Tennis serve toss aid

Abstract

A tennis serve toss aid comprising: 1) a ring member to be placed on a finger of the non-racket holding hand of a tennis player, 2) a bowl member that holds the tennis ball, and 3) a connector member that allows the bowl member to be attached to the ring member in a variety of orientations, The tennis serve toss training aid trains the tennis player to control the tennis ball without use of the fingers to release the ball, supinate the palm, lock the wrist and elbow, and use the tossing arm as a simple lever which moves from a down position to an up position. As the arm moves to an up position the ball is released from the bowl member due to inertia. This allows the tennis player to be able to repeatedly toss the tennis ball to substantially the same position in the air where it can be struck consistently with the tennis racket to deliver the serve.

The inventor claims: 
     
         1 . A tennis serve toss aid, which is comprised of:
 a. a ring member;
 wherein the ring member is adjustable; 
   b. a bowl member;
 wherein the bowl member provides an opening and an arcuate bottom surface; 
 wherein the bowl member provides an interior surface and an exterior surface; 
 wherein the bowl member provides a plurality of cutouts; 
 wherein the bowl member can connect to the ring member; 
   
     
     
         2 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  wherein a connector member is provided, which is further comprised of:
 a. a first side and a second side;
 wherein the first side of the connector member attaches to the ring member; 
 wherein the second side of the connector member attaches to the bowl member. 
 
 
     
     
         3 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 2  in which the bowl member, ring member, and connector member use a combination of hook-and-loop materials to connect the ring member to the connector member to the bowl member. 
     
     
         4 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 3  wherein the ring member provides a first attachment material and the bowl member provides a second attachment material on the exterior of the spherical bottom surface. 
     
     
         5 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the bowl member and ring member are integrally connected to one another. 
     
     
         6 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 2  in which the ring member and connector member are integrally connected. 
     
     
         7 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 2  in which the bowl member and connector member are integrally connected. 
     
     
         8 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the bowl member is a made of a mesh with a wire frame. 
     
     
         9 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the bowl member is further comprised of a plurality of prongs. 
     
     
         10 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the bowl member is substantially a disc. 
     
     
         11 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the bowl member is made of an elastic material. 
     
     
         12 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the bowl member has an external surface substantially similar to a conventional tennis ball. 
     
     
         13 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the ring member is placed onto a combination of multiple fingers and thumb. 
     
     
         14 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the ring member is made of an elastic material. 
     
     
         15 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the ring member is made of a semi-rigid material. 
     
     
         16 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 2  in which the connector member provides an adhesive material and the bowl member and ring member are adapted accordingly. 
     
     
         17 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 2  in which the connector member is made of a snap connector and the bowl member and ring member are adapted accordingly. 
     
     
         18 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 2  in which the ring member and connector member can attach to the nap or fuzz on a tennis ball. 
     
     
         19 . The tennis serve toss aid of  claim 1  in which the ring member can attach to the nap or fuzz on a tennis ball. 
     
     
         20 . A tennis serve toss aid, which is comprised of:
 a. a glove;
 wherein the glove provides a plurality of finger inserts; 
 wherein the glove provides a thumb insert; 
 wherein the glove provides an interior surface and an exterior surface; 
   b. adhesive;
 wherein the adhesive is provided on the exterior surface of the glove between each of the finger inserts; 
   c. a plurality of loops;
 wherein the plurality of loops is provided on the index finger insert; 
   d. a hook;
 wherein the hook is provided on the thumb insert; 
 wherein the hook attaches to one of the plurality of loops. 
   
     
     
         21 . A tennis serve toss aid, which is comprised of a plurality of thimbles adhered together, wherein each thimble of the plurality of thimbles attach to the tip of each finger and thumb such that the placement of the fingers and thumb cause the hand to form a cradle. 
     
     
         22 . A method of using a tennis serve toss aid comprising:
 a. sliding a ring member onto a finger of a non-dominant hand;   b. placing a bowl member into the palm of the non-dominant hand;   c. attaching the bowl member to the ring member;   d. placing the palm of the non-dominant hand into a supinated position;   e. placing a tennis ball into the bowl member;   f. extending the tennis ball out to create a straight non-dominant arm;   g. locking the non-dominant arm in a straight position;   h. raising the straight non-dominant arm from a down position to an up position;   i. tossing the tennis ball out of the bowl member due to inertia from raising the straight non-dominant arm.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the method is further comprised of adjusting the angle of the wrist of the non-dominant hand. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the method is further comprised of repeatedly tossing the tennis ball from the bowl member and catching the tennis ball with the bowl member. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 21  wherein the method is further comprised of tossing the ball from the bowl member and striking the ball with a tennis racket held in the dominant hand to deliver a tennis serve.