BALL SWINGING TRAINING DEVICE

Abstract

pect, there is provided a batting training device which includes a base plate, an adjustable ball and spring unit having one end secured to the base plate and having another end with a ball secured thereto, an adjustable height guard support unit having one end secured to the base plate, a stride guard laterally movable with respect to an upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit, and a pivotal and rotational swing path guard unit movably with respect to the upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001]The present invention relates generally to a training device and, more particularly, to a ball swinging and hitting practice and training device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002]In the game of baseball, one of the most difficult skills to master is hitting. A hitter must be able to coordinate the swing of a bat with the location of a ball so that good contact with the ball can be made while swinging the bat. Once this is mastered, the hitter must next learn to make good contact with the ball at the various positions at which it may cross home plate, from an inside pitch to an outside pitch, and from a high pitch to a low pitch, and various combinations of these two variables.

[0003]In development of these skills, the trainer or coach uses a baseball tee to support a ball at a selected height above a representation of the baseball home plate. The player then hits the ball out to the field, the ball is retrieved and placed on the tee for another swing. In this manner, the player can practice swinging and improve the coordination of his hands and eyes and develop his wrist and arm muscles.

[0004]Various practice batting tees have been developed in the past for this purpose. The practice tees developed to date, however, have had various limitations which have discouraged their overall acceptance in the baseball world. In most cases, the ball is positioned on the tee and hit out into the field. This requires someone to retrieve the ball for the next hit. This has become very tiring work and discouraging to some players. In other cases, the tees have not been adjustable or have limited adjustability and different tees must be used for different hitting zones.

[0005]In combination with the use of a tee, it is advantageous to provide an additional means of encouraging the batter to exercise proper swing techniques. A mistake common in developing batter is a tendency to swing upwards through the strike zone, resulting in either a strike or an unfavorable batted ball trajectory. Rather, it is desirably for a player's swing path to be substantially level, or even slightly downward as the bat travels through the strike zone and over the plate.

[0006]Multiple solutions have been proposed to combine a means for training a particular swing with a traditional tee. U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,384 to Hardison and U.S. Pat. No. 6,666,781 to Illis both proposed a curved guide supported on framework in order to define the parameters of a good swing. But these lack certain aspects found in one or more of the embodiments provided. There is thus a continual need to improve upon the prior art devices, which are provided for in one or more of the attached embodiments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007]To perfect the baseball/softball batting swing, two foundational elements need to be constantly implemented, proper mechanics and continuous repetition of those mechanics. One or more of the embodiments presented, addresses these needs and also simplifies them so that the need for parental supervision becomes optional. Once the basic concept of using the device is understood children can master the mechanics and practice forever, anytime, anywhere, with or without supervision. The device was developed for use with softballs and baseballs and has many easy to adjust features to accommodate different age levels and skill levels. The device is also portable. The device requires no assembly by the end user. The device is easy to transport and can be used anywhere by anyone at anytime, indoor and outdoor.

[0008]Accomplishing one or more of these goals, a device provided by one or more of the embodiments provided herein includes: i) a base plate, ii) an adjustable ball and spring unit having one end secured to the base plate and having another end with a ball secured thereto, iii) an adjustable height guard support unit having one end secured to the base plate, iv) a stride guard laterally movably attached to an upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit, and v) a pivotal and rotational swing path guard unit movably attached to the upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit.

[0009]In other embodiments, the device may also include a tee support unit secured at one end to the base plate and secured at another end to the upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit. The tee support unit is preferably positioned at an angle with respect to the adjustable height guard support unit.

[0010]The device may also pivotally attach the end of the adjustable ball and spring unit to the base plate and pivotally attach the end of the adjustable height guard support unit to the base. This would permit the device to be collapsible. To further the needs of a collapsible device, the base plate may include a carrying handle defined as bored grips sized to receive fingers defined by a user. Once on the ground the base plate may be stationed by having apertures sized to receive ends of a ground stake or having cleats on an underside thereof.

