and removably attached to the additional attachment hoop of said waist belt, the outward facing magnet being fixedly attached the adjustable fabric strap of the two part tether and the outward facing magnet of the first tether being removably attached via a magnetic connection to the outward facing magnet of the second tether. 
     
     
         7 . The device for training athletes of  claim 6  wherein the magnetic connection between the left foot ankle brace and the straps, between the right foot ankle brace and the straps, and between the first tether and second tether of the two part tether is achieved by using a pair of magnets of opposite polarity. 
     
     
         8 . The device for training athletes of  claim 6  wherein the magnetic connection between the left foot ankle brace and the straps, between the right foot ankle brace and the straps, and between the first tether and second tether of the two part tether is achieved by using a magnet and a piece of ferrous metal. 
     
     
         9 . The device for training athletes of  claim 6  wherein the hoops of the of the waist belt and the closable hooks of the pair of straps are made of a metal alloy and wherein the adjustable fabric strap of the pair of straps, the piece of fabric of the waist belt, the foot retainer and the leg retainer of the left and the right foot ankle braces, and the adjustable fabric strap of the two part tether are all made of a nylon material. 
     
     
         10 . A method of training an athlete comprising the steps of:
 Step 1) providing an athlete having a waist, a pair of legs, a pair of ankles, a pair of feet, and a pair of knees;   Step 2) providing a device for training athletes comprising: a waist belt, a pair of adjustable straps, a right foot ankle brace, and a left foot ankle brace, the waist belt being adjustable to fit differing waist sizes and removably attached to the pair of straps, one of the pair of straps being adjustable and removably attached via a magnetic connection to the right foot ankle brace, and the other of the pair of straps being adjustable and removably attached via a magnetic connection to the left foot ankle brace;   Step 3) attaching the waist belt around the waist of the athlete, attaching the right foot ankle brace around the right foot, ankle, and leg of the athlete, and attaching the left foot ankle brace around the left foot, ankle, and leg of the athlete;   Step 4) determining a maximum desired degree of bend of the pair of knees of the athlete;   Step 5) attaching the pair of adjustable straps to the waist belt and to left and right foot ankle braces and adjusting the length of the pair of adjustable straps such that when the knee is straightened beyond the maximum desired degree of bend determined in step 4 the pair of straps will disconnect at the magnetic connections from the left and right foot ankle braces.   
     
     
         11 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 10  further comprising the additional steps of:
 Step 6) providing a second athlete and a ball; 
 Step 7) moving left and right along a line by the athlete while the second athlete passes the ball to the athlete; 
 Step 8) passing the ball by the athlete to the second athlete; 
 Step 9) repeating steps 7 and 8. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 10  further comprising the additional steps of:
 Step 6) providing a plurality of plastic cones; 
 Step 7) arranging the plurality cones in a left line and a right line, each of the lines proceeding from a front cone to a rear cone, the left line having one less cone than the right line and being parallel to the right line; 
 Step 8) moving from the front right cone to the front left cone by the athlete; 
 Step 9) moving to the next right cone and then to the next left cone; 
 Step 10) repeating step 9 until the player has reached the rear right cone. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 12  wherein the left line of cones is positioned on one edge of a basketball court and the right line of cones is positioned on the other edge of the basketball court. 
     
     
         14 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 12  further comprising the additional steps of:
 Step 11) detaching the pair of straps at the magnetic connection from the left and right foot ankle braces and holding the straps by the athlete; 
 Step 12) running by the athlete to the right front cone and reattaching the pair of straps at the magnetic connection to the left and right front ankle braces; 
 Step 13) repeating step 8 through step 13. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 10  further comprising the additional steps of:
 Step 6) providing a plurality of plastic cones; 
 Step 7) arranging four of the plurality of plastic cones in a square shape having a center and a perimeter; 
 Step 8) moving by the athlete to the center of the square shape; 
 Step 9) moving by the athlete to one of the plurality of plastic cones selected at random and returning to the center of the square shape; 
 Step 10) repeating steps 9 and 10. 
 
     
     
         16 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 15  replacing steps 8-10 and further comprising an additional step 11:
 Step 8) moving by the athlete along the perimeter of the square shape; 
 Step 9) repeating step 8. 
 Step 10) moving by the athlete to one of the plurality of plastic cones selected at random and returning to the center of the square shape; 
 Step 11) repeating step 9. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 15  replacing steps 8-10:
 Step 8) moving by the athlete from a corner of the square shape to a different corner of the square shape in an X pattern. 
 Step 9) repeating step 8. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 10  further comprising the additional steps of:
 Step 6) providing a first line and a second line parallel to the first line; 
 Step 7) moving by the athlete from the first line to the second line; 
 Step 8) repeating steps 7 and 8. 
 
     
     
         19 . A method of training a plurality of athletes comprising the steps of:
 Step 1) providing a plurality of athletes each having a waist, a pair of legs, a pair of ankles, a pair of feet and a pair of knees;   Step 2) providing a plurality of devices for training athletes each comprising: a waist belt, a pair of adjustable straps, a right foot ankle brace, and a left foot ankle brace, the waist belt being adjustable to fit differing waist sizes and removably attached to the pair of straps, one of the pair of straps being adjustable and removably attached via a magnetic connection to the right foot ankle brace, and the other of the pair of straps being adjustable and removably attached via a magnetic connection to the left foot ankle brace;   Step 3) attaching one of the waist belts around the waist of each one of the plurality of athletes, attaching the right foot ankle brace around the right foot, ankle, and leg of each one of the plurality of athletes, and attaching the left foot ankle brace around the left foot, ankle, and leg of each one of the plurality of athletes;   Step 4) determining a maximum desired degree of bend of the pair of knees of each one of the plurality of athletes;   Step 5) attaching the pair of adjustable straps to the waist belt and to left and right foot ankle braces of each one of the plurality of athletes and adjusting the length of the pair of adjustable straps of each one of the plurality of athletes such that when the knee of each one of the plurality of athletes is straightened beyond the maximum desired degree of bend determined in step 4 the pair of straps will disconnect at the magnetic connections from the left and right foot ankle braces.   
     
     
         20 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 19  further comprising the additional steps of:
 Step 6) arranging pairs of athletes along a first line facing each other; 
 Step 7) moving of each athlete from the first line to a second line parallel to the first line; 
 Step 8) moving of each athlete from the second line to the first line, 
 Step 9) stopping movement by an athlete, reattaching the magnetic connection by the athlete, and start moving again, if the magnetic connection becomes unattached during movement from the first line to the second or from the second line to the first; 
 Step 10) repeat steps 7-10. 
 
     
     
         21 . The method of training an athlete of  claim 19  further comprising the additional steps of:
 Step 6) providing a plurality of two part tethers each comprising a first adjustable tether and a second adjustable tether, the first and the second adjustable tethers removably attached to each other via a magnetic connection and the first and second adjustable tethers each removably attached to the waist belt worn by different athletes; 
 Step 7) assigning one athlete a role of offense and one athlete the role of defense and determining a desired distance between the role of offense and the role of defense; 
 Step 8) adjusting the length of the first and the second adjustable tether to accommodate the desired distance between the role of offense and the role of defense; 
 Step 9) attaching the two part tether to the role of offense and the role of defense; 
 Step 10) moving by the athlete who is in the role of offense and shadowing of the athlete who is in the role of offense by the athlete who is in the role of defense.