The present invention relates to sports balls and in particular to oval shaped sports balls that can be used in training and practice. The invention is especially useful with oval shaped balls such as those used in rugby and American football.

An essence of many ball sports is the requirement to accurately propel the ball from one location to another. For example passing and kicking in both rugby and American football require accurate transfer of the ball between individual players when passing or delivery to a selected location when kicking. Similarly the kicking of footballs whether passing in play or the taking of free kicks and corner kicks also required accurate delivery of the ball.

Much of the time spent in practice and training for these sports is devoted to improving the accuracy and consistency of these attributes. In some instances it is desirable to impart a spin or a particular rotation to the ball in order to get a streamlined effect such as the rotation about the axis of an oval rugby ball or American football to produce a torpedo effect or to produce an effect in the flight of a ball. This can be particularly important to delivering the ball to a target location such as when passing or kicking the ball.

United States Patent 4867452 relates to sports balls particularly American footballs which have enhanced visibility during play to improve the performance of the players and to add to the enjoyment of spectators and television viewers. The ball is provided with a visually enhancing design that extends in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ball.

United States Patent Application publication 2005/0255335 provides a football that contains a sighting device which helps a player to ascertain the direction of flight for the football by means of a contrasting coloured stripe that extends completely around the football in an arcing pattern.

United States Patent Application publication 2010/0304905 provides an American football provided with Indicia on its surface to provide visual means for assessment of the spin speed of the football when thrown.

These disclosures are not concerned with balls useful in practice and training and are not concerned with visualising the rotation of the ball about its longitudinal axis during flight. The present invention provides a ball that contains marking which will give instant feedback during the delivery of the ball and the correctness of the actual delivery versus the intended delivery. The ball will provide a visual assessment of the accomplishment of a spin pass with the oval rugby ball or American football enabling determination of any adjustments the player needs to make to optimise a pass so as to be faster and more accurate. Additionally the ball can indicate adjustments that a player who is kicking the ball should make to optimise the delivery of the ball from the kicking such as in touch kicking and goal kicking in rugby and American football.

Accordingly the invention provides an oval shaped ball provided with markings that provides a visual indication of the rotation of the ball in flight. The ball is particularly useful in practice and training for the sport

The ball is oval such as the balls used in rugby or American football and the marking preferably comprises a spiral at one or both ends of the ball. It is preferred that a spiral is provided at both ends of the ball so that the delivery can be visually assessed by both the deliverer and the receiver of the ball. Alternatively the marking may comprise a series of circumferential rings spaced along the external surface of the oval ball. It is preferred that the markings extend the full length of the ball. If one is trying to deliver a spin pass where the ball rotates about its longitudinal axis in delivery the spiral will provide an image when the ball is in flight and the image will be distorted as the spin deviates from the desired rotation around the axis of the ball enabling the passer to determine adjustments that need to be made to optimise the spin. The markings can also allow the recipient of the pass or kick to assess the accuracy of the delivery and relay suggestions for improvement to the passer or kicker. Similarly with a kick aimed to deliver the ball to a particular location the spiral can indicate the movement of the ball in flight and allow the kicker to make adjustments in the kicking action required to improve accuracy.

The preferred pattern of markings on the ball will depend upon the nature of the ball and the sport involved. With the oval ball used in rugby or American football the markings may comprise a spiral at one or both ends of the ball. The markings of the spiral and the distance between adjacent rings of the spiral being selected to enable visual detection during the flight of the ball at typical speeds of delivery.

The markings are preferably coloured and stand out from the colour of the ball itself to increase visibility, the markings may be applied to the surface of the ball subsequent to the manufacture of the ball or may be provided on the surface of the ball during manufacture. We prefer that the markings are applied to the ball prior to inflation for example to a flat preform of the ball. Alternatively the markings may be applied after manufacture such as by painting. They should however be attached to the surface of the ball in a way that prevents or reduces the possibility of them being removed from the ball during use particularly when the balls are to be used outside and subjected to the vagaries of the weather. Any colourant should be firmly adhered to the surface of the ball and should be water insoluble. The markings may be painted on to the ball, they may be applied as an adhesive tape or they may be integrally moulded onto the ball during manufacture. The present invention is illustrated by the accompany figures in which

Figure 1 is an end view of an oval ball such as an American football according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the oval ball shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view of a rugby ball according to the invention.

Figure 1 shows an American football (1) provided with a helix of markings (2) which can be viewed if the ball is passed or kicked with rotation about the longitudinal axis of the ball. Figure 2 is a side view of the same ball.

Figure 3 shows a rugby ball (3) provided with a helix of circumferential markings (4).

The oval balls of this invention are particularly useful in sport practice and training and have been found to enable players to improve the accuracy, length, speed and direction of passes and kicks. The size of the ball can be varied according to the user for example for adult training and practice the ball may be of the standard size used in matches whereas a smaller ball can be useful for the training and practice of younger players.