[0011]Further defining the adjustable ball and spring unit, the device may include a mounting plate fastened to the base plate. A lower rod and an upper rod are provided and have diametrically opposed ends and adjacent ends. One of the adjacent ends is insertable into the other adjacent end for providing height adjustable rods. A spring is secured at one end to the mounting plate and has another end secured to the lower rod. A ball is mounted to the upper rod. Thus contact with the ball causes the upper and lower rods to bend the spring away from the impact of the ball and the spring having a tendency to return the lower and upper rods back to an upright position. In other aspects of the embodiments, the adjustable ball and spring unit may include a safety cord with one end secured to the upper rod and another end secured to the lower rod. Preferably one or more embodiments provide for the ball to be removably secured to the upper rod.

[0012]Further defining the adjustable height guard support unit, it may be provided with a mounting member secured to the base plate. A two piece adjustable support pole is provided and includes an upper support pole and a lower support pole with diametrically opposed ends and with adjacent ends. One of the adjacent ends being insertable into the other adjacent end for providing both height adjustable support poles and providing an upper support pole rotatably with respect to the lower support pole, the lower support pole having a lower end pivotally secured to the mounting member. The upper support pole further has an upper end secured to both the stride guard and the swing path guard unit.

[0013]In this aspect, the upper end of the support pole would include a means for connecting to both the stride guard and the swing path guard unit. In one aspect, the connection means is defined by having a T-shaped cross member secured to the upper end of the upper support pole. The T-shaped cross member has a hollow head with opened ends diametrically opposed on sides of the hollow head. The stride guard has an elongated rod movable within the hollow head such that one end of the elongated rod is capable of extending out of one or more ends of the hollow head.

[0014]In another aspect, the connection means is defined by having a T-shaped cross member having a head with ends diametrically opposed on sides of the hollow head. The adjustable swing path guard being defined by having a shoulder connector rotatably secured about each side of the hollow head. A guide arm extends outwardly from each shoulder connector and a lateral connection arm is secured to ends of each guide arm. Therefore the shoulder connectors allow the adjustable swing path guard to be pivotally movable about the upper support pole and the upper support pole is rotatably movable with respect to the lower support pole. In other aspects the guide arms and the lateral connection arm include form padding.

[0015]Numerous other advantages and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and the embodiments thereof, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]A fuller understanding of the foregoing may be had by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0017]FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a batting training device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018]FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a batting training device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 3 is a side view of a batting training device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020]FIG. 4 is a rear view of a batting training device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a batting training device illustrated in a collapsed position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022]FIG. 6 is a side view of a batting training device illustrating the height adjustment of the ball, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023]FIG. 7A is a partial exploded view of the adjustable ball and spring unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 7B is a close view of the connection for the adjustment of the ball from the ball and spring unit from FIG. 7A;

[0025]FIG. 7C is a partial view of the safety cord for the adjustable ball and sprint unit;

[0026]FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of a batting training device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027]FIG. 9 is a rear view of a batting training device illustrating the adjustable stride guide in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028]FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of a batting training device illustrating the adjustable swing guide in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029]FIG. 11 is a side view of a batting training device illustrated in an upright position in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030]FIG. 12 is a side view of a batting training device showing the tee support unit collapsed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031]FIG. 13 is a side view of a batting training device showing the swing guide collapsed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032]FIG. 14 is a close perspective view of a base plate illustrating the mounting plate used to secure the adjustable height guard support unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033]FIG. 15 is a close perspective view of a base plate illustrating the collapse of the adjustable ball and spring unit in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034]FIG. 16 is side view of a batting training device illustrated in a collapsed configuration in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035]FIG. 17 is a rear perspective view of a batting training device illustrating a user training in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036]FIG. 18 is a top view of a batting training device illustrating a user training in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0037]FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a batting training device illustrating a user training with the swing path guide unit twisting to the side of the base plate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0038]While the invention is susceptible to embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will be described herein, in detail, the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit or scope of the invention and/or the embodiments illustrated.

[0039]Referring now to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a batting training device 100 in accordance to one or more of the embodiments presented herein. The device 100 includes one or more of the following components: a base plate 110, an adjustable ball and spring unit 120, an adjustable height guard support unit 130; an adjustable stride guard 140; an adjustable swing path guard 150; an interchangeable ball unit 160; tee support unit 170; carrying handle 180, and ground stake support apertures 190.

