The present invention concerns a training equipment of the type indicated in the preamble of claim 1.

Background Previously it is known that a ball attached to the elastic line may be attached to various body parts, hand, feet, waist or shoulders. Such devices are not well suited for efficient training of different exercise elements like shots, heading and ball reception where the ball is cushioned with different body parts like chest, thigh, foot and the like.

In addition numerous equipment are known for ball practising in which a ball in different ways is attached to a fixed installation via an elastic line.

From US patent no. 6,168,539 is known to attach a football to a cord which is connected to an elastic band which in turn is attached to a handle that the user can hold. It is stated that the ball can rotate freely. The ball, however, is shown secured to the cord by means of a significant number of straps running around the ball and which will affect the ball feeling. Furthermore the need to hold the handle when performing exercises restricts the user's freedom of movement, in addition to implying a risk that the grip might slip.

US patent no. 6,220,974 discloses a device in which a ball is suspended from a frame with cords horizontally and vertically, intended for kick training. It is stated that it shall be suitable for goalkeeper training and aerobic exercise. The framework and the way with which the ball is suspended, however, provide very limited possibilities for variation in the training.

WO publication 01/58 537 discloses a training equipment where a ball is surrounded by a net which is attached to a cord which in turn is attached either to a plate or to a vertical attachment arranged to be screwed into the ground. The equipment also includes a swivel that will allow the ball to rotate. The equipment allows more variability than the above mentioned ones, but the net that surrounds the ball is in many situations undesirable and the ground mounted equipment for tethering the ball involves a risk for injury to the users unless the equipment is used solely for kicking a ball lying at rest.

JP 2007082579 describes a device for ball training utilizing a branched suspension over a vertical elastic cord holding a ball. This system has the advantage over, for example, WO 01/58 537 that it does not include any ground-mounted equipment that athletes can injure themselves on.

However, it is difficult to see that the equipment can be used for other than simple kicks on a ball at rest, albeit with the possibility of measuring the direction and the speed of the ball. In general, and in particular in relation to football (soccer) there is a desire for ball training allowing a lot more possibilities for movement and more versatility in use.

Objectives

It is thus an object to provide a training equipment which makes individual ball training Ball, in particular soccer training, more intensive and fun.

It is a further object to provide a device which is little dependent on fixed installations or large available space.

The present invention

The above objects are achieved by the training equipment according to the present invention as defined by claim 1.

Preferred embodiments of the invention appear from the dependent claims.

It will be apparent from the following description of a detailed embodiment that the objectives of the invention are achieved.

Thus, the present invention is useful on any reasonably even surface where an athlete can move without the risk of damage. No fixed installations in the form of mountings or goals or the like are required. It is neither a problem if the site is located near an artery, near glass facades or near open water without fence there in between.

The training equipment provides 360 degrees freedom of movement, where there is an important point that the athlete at all times is positioned below the ball's suspension and the ball-path periphery.

The rod length and angle can be varied for different training situations as desired. Furthermore, the length of the elastic line can be adjusted to prevent the elastic line from undesirably coming in contact with the ground during training.

The rod angle and length prevents the player from being unduly distracted by the line, which otherwise would have been an obstacle to a natural training movement.

The training equipment is easy to bring along since it can also include a sack/ bag that may quickly connect to the harness. Thus, the athlete can have a bag that accommodates the training equipment and which also, by simple manipulation, becomes a flexible training tool/ equipment. More detailed about the present invention with reference to the drawings

Below a more thorough description of the invention in terms of exemplary embodiments is given, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the equipment according to the present invention. Figure 2 is an illustration of an athlete using the equipment according to the invention.

Figure 3 is a further illustration of an athlete using the equipment of the present invention.

Figure 1 shows a ball 1 attached to an elastic line 2 which in turn is attached to a rod 3 which in the illustrated embodiment is extensible. It is not necessarily so that the entire line 2 is elastic, it can for example contain a non-elastic element which may have other properties, such as being lighter, stronger or less visible than the resilient part of the line. Closest to the ball, it is often desirable to have a line element which is inconspicuous and very light-weight.

The rod 3 is preferably telescopically extendable by extraction at splice sleeves 6 but may also be formed with pivotal joints or integrally formed. The line 2 may pass through the rod 3 or along the outside of the rod 3 or may just be attached to the end of the rod 3. Most preferably, the line 2 passes through the rod 2 ending in a reel 14 or the like, making it possible to consecutively adjust the line 2 length during use. The rod 3 is attached to a harness 5 adapted to be worn by an athlete in a manner similar to how a backpack is carried. To allow space for the athlete's head, the rod is attached to the harness 5 via a curved intermediate piece 4.

