Various data measuring and collecting devices and methods are useful for analyzing a club, racket, bat, or steering wheel (herein generically referred to as “sporting devices or equipment” or “sports equipment”) during a swing or other operation. In a similar manner, the effectiveness of an impact of a ball with sporting equipment during a swing can be measured in terms of initial ball launch conditions. These launch conditions are determined principally by the velocity of equipment at impact and the loft and angle of the ball contacting surface relative to the intended trajectory of the ball's flight. Ultimately the swing of the user and the force applied on the grip by the user, determine the launch conditions of a ball. There are two general methods for analyzing the equipment during a swing; visual analysis and quantitative variable analysis.
The method of analyzing a swing using visual analysis typically is conducted by an instructor capable of visually discerning swing variables and suggesting corrections to the swing to provide improvement. However, not every user has ready access to professional instruction or can translate an instructor's feedback into a more efficient swing. An instructor can also not “see” quantitative factors such as force and acceleration.
Quantitative variable analysis employs sensors to directly measure various mechanical or physical properties of the equipment during the swing motion. Sensors, such as force sensors or inertial sensors, typically are attached to the handle or the striking surface of the equipment or can be attached to the hands of the user of the equipment. Data collected from these sensors then may be transferred to a signal processor via wires or radio waves, and can be presented in various graphical formats, including graphical and tabular charts. A drawback associated with the use of existing instrumented golf clubs and other sports equipment is that the sensors and associated wires can be obtrusive to the user when the user attempts to swing the club or racket. The force and acceleration profile obtained is not then representative of the user's profile when using an unencumbered device.
Swing characteristics will also be different between practice conditions, where a player may be relaxed and more thoughtful about a shot, and actual play where other tensions come into play.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an instrumented grip for sports equipment that delivers an enhanced comfort level to the user when grasped in the course of actually playing the sport or in a practice environment. The device therefore provides a means for comparing swing parameters in the idealized setting of a practice, with actual performance while playing the sport.
A further objective is to provide a monitoring, diagnostic, and training device integrated with the grip for sports equipment. The device can be used without any interference with the natural feel and comfort that the equipment would have if the device were not there. In particular it is not necessary for a user to wear special equipment such as instrumented gloves to produce meaningful data from use of the equipment.
A still further objective is to provide a grip that comprises a lightweight open structure for weight and weight distribution control. The open structure of the grip also allows for placement of electronic equipment in the grip.