[0040]The base plate 110 is preferably weighted to provide a strong foundation for the other components. It is also preferably shaped as a home plate as illustrated but could have other shapes or sizes. Material used for the base plate 110 could be a strong hard rubber, plastic, wood, metal or composite. The base plate 110 as illustrated includes the carrying handle 180 by having finger grips 182 bored through the base plate 110, which as shown in FIG. 5 illustrates how a user would place their fingers f through the finger grips 182 to hold and carry the device 100. FIG. 2 also illustrates the device in its fully collapsed position, discussed in greater detail below.

[0041]Referring back to FIGS. 1-4, the base plate 110 may further include ground stake support apertures 190 also bored through the base plate 110. The number of apertures may be different but is illustrated as three holes. Stakes not shown can be placed through the apertures 190 to secure the device to the ground, aiding it from being moved when in use. Alternatively, the bottom of the base plate 110 could include cleat(s) to dig into and grip the ground to help reduce or eliminate unwanted movement of the device during use.

[0042]Referring now to FIG. 6, the device 100 includes an adjustable ball and spring unit 120 having one end 122 secured to a mounting plate 200 that is fastened to the base plate 110. It is preferably positioned near the back side 112 of the base plate 110. The other end 124 of the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 is secured to the interchangeable ball unit 160.

[0043]As further illustrated in FIG. 7, the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 includes a spring 202 which is fastened at its bottom end 204 to the mounting plate 200. The fastening is accomplished by having a bolt 206 positioned through the mounting plate 200 and a locking nut 208 and washer 209 positioned within the bottom end 204 of the spring 202. Twisting the spring 202 will lock the bottom end 204 against the mounting plate 200, as shown in FIG. 6. The top end 210 of the spring 202 is secured through a locking nut 208 to a lower pole 212. The lower pole 212 is fitted within an end of an upper pole 214. A knobbed screw collar 216 is used to join the lower pole 212 and the upper pole 214. When loosened, the knobbed screw collar 216 will allow the upper pole 214 to slide about the lower pole 212, thereby permitting the interchangeable ball unit 160 to raise or lower.

[0044]As depicted in FIG. 7c, a safety cord 218 can be connected to both the upper pole 214 and the lower pole 212. If by accident the knobbed screw collar 216 was not secured, it may be possible that the force of impact on the interchangeable ball unit 160 could cause the upper pole 214 to slide completely out of contact with the lower pole 212 and become airborne. To prevent the upper pole 214 from injuring anybody the safety cord 218 would prevent the upper pole 214 from traveling any great distance.

[0045]The adjustable ball and spring unit 120 serves two purposes. One, is to adjust the height of the an interchangeable ball unit 160 and to allow the an interchangeable ball unit 160 to spring back to its original position when hit by the user. The adjustable ball and spring unit 120 can be hit in multiple directions for visual swing path directional results.

[0046]The interchangeable ball unit 160 is defined by having a ball 162 positioned on a rod 164 that is secured at one end 165 to the upper end 215 of the upper pole 214. The rod 164 may also simply be the upper end of the upper pole 214. An adjustment knob (illustrated in 7B) 166 is positioned along the rod 164 to permit the user to adjust the ball 162 along the rod 164. Turning a pin 167 in the adjustment knob 166 will loosen or tighten the knob and if loosened will allow the user to slide the knob along the rod 164. A cap 168 can be secured to the upper end of the rod 164 by a threaded engagement, thereby removably securing the ball 162 within the interchangeable ball unit 160. This allows the user to switch the ball at their own convenience, such as to switch from a baseball to softball.

[0047]Referring now also to FIG. 8, the adjustable height guard support unit 130 will be further discussed. The adjustable height guard support unit 130 is a two piece adjustable support pole having an upper support pole 220 fitted within a lower support pole 222. The bottom end 134 of the lower support pole 222 is secured to a portion 224 of the mounting plate 200 (also illustrated in FIG. 2). The bottom end 134 is preferably pivotally secured to the portion 224, to permit the support pole 132 to be collapsible for storage purposes and carrying purposes. The two piece support pole includes an adjustment knob 135 that threads through an opening 226 on the lower support pole 222 and tightens against an outside portion of the upper support pole 220 (which is positioned within the lower support pole 222). An important aspect of the upper support pole 220 (as discussed below) is its ability to rotate within the lower support pole 220. Variants of the adjustable height guard support unit 130 would further permit the entire unit 130 to rotate with respect to the mounting plate 200.

