Game ball with enhanced in flight movement

Not Applicable.

Not Applicable.

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is related to game balls, and more particularly to a game ball with enhanced in flight movement which may be used for instruction, entertainment or competition.

2. Description of Related Art

There are a variety of games such as baseball or softball in which a pitcher throws a ball and a batter attempts to hit the ball. Because the pitcher does not want the batter to hit the ball, the pitcher attempts to deceive the batter by throwing a sequence of different types of pitches. The pitcher may throw pitches of varying speed, pitches that sink or drop as they approach the batter, pitches that move from right to left or from left to right, pitches with random in flight movement, or any combination of the above.

Conventional baseballs and softballs may be thrown to move during flight by throwing the ball with spin or rotation. A baseball or softball which is thrown with rotation will typically move in the direction of rotation as viewed in front of the thrown ball by the batter. For example, if the ball is thrown with topspin such that it rotates from top to bottom when viewed in front of the ball by the batter, than the ball will sink or drop a greater distance than the ball would otherwise drop due to the force of gravity. This pitch is frequently referred to as a curveball, although the term curveball has also been used to describe pitches which drop and move horizontally.

It is generally accepted that a rotating ball moves due to a reaction force termed the Magnus force, although alternate theories have been proposed. The Magnus force is a reaction force acting on a rotating ball moving through a fluid medium. When air flows around a spherical ball, there is a boundary layer of air adjacent to the ball\'s surface. The boundary layer begins at the ball\'s front surface and follows the ball\'s contour until it breaks away from the ball toward the rear of the ball. The boundary layer separation at the rear of the ball creates a low pressure region of turbulent air behind the ball commonly referred to as a wake. This low pressure region imparts a drag force on the ball slowing the ball\'s speed. When a ball is thrown with top spin, the rotation of the ball causes the low air pressure region, or wake, behind the ball to angle upward from the back of the ball. The wake is shifted upward because the boundary layer on the bottom of the ball, where the rotation is in the same direction as the air flow, breaks away from the ball later than the boundary layer on top of the ball, where the rotation is in the opposite direction as the air flow. The upward wake deflection created by the ball\'s rotation imparts a downward reaction force on the ball, which is the reason that a curveball sinks. The reaction force may cause the ball to move in any direction depending on the direction of rotation of the ball. The magnitude of this reaction force is a function of the density and dynamic viscosity of the air, the rotational and translational velocities of the ball and the dimensions of the ball.

There are many other types of pitches other than the curveball that are commonly thrown. A fastball is the fastest pitch in a pitcher\'s arsenal and typically the most commonly thrown pitch. Although a fastball typically has a straight trajectory, there are different types of fastballs which may move, or break, during flight. The four-seam fastball is gripped with the index and middle fingers extending across opposite sides of the “horseshoe” shaped section formed by the seams of a baseball. The four-seam fastball is typically thrown with backspin and has a straight trajectory. The four-seam fastball is named as such because as the ball rotates it appears to the batter that the ball has four parallel seams. The two-seam fastball is gripped with the index and middle fingers extending across the narrowest portion between two seams of the ball and it gets its name because the batter sees two parallel seams as the ball rotates. The two-seam fastball may be thrown slightly off-axis so that it has some in flight movement. The split-finger fastball is gripped similarly to a two-seam fastball except that the index and middle fingers are split apart. When thrown, the split-finger fastball typically has a lower velocity than either the four- or two-seam fastballs. The split-finger fastball typically sinks before or upon reaching the batter.

A changeup is an “off-speed” pitch which is released from the pitcher\'s hand in a similar manner to the fastball but has a significantly lower velocity than the fastball. Thus, when the changeup is executed properly, the batter anticipates a fastball, but the ball travels much slower than a typical fastball. Changeups may also be thrown with rotation so that they curve according to the principles discussed above.

A slider is a pitch which typically is thrown with rotation causing the ball to break down and when thrown by a right-handed pitcher from left to right as viewed by the batter. For a left-handed pitcher, the slider will break from right to left as viewed by the batter. The slider is thrown at a high speed that is only slightly less than that of a fastball. Because of the high speed the slider is thrown with, the batter must identify the pitch quickly in order to adjust for its movement and successfully make contact with the ball. A screwball is a pitch which is thrown with similar rotation as the slider, except that for a right-handed pitcher the ball moves from right to left as viewed by the batter, and for a left-handed pitcher the ball moves from left to right as viewed by the batter. It is difficult to throw a screwball because the wrist and forearm must rotate such that the palm faces away from the side of the thrower\'s body. This unnatural throwing motion causes arm and shoulder problems and thus pitchers rarely throw screwballs.

