Sports hitting training system for lightweight balls

Abstract

A hitting system for sports training includes a ball attached to a flexible mast. The flexible mast may be mounted to a base with more than five sidewalls, which inhibits movement of the system in any one direction after the ball is struck by the user. The mast may project upward from the base. Some embodiments include a weighted basket, which may be filled for example with a plurality of the same type of ball mounted to the flexible mast. Some embodiments may include an adjustable mount assembly which allows the user to adjust an angle of the mast relative to the ground so that the ball may be hit at different lateral and elevational positions. In some embodiments, the mast may be modular including a mechanism to detach from and reattach to the basket at the user's will. When detached, the mast becomes a hand-held hitting system.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hitting training system, comprising:
 a base including six sidewalls, wherein the six sidewalls include at least three pairs of diametrically opposing sidewalls;   a flexible mast projecting upward from the base, wherein the mast is selectively removable from the base as a standalone device;   a ball affixed to an end of the mast, distal from the base, wherein hitting the ball from a default position of the mast bends the flexible mast and the mast is configured to return to the default position after the ball is hit; and   an adjustable mount assembly coupled to the base and configured to:   
       receive a free end of the mast, wherein the free end is opposite the end to which the ball is affixed, and
 adjustably rotate angularly relative to the base, wherein a position of the ball is adjustable by user operation of the adjustable mount assembly. 
 
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustable mount assembly comprises a mount block and a cam block rotatably secured to the mount block. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the mount block includes one or more recesses and the cam block includes one or more protuberances aligned for receipt within the one or more recesses. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the cam block includes a plurality of protuberances arranged in a circular or semi-circular pattern. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a hollow stem coupled to the cam block, wherein the hollow stem is configured to receive the free end of the mast; and   a locking collar removably attachable to the stem and configured to detain the free end of the mast in the stem.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a basket above the base, wherein the adjustable mount assembly is positioned inside the basket. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , further comprising a cover configured to attach to the basket, the cover including an opening positioned for the mast to pass through. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a seat on the mast configured to detain the ball. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , further comprising a cap, wherein the seat is positioned below the distal end of the mast, and the cap secures the ball in place against the seat. 
     
     
         10 . A hitting training system, comprising:
 a polygonal base, the polygonal base including six or more sidewalls;   a basket positioned over the polygonal base, the basket configured for receipt of a plurality of balls; and   an adjustable mount assembly coupled to the base and configured to:   receive a first end of the mast, and   rotate the mast to an angle of inclination relative to the base.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising a ball affixed to a second end of the mast, distal from the base, wherein hitting the ball from a default position of the mast bends the flexible mast and the mast is configured to return to the default position after the ball is hit. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the default position of the ball is perpendicular to gravity and the angle of inclination is less than or greater than 90 degrees from a gravity vector. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the adjustable mount assembly comprises a mount block and a cam block rotatably secured to the mount block. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the mount block includes one or more recesses and the cam block includes one or more protuberances aligned for receipt within the one or more recesses. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the cam block includes a plurality of protuberances arranged in a circular or semi-circular pattern. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a seat on the mast configured to detain the ball; and   a cap, wherein the seat is positioned below the distal end of the mast, the distal end of the mast passes through the ball, and the cap secures the ball in place against the seat.   
     
     
         17 . A hitting training system, comprising:
 a base including six sidewalls, wherein the six sidewalls include at least three pairs of diametrically opposing sidewalls;   a flexible mast projecting upward from the base, wherein the mast is selectively removable from the base as a standalone device;   a ball affixed to a first end of the mast, distal from the base, wherein hitting the ball from a default position of the mast bends the flexible mast and the mast is configured to return to the default position after the ball is hit;   a mount block including one or more recesses in a side surface of the mount block;   a cam block including one or more protuberances aligned with the one or more recesses of the mount block; and   a hollow stem attached to the cam block, wherein the hollow stem is configured to receive a second end of the mast, wherein the cam block is movable along the side surface of the mount block to re-align the one or more protuberances with the one or more recesses and reposition the hollow stem from a first angle relative to the base to a second angle relative to the base, wherein the first angle is different than the second angle.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising a knob on the cam block configured to:
 release the cam block from the mount block,   rotate the cam block relative to the side surface of the mount block until the one or more protuberances are in alignment for receipt within the one or more recesses,   lock the cam block into the mount block.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the cam block includes a plurality of protuberances arranged in a circular or semi-circular pattern. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein a default position of the hollow stem is 90 degree from a an underlying ground surface onto which the base is set upon and wherein moving the cam block adjust an angle of the hollow stem from the default position to an angle of inclination that is less than or greater than 90 degrees from the underlying ground surface.