A batting practice apparatus that employs a cyclone fence as an upright, rigid support. A rigid, horizontal arm is detachably secured at one end to the top of the fence. At the other end of the horiziontal arm is detachably secured the upper end of a vertically extending shock cord. At the other end of the shock cord is attached an anchoring spike. Intermediate the ends of the shock cord is a ball. The shock cord passes freely through the ball along its vertical axis. A tether passes horizontally through the ball at a location confronting the fence. Opposite ends of the tether are removably secured to the fence to form a triangle for adjusting the horizontal location of the ball. While the tether is detached from the fence at either end, the ball is movable along the shock cord to a desired height. When the tether is attached to the fence at each end in a taut state, the ball is maintained at the adjusted height along the shock cord.
The invention relates to an improved batting machine which presents a batter with a ball which is swung around in a generally circular path. The invention was designed to swing the ball in either a horizontal path or a path which is offset from horizontal. The ball is connected to an extended arm via a tether. The extended arm is also connected to a vertical shaft. The shaft is rotated by an electric motor means, along with a centrifugal clutch. The motor is able to rotate the shaft in either clockwise or counterclockwise direction, thus giving the batter the opportunity to bat right and/or left handed. The shaft motor assembly is supported by a plurality of adjustable supports.
A swing training device 10 is shown comprising a base 12, a securing member 16 and a suspension system 20 positioned there between. A ball 40 is supported by the suspension system which may be hit repeatedly without obstruction in order to improve a person's swing. The swing training device 10 includes the additional advantages of minimizing undesired horizontal and vertical movement of the ball 40 while stabilizing the ball 40 substantially within a preferred trajectory path.
A batting training system having a ball supported by a tether from a horizontal arm that includes a ball capturing device for capturing the ball after it is struck and preventing the ball from spinning rapidly around the horizontal arm after being struck by a batter.
A ball striking device is adapted to be mounted on a vertical mounting surface having retention structure thereon. The device includes a clip removably attached to and suspended from the retention structure of the vertical mounting surface. A mounting member having a substantially horizontally extending support arm provided with a free end and a substantially vertically extending pivot leg is engageable with the clip in order that the mounting member is swingably supported relative to the clip and the vertical mounting surface. A ball is attached directly to the free end of the support arm and is adapted to be struck by a moving object. An elastic arrangement extends between the pivot leg and the vertical mounting surface for establishing the position of the ball before being stuck and controlling the return of the ball after being struck.
A training device for batters which aids a batter in practicing and developing the batting swing including an upright member having a number of arm engagement fittings. The upright member has a horizontal member attached at approximately its midpoint, for supporting the device on a support structure, typically a toprail of a fence. The upright member is secured to the fence or other support structure by a tensionable strap. A horizontal arm is removably mountable in any of the vertically oriented arm engagement mechanisms. A tether depends by its first end from the horizontal arm. A ball is slideably adjustable along the tether. The second end of the tether is attached to the support structure to limit travel of the ball and tether. Because the training device for batters has a number of locations along the length of the upright member at which the horizontal arm member is mountable, the device may be attached to and used on support structures having a variety of heights. In addition the device includes an adapter which allows the training device to be surface mounted on a variety of support structures.
