Football Practice Apparatus

Abstract

A ball retrieving apparatus used by a player for independently practicing the skills of throwing and catching an American style football. The football contains a modified rubber bladder of reduced size, enabling the ball to achieve a proper and consistent bounce due to the ball's flexible ends. The apparatus comprises a regulation style football pivotally and detachably communing with an elastic shock cord including swivels. The cord is anchored to a band worn on the player's wrist. When the ball is thrown in a forward direction, the cord stretches forward. When the cord reaches its maximum forward displacement, the ball snaps back, bouncing one time as it flies back toward the player. Because of the modified bladder, the ball returns in the air so that after one “hop” it may be caught by the thrower. The consistent bounce allows the player to independently throw and catch the ball numerous times in rapid succession.

1 . A ball comprising:
 an outer shell shaped like a football with a first end and a second end;   a single bladder positioned within the outer shell, the single bladder being of a different geometric shape than the outer shell;   a first empty space positioned between the first end of the outer shell and the single bladder;   a plug positioned on an end of a cord, the plug being inserted into a second empty space positioned between the single bladder and the second end of the outer shell, the second end of the outer shell being positioned on an opposite side of the ball from—the first end of the outer shell, wherein the single bladder does not contact the first end, the first end of the outer shell being a distal end of the ball and the second end of the outer shell being a proximal end of the ball, the proximal end and distal end being positioned on opposite ends of a longitudinal axis of the ball.   
     
     
         2 . The ball of  claim 1 , wherein the outer shell includes a first interior layer formed of foam, and a second interior layer formed of rubber.