The curved intermediate piece 4 is preferably provided with a part 4b near the hinge of the rod 3 so that the angle of the rod 3 relative to the horizontal plane can be changed. The angle will naturally change dynamically with the athlete's movement, and the angles mentioned below, apply in relation to an athlete who is stationary in a natural resting position. An appropriate angle for the rod 3 when training with a ball along the ground, is in the range 30 to 50 degrees above horizontal. When training headings, the angle should be increased to approximately 60-80 degrees. As an alternative to adjustable angle of the intermediate piece 4, it may come as interchangeable intermediate pieces 4 with different degrees of curvature.

The rod 3 is typically made of a material and with a thickness allowing it to contribute to flexibility and "springiness" in the system, that is, not only the elastic line contributes to resilience and saving the ball energy when it is retarded and thereafter returned, but also the rod. In this respect the rod acts rather similarly to a fishing rod. Appropriate flexibility with respect to the ball's weight and in relation to the athlete's strength, allows the best possible user enjoyment. It is therefore appropriate that the rod 3 comes in several varieties interchangeable degrees of stiffness, flexibility.

The intermediate piece 4 should be attached to the upper fixing piece 11 in a manner in which it can not be turned from side to side, but remains stationary under the action of forces from the ball 1 through the line 2 and the rod 3.

The harness 5 typically includes shoulder straps 7, the upper ends of which being attached to an upper attachment piece 11 while the lower ends are attached to a belt 8 which in turn is secured to a lower attachment piece 12. Alternatively, the lower ends of the shoulder straps may be attached directly to the lower attachment piece 12. The lengths of the shoulder straps 7 are typically adjustable in the same way as on a rucksack. A strap X may be provided transversely between the right and left shoulder straps 7 for ensuring that the latter ones can not slip off the shoulders and to provide better attachment of the harness to the upper body of an athlete.

Upper 11 and lower attachment piece 12 are interconnected by at least one rib 10 and preferably there are plural ribs 10 connecting the upper attachment piece to the lower attachment piece 12, optionally also down to the belt 8. Multiple ribs increase stability, particularly when being arranged at some distance from one another as shown in Figure 1.

Advantageously, the distance between the upper 11 and lower fixing piece 12 is adjustable, for example by allowing the upper attachment piece 11 to be displaceable up or down the ribs 10 and fixed at a desired position by tightening screws or other known tightening mechanism (not shown). Alternatively, the ribs 10 as such may be telescopically extendable.

Advantageously, thigh straps 9 are attached to the lower part of the harness, either as an integral unit and then typically made in a flexible material, or as a combination of e.g. elastic straps 9 attached to the lower attachment piece 12 or to the belt 8 near the lower attachment piece, and non-elastic straps or the like adapted to be attached around the athlete's thighs, etc. which is adapted to be secured around the athlete's thighs. The straps 9 may be permanently attached to the harness 5 but are preferably detachable, so that they may be replaced and so that the harness may be used without such straps. The part to be worn around the athlete's thighs are either elastic or provided with means for size adjustment, e.g. with a buckle like on a belt, like the ones used on carrying straps for cameras, or with the use of hook-and-loop type connections. When exposed for a force in an upwards direction when the ball with force moves upwards, the thigh straps 9 will prevent the harness to be pulled up above the athlete's head. The embodiment of the straps 9 shown in Figure 1 is in one integral piece each, resilient, without size regulation, and being adapted to be slipped on the athlete's legs from below, up to the thighs, and then to be attached to the belt 8 in allotted attachment points.

Figure 1 furthermore shows that the line 2 is passed through the rod 3, through the intermediate piece 4, through a rib 10 down to the lower attachment piece 12 and on to a reel 14 which the athlete can hold in his hand and release more line or reel into shorter line during use as desired, depending on the type of exercise that is performed and how far away the athlete wants the ball to move before it returns. As a simpler alternative to the reel, the line can be coiled in a loop, such as when using a lasso or a fishing line during fly fishing, the user holding the loop in one hand, manually tightening or slackening as needed.

The harness 5 may further serve as a skeleton for a sack, in that for example the upper attachment piece 11 and the lower attachment piece 12, and optionally the belt 8, are provided with suitable clips, to which a bag or the like can be clipped in order for using the harness and the

accompanying bag like a backpack on the way to and from training or in other contexts. Figure 2 shows an athlete with equipment attached. It is disclosed how the curved intermediate piece 4 ensures that the head does not conflict with any piece of equipment. The joint 4b is here set so that the equipment is well suited for training with the ball along the ground.

Figure 3 shows in principle the same as figure 2, but with a setting of the joint 4b more suitable for training headings. The above illustrations are examples of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.