[0048]Having a portion of one of the support poles placed within the other pole, allows for a height adjustment needed for different users. The adjustment knob 135 further allows for a quick and simply adjustment that can be done moments before a user begins practicing with the device. In addition, one of the main purposes of the adjustable height guard support unit 130 is to stop the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 and the interchangeable ball unit 160 after the ball 162 has been hit. During use, the ball 162 is hit by a batter causing the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 to bend downwardly and away from the batter. The spring 202 returns the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 back to an upright position. However, the spring 202 does not have a upright control so the spring 202 will have a tendency to move the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 back further then its upright position. The adjustable height guard support unit 130 is in the path of its travel and will stop the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 as soon as it returns to the upright position.

[0049]Continuing to refer to FIG. 8, the top portion of the adjustable height guard support unit 130 and mainly the top portion 230 of the upper support pole 220 connects to both the adjustable stride guard 140 and the adjustable swing path guard 150. This is accomplished by including a connection means 235 defined by mounting a T-shaped cross member 240 to the top portion 230 thereof. The T-shaped cross member 240 includes a hollow head 242 with opened ends 244 diametrically opposed on the sides of the head. The adjustable stride guard 140 is secured within the hollow head 242 by having a stride guard rod 142 inserted through the hollow head 242. An adjustment knob 246 can be placed adjacent each of the opened ends 244 to secure the stride guard rod 142 in position. When loosened, the adjustment knob 246 allows the stride guard rod 142 to slide within the hollow head 242 (illustrated in FIG. 9). This allows the stride guard rod 142 to be positioned for right handed and left handed batters.

[0050]Simply defined, the adjustable stride guard an adjustable tube or rod that can be extended from the right or left side of the main unit. When extended it is used to keep the user from "over striding" during the swing sequence. Over striding or excessive forward movement can cause many problems in the hitting sequence. When extended the stride guard is held in place by a tension device although many other devices are available including the use of friction.

[0051]Movably secured to the T-shaped cross member 240 is also the adjustable swing path guard 150. The adjustable swing path guard 150 is defined by having positioned around either opened end 244 of the hollow head 242 shoulder connectors 250. The shoulder connectors 250 secure guide arms 252 that extend outwardly therefrom to the T-shaped cross member 240. The shoulder connectors 250 are preferably frictionally fit onto the opened ends 244 but may include adjustment knobs to secure them in position. In any event, it is important that the shoulder connectors 250 are movably (in a rotational manner) over the opened ends 244 (illustrated in FIG. 10). The ends of the guide arms 252 are attached to one another by a lateral connection arm 254. The lateral connection arm 254 helps keeps the arms along a single plane (whether the plane is flat or angled). FIG. 10 shows that the adjustable swing path guard 150 can rotate upwardly and downwardly and as shown is twisted (by twisting the upper support pole 220 with respect to the lower support pole 222) such that adjustable swing path guard 150 is not centered with the tip 114 of the base plate 110 but is centered to a side 116 of the base plate 110. In addition, form padding 258 can be used over the arms to help reduce impact damage from the bat.

[0052]The swig path guard is used as a physical and visual guide to promote a proper swing plane when the user attempts to hit the ball. Swing plane is the angle at which the bat travels when the batter attempts to hit the ball. Depending on where the ball is located, (high, low, inside, outside) determines the different swing plane. The swing guard arms can be raised or lowered to create a visual path for the bat to travel. Using a double bar system instead of a single bar system also give the user a visual training tool for where the hand should be in respects to the swing. Keep you hands inside the ball helps create the proper swing path. The swing guard is held in place through friction and thus will "give" if improperly hit by the user reducing the chance of damage to the bat and injury to the user. The swing guard can be rotated 360 degrees in order to view the swing path from different angles an used for different hitting drills. It also can be place completely down so the apparatus can be used as a normal batting tee.

[0053]As illustrated in FIGS. 11 to 12, the adjustable swing path guard 150 is further supported by the tee support unit 170. The tee support unit 170 may be a bendable or collapsible support rod or as illustrated a two piece rod construction having a first piece 172 removably attached to a second piece 174. A holder 176 is positioned on one of the pieces for the receipt of an end of the other pieces. When assembled (FIG. 11) the tee support unit 170 acts to support and hold the adjustable height guard support unit 130 in an upright position, but when collapsed (FIG. 12), the adjustable height guard support unit 130 may be folded downwardly. Both pieces are pivotally secured at the opposite ends, one being pivotally connected 177 to the base plate 110 and the other pivotally connected 179 to the adjustable height guard support unit 130.

