Football sled adapter

Abstract

An adapter for a football sled may enable multi-directional movement of a pad of the football sled. That is, the disclosed adapter may comprise a ball joint coupled between a base and a pad support of the football sled, and the ball joint may facilitate multi-directional movement of the pad, which is mounted to the pad support, relative to the base. The adapter may also comprise a biasing member coupled to the ball joint that is configured to bias the ball joint toward a non-deflected position (e.g., a standard, at rest position). The football sled may be configured to be pushed from a front side of the football sled parallel to an impact axis extending through a front surface of the pad support.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An adapter for a football sled, the adapter comprising:
 a ball joint configured to be coupled between a base and a pad support of the football sled, the ball joint configured to enable multi-directional movement of a pad, mounted to the pad support, relative to the base; and   a biasing member coupled to the ball joint and configured to bias the ball joint toward a non-deflected position,   wherein the football sled is configured to be pushed from a front side of the football sled parallel to an impact axis extending through a front surface of the pad support.   
     
     
         2 . The adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the biasing member comprises a spring. 
     
     
         3 . The adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the biasing member comprises at least one of a shock and a strut. 
     
     
         4 . The adapter of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one of a shock and a strut comprises a plurality of shocks or a plurality of struts. 
     
     
         5 . The adapter of  claim 3 , wherein the at least one of a shock and a strut comprises at least one of a plurality of shocks circumferentially distributed around the ball joint or a plurality of struts circumferentially distributed around the ball joint. 
     
     
         6 . The adapter of  claim 1 , wherein the ball joint comprises a ball and a socket. 
     
     
         7 . The adapter of  claim 6 , wherein the ball is coupled to the base and the socket is coupled to the pad support. 
     
     
         8 . The adapter of  claim 1 , further comprising a deflection limiter coupled to the ball joint. 
     
     
         9 . The adapter of  claim 8 , wherein the deflection limiter is adjustable to provide a variable range of motion. 
     
     
         10 . The adapter of  claim 8 , wherein the deflection limiter comprises a series of adjustable legs and a corresponding stops configured to limit the deflection of the pad support. 
     
     
         11 . A football sled comprising:
 a base configured to engage a ground surface;   a pad support extending from a pad; and   an adapter coupled between the base and the pad support, wherein the adapter comprises a ball joint;   the adapter configured to enable multi-directional movement of the pad relative to the base,   wherein the football sled is configured to be pushed from a front side of the football sled parallel to an impact axis extending through a front surface of the pad support.   
     
     
         12 . The football sled of  claim 11 , wherein the multi-directional movement comprises at least pitch and roll of the pad relative to the base. 
     
     
         13 . The football sled of  claim 11 , wherein the multi-directional movement further comprises yaw of the pad relative to the base. 
     
     
         14 . A method of assembling a football sled, the method comprising:
 coupling a first portion of a ball joint of an adapter to a base of the football sled; and   coupling a second portion of the ball joint of the adapter to a pad support of the football sled, wherein the adapter is configured to enable multi-directional movement of the first portion of the ball joint relative to the second portion of the ball joint, and the football sled is configured to be pushed parallel to an impact axis extending through a front surface of the pad support.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein coupling the first portion of the ball joint of the adapter to the base of the football sled comprises coupling a ball to the base of the football sled, and wherein coupling the second portion of the ball joint of the adapter to the pad support of the football sled comprises coupling a socket to the pad support of the football sled. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising coupling a biasing member to the ball joint of the adapter. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising coupling a deflection limiter to the adapter.