While it is desirable to throw the various pitches above which break, or move in flight, it is difficult to throw a ball with the rotation and speed necessary to achieve in flight movement. It is also well known that throwing breaking pitches causes arm and shoulder strain, which frequently results in injury. Instructional training balls have been developed to teach pitchers the proper grip and release for throwing a curveball. One type of training ball has grooves to teach the proper grip for throwing a curveball. However, the ball must still be thrown with topspin to get the sinking action of a curveball. These grooved training balls are typically only useful for throwing one type of pitch. Therefore, the balls are undesirable for teaching a batter how to hit breaking pitches because the batter knows what type of pitch is coming. The grooves also make the ball undesirable to hit.

There are also automatic pitching machines which may have the ability to “throw” balls with rotation such that the balls move in flight. These machines are typically used to train batters how to hit moving pitches. However, these machines are undesirable because they repetitively throw the same type of pitch unless the machine is reset or programmed to throw a different pitch. Therefore, the batter knows which type of pitch the machine will throw. Also, it is a more valuable training aid for a batter to see a pitch coming from a “live” arm than from a machine.

One type of novelty game ball which is designed to move when thrown is the Wiffle® ball, a ball manufactured by The Wiffle Ball, Inc. of Shelton, Conn. A Wiffle® ball is a hollow, relatively thin plastic ball with openings around one half of the ball. The lightweight nature of the Wiffle® ball combined with the openings causes it to move unpredictably when thrown. While the Wiffle® ball has enjoyed enormous success as a ball used for entertainment, it is not useful as an instructional device for learning how to throw or hit breaking balls.

It is an object of the invention to provide a ball which enhances in flight movement and may be used for instruction, entertainment or competition. It is another object of the invention to provide an instructional ball which may be used for either learning how to throw or hit pitches with in flight movement, commonly referred to as breaking pitches. It is an additional object of the invention to provide a method for learning how to throw breaking pitches and a method for training batters how to hit breaking pitches.

One embodiment of game ball according to the present invention comprises a generally spherical inner ball and a cover substantially covering the inner ball. The inner ball has first and second halves divided by an equatorial plane. The first half of the inner ball has one or more openings and the cover has openings aligned with the openings in the inner ball. When thrown, the game ball preferably curves away from the aligned openings in the cover and inner ball. The game ball may be used for instruction, entertainment or competition.

Another embodiment of game ball according to the present invention comprises a generally spherical, hollow inner ball and a cover substantially covering the inner ball. The inner ball has circumferentially spaced openings and the cover has openings aligned with the openings in the inner ball. When thrown, the game ball preferably curves away from the aligned openings in the cover and inner ball. The game ball may be used for instruction, entertainment or competition.

The invention also encompasses a method of training a batter to hit a breaking pitch comprising: (1) providing a ball with one or more openings configured so the ball curves away from the openings when thrown, and (2) throwing the ball toward the batter such that the ball curves away from the openings. This method is advantageous for training a batter to hit a breaking pitch because the ball curves away from the openings when thrown. Therefore, the ball need not be thrown with rotation to cause movement, thus reducing the arm and shoulder strain associated with throwing breaking pitches. Further, using this method the batter may learn how to identify moving pitches coming from a “live” arm and the coach can easily vary the types of pitches thrown to the batter by changing the orientation of the openings or by throwing the ball with rotation. The method also allows the coach to throw the ball from the regulation distance so the batter\'s training experience more closely matches a competition situation.

Further, the invention includes a method of learning how to throw a breaking pitch comprising: (1) providing a ball with one or more openings configured so the ball curves away from the openings when thrown, and (2) throwing the ball such that the ball curves away from the openings. This method is advantageous for learning how to throw a breaking pitch because the ball curves away from the openings when thrown, and thus the pitcher need not have perfect technique to throw a moving pitch. Therefore, the pitcher will not be discouraged while learning the proper technique. Upon learning the proper technique, the pitcher may begin throwing moving pitches with a regulation game ball, or the method may also include throwing a subsequent ball with less openings for further perfecting the proper technique to throw moving pitches.