[0054]Continuing to refer to FIGS. 5, 11 and 12 and to FIGS. 13-16, the device 100 is shown being moved from an upright and usable configuration to its storage or collapsed configuration. In FIG. 13, the adjustable swing path guard 150 is rotated downwardly until it rests against the adjustable height guard support unit 130. The adjustable stride guard 140 is also typically centered, so it is not sticking too far out on either side.

[0055]FIG. 14 shows the adjustable height guard support unit 130 bent or pivotally downwardly until it is resting along the base plate 110. One unique aspect of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 is a channel region 260 in the portion 224 of the mounting plate 200. (In fact, the portion 224 of the mounting plate 200 that pivotally mounts the adjustable height guard support unit 130 to the base plate 110 may be a separate piece from the mounting plate 200. The sides 262 along the channel region 260 act as a brace for the bottom end 134 of the adjustable height guard support unit 130, when it is in an upright position. The channel region 260 itself, serves as an opening for the spring 202 when the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 is bent towards the downwardly positioned adjustable height guard support unit 130 (FIG. 15). Illustrated in FIG. 16, once the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 is bent downwardly and resting through the channel region 260 straps 270 are secured together to hold the units in the collapsed configuration. A first set of straps 272 extend from the base plate 110 and secure ends of the adjustable swing path guard 150, the adjustable height guard support unit 130, and the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 together. A second set of straps 274 extend from around the adjustable height guard support unit 130 to secure the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 thereto.

[0056]FIGS. 17 through 19 show the device 100 in use. FIGS. 17 and 18 show the user swinging a bat along the path of the arm guards 252 to make contact with the ball. The adjustable swing path guard 150 can be angled to give the user either a downwardly swing trajectory, an upwardly swing trajectory or a level trajectory. The adjustable stride guard 140 is extends (FIG. 18) to help prevent the user from overstepping into their stride when swinging. FIG. 19 shows the adjustable swing path guard 150 twisted to the side for a different training mechanism. When contact with the ball is made, the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 is forced downwardly bending the spring 202 and forcing the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 towards the ground (or surface), the spring 202 having a tendency to be upwardly straight, forces the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 back horizontally. The adjustable ball and spring unit 120 will then come into contact with the adjustable height guard support unit 130, which stops the adjustable ball and spring unit 120 in its original starting position. And thus allows the user to continue to hit the ball without having to re-position a tee, place the ball on a tee, or wait until the ball stop swinging back and forth as in some of the prior art devices that do not have a means to stop the ball.

[0057]From the foregoing and as mentioned above, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concept of the invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific methods and apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred.

Claims

1. A batting training device comprising:a base plate;an adjustable ball and spring unit having one end secured to the base plate and having another end with a ball secured thereto;an adjustable height guard support unit having one end secured to the base plate;a stride guard laterally movably attached to an upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit; anda pivotal and rotational swing path guard unit movably attached to the upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising a tee support unit secured at one end to the base plate and secured at another end to the upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit, the tee support unit being positioned at an angle with respect to the adjustable height guard support unit.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the end of the adjustable ball and spring unit secured to the base plate is pivotally secured and wherein the end of the adjustable height guard support unit secured to the base plate is pivotally secured.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the adjustable ball and spring unit includes:a mounting plate fastened to the base plate;a lower and an upper rod having diametrically opposed ends and having adjacent ends one of which being insertable into the other end for providing height adjustable rods;a spring secured at one end to the mounting plate and having another end secured to the lower rod; anda ball mounted to the upper rod,whereby contact with the ball causes the upper and lower rods to bend the spring away from the impact of the ball and the spring having a tendency to return the lower and upper rods back to an upright position.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the adjustable ball and spring unit includes a safety cord with one end secured to the upper rod and another end secured to the lower rod.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the ball is removably secured to the upper rod.

