Athletic training device

Abstract

A collapsible, easily transportable kick training device comprising a base; a plurality of support arms pivotably mounted to and extending outwardly from said base, said support arms being adapted to be extended outward during use and folded inwardly for storage and transportation; a gooseneck arm extending outwardly from and extending above said base, said gooseneck arm including rotatable securing means at its outward end and an inelastic tether extending therefrom; and ball containment means for securing balls of different shapes and sizes, said containment means being including quick connect means for attaching said containment means to said tether.

Wherefore, We claim: 
     
         1 . A kick training device comprising:
 a base,   a plurality of support arms pivotably mounted to and extending outwardly from said base, wherein at least one of said support arms is able to be folded inwardly after use for storage and transportation;   a generally “L” shaped gooseneck arm extending outwardly from and extending above said base, said gooseneck arm including a swivel at its outward end which is attached to a tether that extends downward therefrom; and   at least one ball enclosure for securing balls of different shapes and sizes, said ball enclosure including quick connect means for releasably attaching said ball enclosure to said tether.   
     
     
         2 . The kick training device of  claim 1 , wherein each of the support arms include mounting plates at their outward ends. 
     
     
         3 . The kick training device of  claim 2 , further including twist anchors for securing the mounting plates at the outward ends of the support arms to the ground. 
     
     
         4 . The kick training device of  claim 2 , further including weights for securing the mounting plates to the ground. 
     
     
         5 . The kick training device of  claim 1  wherein said ball enclosure comprises a net of high denier nylon or Lycra which is fabricated to securely hold a ball. 
     
     
         6 . The kick training device of  claim 1 , further including a training mat with images printed thereon to illustrate proper foot positioning when using the device. 
     
     
         7 . The kick training device of  claim 1  further including a measuring device to measure the force exerted by the user when kicking a ball using said kick training device. 
     
     
         8 . The kick training device of  claim 1  where said measuring device comprises a piezoelectric sensor. 
     
     
         9 . The kick training device of  claim 1  where the swivel will allow the ball after kicking to rotate briefly for observation purposes and then return quickly to its initial resting position due to the gravitational pull on the ball to be struck again. 
     
     
         10 . A method of training an athlete to kick a ball comprising the steps of:
 obtaining a kick training device including:   a base;   a plurality of support arms pivotably mounted to and extending outwardly from said base, wherein at least one of said support arms is able to be folded inwardly after use for storage and transportation;   a generally “L” shaped gooseneck arm extending outwardly from and extending above said base, said gooseneck arm including a swivel at its outward end which is attached to a tether that extends downward therefrom; and   at least one ball enclosure for securing balls of different shapes and sizes, said ball enclosure including quick connect means for releasably attaching said ball enclosure to said tether;   placing a ball inside said ball enclosure and securing it to said tether;   positioning a training mat printed with images illustrating proper foot positioning relative to said kick training device to display proper foot alignment for kicking;   placing the user's feet in accordance with said images on said training mat; and   kicking said ball.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further including the step of:
 measuring the force of said user's kick using a measuring device attached to said kick training device.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein said measuring device comprises a piezoelectric sensor.