Basketball training cover

Abstract

A basketball handling training aid is disclosed, comprising a cover which fits over a basketball. The cover is comprised of a low-friction material which necessitates proper hand position on the basketball in order to maintain control of the ball while dribbling, and in order to achieve accuracy when passing or shooting. In one embodiment, the cover is constructed from a plurality of sections of the material and can be installed on, and removed from, an ordinary basketball as desired by the player. Various designs for fitting the cover securely on the basketball are disclosed. Alternately, the cover can be fabricated with a basketball permanently enclosed within, and the basketball/cover assembly provided as a set.

1 . A training aid for a basketball comprising a cover, said cover being comprised of a single piece of fabric suitably shaped to form a sphere when stitched together along its edges, where the cover is installable over an exterior surface of the basketball to provide a lower coefficient of friction than the exterior surface of the basketball, and where the sphere has an unstretched diameter which is smaller than an inflated diameter of the basketball such that the basketball must be inflated after placing the basketball inside the cover, and inflating the basketball to the inflated diameter causes the cover to stretch to a diameter larger than the unstretched diameter. 
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The training aid of  claim 1  wherein the cover includes an opening suitable for selectively placing the basketball inside the cover and removing the basketball from inside the cover. 
     
     
         4 . The training aid of  claim 3  wherein the opening is bounded along its peripheral edges by two fabric panels, where one of the panels defines each of the peripheral edges of the opening, and where the panels overlap or abut to close the opening when the basketball is completely inserted into the cover through the opening. 
     
     
         5 . The training aid of  claim 3  wherein the opening has a size, defined by a total length of its peripheral edges, which is smaller than the basketball in the uninflated state, so that the basketball will only fit through the opening by stretching the fabric. 
     
     
         6 . The training aid of  claim 3  wherein the cover is reversible, such that the cover can be turned inside out through the opening to reverse interior and exterior surfaces of the fabric. 
     
     
         7 . The training aid of  claim 3  wherein the opening is bounded along its peripheral edges by a zipper, where the zipper is openable to allow for insertion of the basketball into the cover, and the zipper is closable to secure the basketball inside the cover. 
     
     
         8 . The training aid of  claim 7  further comprising a zipper fly panel which lays flat over the zipper after the ball is inserted in the cover and the zipper is closed. 
     
     
         9 . The training aid of  claim 1  wherein the single piece of fabric of the cover is stitched together with the basketball permanently inside. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The training aid of  claim 1  wherein the fabric has a coefficient of friction, in contact with a player's hand, of less than or equal to 0.40. 
     
     
         12 . The training aid of  claim 1  wherein the fabric is composed of a rayon-polyester spandex material. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . The training aid of  claim 1  wherein the inflated diameter of the basketball corresponds to a basketball nominal circumference of 22.0, 25.5, 27.5, 28.5 or 29.5 inches. 
     
     
         15 . A training aid for a basketball comprising a cover, said cover being comprised of a plurality of sections of a fabric, where the sections are stitched together into a spherical shape substantially matching a shape of the basketball, where the cover is installable over an exterior surface of the basketball to provide a lower coefficient of friction than the exterior surface of the basketball, and where the sphere has an unstretched diameter which is smaller than an inflated diameter of the basketball such that the basketball must be inflated after placing the basketball inside the cover, and inflating the basketball to the inflated diameter causes the cover to stretch to a diameter larger than the unstretched diameter,
 wherein the cover includes an opening bounded by two peripheral edges, said opening being suitable for placing the basketball inside the cover and removing the basketball from inside the cover, and where the opening has a size, defined by a total length of the peripheral edges, which is smaller than the basketball in its uninflated state, so that the basketball in its uninflated state will only fit through the opening by stretching the fabric.   
     
     
         16 . The training aid of  claim 15  wherein the opening is bounded along the peripheral edges by two fabric panels, where one of the panels defines each of the peripheral edges of the opening, and where the panels overlap or abut to close the opening when the basketball is completely inserted into the cover through the opening. 
     
     
         17 . The training aid of  claim 15  wherein the opening is bounded along the peripheral edges by a zipper, where the zipper is openable to allow for insertion of the basketball into the cover, and the zipper is closable to secure the basketball inside the cover, and further comprising a zipper fly panel which lays flat over the zipper after the ball is inserted in the cover and the zipper is closed. 
     
     
         18 .- 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for converting a standard basketball into a low-friction training basketball, said method comprising:
 providing a basketball in an uninflated state;   providing a training cover, said cover being comprised of one or more pieces of fabric suitably shaped to form a sphere when stitched together along its edges, where the cover is installable over an exterior surface of the basketball to provide a lower coefficient of friction than the exterior surface of the basketball, and where the sphere has an unstretched diameter which is smaller than an inflated diameter of the basketball such that the basketball must be inflated after placing the basketball inside the cover;   placing the basketball inside the cover through an opening in the cover, where the opening has a size, defined by a total length of its peripheral edges, which is smaller than the basketball in the uninflated state, so that the basketball in the uninflated state will only fit through the opening by stretching the fabric; and   inflating the basketball to the inflated diameter, causing the cover to stretch to a diameter larger than the unstretched diameter.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21  further comprising stitching the edges of the opening together, before inflating the basketball, to permanently enclose the basketball within the cover.