7. The device of claim 3, wherein the adjustable height guard support unit includes:a mounting member secured to the base plate;a two piece adjustable support pole having an upper support pole and a lower support pole with diametrically opposed ends and with adjacent ends, one of the adjacent ends being insertable into the other adjacent end for providing both height adjustable support poles and providing an upper support pole rotatably with respect to the lower support pole;the lower support pole having a lower end pivotally secured to the mounting member; andthe upper support pole having an upper end secured to both the stride guard and the swing path guard unit.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the upper end of the support pole includes a means for connecting to both the stride guard and the swing path guard unit.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the connection means is defined by having a T-shaped cross member secured to the upper end of the upper support pole, the T-shaped cross member having a hollow head with opened ends diametrically opposed on sides of the hollow head, the stride guard being defined as having an elongated rod movable within the hollow head such that one end of the elongated rod is capable of extending out of one or more ends of the hollow head.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the connection means is defined by having a T-shaped cross member having a head with ends diametrically opposed on sides of the hollow head, and the adjustable swing path guard being defined by having a shoulder connector rotatably secured about each side of the hollow head, a guide arm extends outwardly from each shoulder connector and a lateral connection arm is secured to ends of each guide arm, wherein the shoulder connectors allow the adjustable swing path guard to be pivotally movable about the upper support pole and the upper support pole is rotatably movable with respect to the lower support pole.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the ball is removably attached to an upper portion of the adjustable ball and spring unit.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the base plate further includes a carrying handle defined as bored grips sized to receive fingers defined by a user.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the base plate further includes apertures sized to receive ends of a ground stake.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the base plate further includes cleats on an underside thereof.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the guide arms and the lateral connection arm include form padding.

16. The device of claim 7 wherein the mounting member includes a back wall and two side walls extending upwardly from the base plate and includes a channel in the back wall to accommodate a portion of the adjustable ball and spring unit when bent in a downward position.

17. A batting training device comprising:a base plate;a mounting plate secured to the base plate;an adjustable ball and spring unit having one end secured to a first portion of the mounting plate and having another end with a ball secured thereto, wherein the adjustable ball and spring unit includes a lower rod and an upper rod having diametrically opposed ends and having adjacent ends one of which being insertable into the other end for providing height adjustable rods, a spring secured at one end to the first portion of the mounting plate and having another end secured to the lower rod, and a ball mounted to the upper rod, wherein contact with the ball causes the upper and lower rods to bend the spring away from the impact of the ball and the spring having a tendency to return the lower and upper rods back to an upright position;an adjustable height guard support unit having one end pivotally secured to a second portion of the base plate, wherein the adjustable height guard support unit including a two piece adjustable support pole having an upper support pole and a lower support pole with diametrically opposed ends and with adjacent ends, one of the adjacent ends being insertable into the other adjacent end for providing both height adjustable support poles and providing an upper support pole rotatably with respect to the lower support pole, the lower support pole having a lower end pivotally secured to the second portion of the mounting member, and the upper support pole having an upper end secured to both the stride guard and the swing path guard unit;a stride guard laterally movably attached to an upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit;a pivotal and rotational swing path guard unit movably attached to the upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit;a means for connecting to both the stride guard and the swing path guard unit, wherein the connection means is defined by having a T-shaped cross member secured to the upper end of the upper support pole, the T-shaped cross member having a hollow head with opened ends diametrically opposed on sides of the hollow head, the stride guard being defined has having an elongated rod movable within the hollow head such that one end of the elongated rod is capable of extending out of one or more ends of the hollow head, and wherein and the adjustable swing path guard being defined by having a shoulder connector rotatably secured about each side of the hollow head, a guide arm extends outwardly from each shoulder connector and a lateral connection arm is secured to ends of each guide arm, wherein the shoulder connectors allow the adjustable swing path guard to be pivotally movable about the upper support pole and the upper support pole is rotatably movable with respect to the lower support pole.

18. The device of claim 1 further comprising a tee support unit secured at one end to the base plate and secured at another end to the upper portion of the adjustable height guard support unit, the tee support unit being positioned at an angle with respect to the adjustable height guard support unit.

19. The device of claim 4, wherein the ball is removably secured to the upper rod.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the mounting member includes a back wall and two side walls extending upwardly from the base plate and includes a channel in the back wall to accommodate a portion of the adjustable ball and spring unit when bent in a downward position.

Images