Method for improving "Striking" motion and device for teaching method

Abstract

Apparatus of preferred embodiments of my invention is a training device aimed at developing correct and efficient movement of the body during striking or throwing action. It could be applied to any activity in which striking or throwing motion is required—tennis, golf, baseball, boxing etc. The training device of my invention is designed to compel the user to perform and repeat the correct lower body movement in isolation. The movement produced during this exercise is the cornerstone of all efficient throwing or striking actions. Sufficiently strengthened and correctly applied, this movement provides all the necessary force to propel the throwing arm or striking implements such as a tennis racquet, a golf club or a baseball bat. The method of my invention is directed to objectives similar to those of the apparatus, but the apparatus and method are mutually independent.

1 . An athletic appliance that trains a user to produce a very specific lower-body movement generated by legs or hips or both, said movement resulting in sharply defined upper-body movement for throwing or striking, said appliance comprising:
 a belt which goes around a user's hips with an incorporated means for attaching a mechanical structure; and   a mechanical structure comprising two or more members linked together by means of a hinge, or a hinge-like system, in a chain-like configuration.   
     
     
         2 . The athletic appliance of  claim 1  wherein one of the members of the mechanical structure is secured to the belt by said means of attaching. 
     
     
         3 . The athletic appliance of  claim 1  wherein the members of the mechanical structure move in relation to each other in a single plane and within a limited range. 
     
     
         4 . The athletic appliance of  claim 1  wherein the movement of the of the mechanical structure's members in relation to each other is achieved by movement of the user's hips or legs or both. 
     
     
         5 . A method that trains a user to produce sharply delineated upper body movement for the purpose of throwing or striking by generating very specific lower body movement with legs or hips or both and allowing kinetic transfer of its energy to the upper body in a whipping or flailing manner.