Soccer Racket of America LLC was formed in 2000 to manufacture, distribute, license and sell the Soccer Racket (tm) interactive rebounder and its related intellectual property world-wide. The Soccer Racket was invented in 1998 by the founder of Soccer Racket of America and has been a personal training tool to many Olympic Development Program and university players throughout the U.S. The Soccer Racket is covered by patents and trademark rights.
An "interactive" rebounder is a much improved rebound goal which actually engages the athlete in an interactive session of "touches" and "traps". All other "rebounders" on the market are actually not true rebounders, but ball-stops since they are fabricated from nets stretched over a light-weight frame. A ball-stop type rebounder can only stop a ball from passing further with limited rebound response. Unfortunately, the word "rebounder" is often applied to these devices which is deceptive in that they cannot actually rebound the ball for "touching" and "trapping" skill-work. The Soccer Racket is the latest inovation in personal soccer training equipment - a high performance interactive rebounder. The Soccer Racket provides the soccer player intent on being the best a means to quickly improve each of the soccer skills; ball-control, passing, trapping, striking, heading, even keeper and throw-in skills. The Soccer Racket is very much what the name implies; a "racket" made for soccer. The RAPID-FIRE Soccer Racket is constructed of a 12 ft wide by 8 ft high sturdy aluminum alloy frame which is "strung" with over 1200 feet of extra heavy gauge racket string. The racket string forms a taut and very lively rebound surface which will rebound a soccer ball at virtually the same speed as it was kicked - in the air or on the ground. The result is a truly interactive fast-paced practice session that furnishes real game response.
The RAPID-FIRE Jr. is offered for those "on the move". It measures 6 ft by 8 ft and can be oriented vertically or horizontally for a versatile practice session in a completely portable package.
The high-intensity interactive workout session provided by the Soccer Racket is un-matched by predecessor rebound goals which are constructed of "nets"or backboards, and tend to "roll the ball back" to the athelete. The Soccer Racket does not use a net. Instead it uses a patented "high-tension" interactive rebound surface - the same one which has been used in tennis rackets for decades - for a highly efficient and interactive practice session un-matched in POWER and PACE! Soccer players using the Soccer Racket find themselves challenged at every skill of the game for a Total and Comprehensive workout. The Soccer Racket can be adjusted to a vertical orientation for "on-the-ground" rebounds, or either of two reclined orientations for "in-the-air" rebounds. Each of these orientations excels at honing specific soccer skills. The Soccer Racket is well suited for athletes at all skill levels since its rebounding power is derived directly from the athlete. Novice soccer players will find their practice session well-matched for their skill level as they groove their skills on the "Racket". More experienced players will also find the Racket the ultimate challenge as it matches their powerful passes with lightning-quick rebounds putting their trapping skills to the test. At all skill levels, you had better be ready to play - or get out of the way!
Since the Soccer Racket is an "interactive" training device, it is always ready when you are.
Striking skills are practiced by kicking from a distance. The Soccer Racket acts as the "flawless" keeper and rebounds the ball directly back at the athlete. The Racket angle can be set to one of the reclined settings if the athlete desires the ball to be lobbed back high in the air to practice trapping the high ball.
Passing and trapping skills are practiced a bit closer to the Racket. The athlete will pass the ball into the Racket and then must react immediately to trap the rebounded ball. Again, the Racket can be adjusted to a reclined setting so the rebound is high to practice trapping the high ball.
Keeper skills are practiced a bit further back. The keeper will practice by kicking into the Racket and then look-out, as the rebounded ball whizzes back with equal power and silent deception. The keeper’s reflexes and hand-eye coordination are put to the test as he/she jumps and dives to catch the rebounded ball. As the keeper's reflexes and hand-eye coordination increases, he/she will move slightly closer to the Racket to get the maximum challenge.
Throw-in skills are quickly strengthened as the athlete strives to lengthen his/her throw. With the racket in the slightly reclined position the athlete can throw into the Racket at whatever distance is comfortable, and the rebounded ball falls directly back into his/her hands. Hundreds of throw-ins can be practiced in minutes. Athletes find themselves gradually moving back as their throw-ins become grooved and strengthen over time.
Header skills practice is fascinating to practice and watch. Using the slightly reclined position, the athlete strikes the ball into the racket and immediately finds the ball in the air ready for the perfect header. For maximum header practice, the Racket is set to the maximum reclined position. The athlete stands immediately in front of the Racket and after throwing the ball into the racket begins a repititous exercise of heading the ball over and over into the Racket. The direct rebound from the Soccer Racket back to the head gives the athlete the ability to make many headers in seconds as the athlete dribbles the ball against the Racket with his/her head. As the practice session advances, the athlete will attempt to increase the times he/she can head the ball without missing a beat. Advanced players have been known to accumulate hundreds of headers in succession without missing a beat - WOW!
Want to practice corner shot headers?..... Just set up the Soccer Racket about halfway to the corner post and perpindicular to the goal and pass into the racket - the ideal corner shot is lofted into the air begging for the perfect header into the goal !
Soccer players also find themselves enjoying sparring with the Racket. Sparring practice is done by standing immediately in front of the reclined Racket and gently kicking the ball over and over into the racket with both feet without letting the ball drop to the ground. Hundreds of touches are accumulated in minutes as the athlete spars with the flawless goaltender.
The Soccer Racket rebound system has been engineered to last a lifetime. The racket frame and support frame are heavy duty and practically indestructable whether located outdoors or indoors. The high tension rebound surface is strung with a UV-resistant monofilament cord called BLACKDRAGONwire (tm) which is designed to provide maintenance-free service for many years in direct sunlight, rain, heat, and freezing conditions with no degradation. With the introduction of our BLACKDRAGONwire rebound surface, the Soccer Racket boasts a long outdoor service life of many years before a string replacement is necessary. Fasteners and hardware are all stainless steel for rust-free long term use. See question #12 for additional explanation on product quality and workmanship.
Soccer Racket of America also offers several solutions for racket string replacement if sometime later the need arises:
A single broken string segment can be replaced in less than 5 minutes with one of several replacement strings included with your purchase. Instructions are included with the Soccer Racket to make this an easy task. Additional strings may be purchased from us at a minimal cost.
If someday in the future a complete string replacement is desired, a complete do-it-yourself string kit may be purchased from Soccer Racket of America for a reasonable cost. Detailed instructions accompany the restringing kit. Two untrained persons can re-string a Soccer Racket in about 5 hours.
Soccer Racket of America also provides a full-service racket stringing service to restring your Soccer Racket for you. We will schedule a truck pickup at your location and return your Soccer Racket frame fully strung in about two weeks. After purchasing the factory restringing service from our order form, we will get in touch with you ASAP to collect information for scheduling the Racket pick-up at your location.
Once the RAPID-FIRE and RAPID-FIRE jr Soccer Rackets have been assembled, they are easily moved around the yard or practice field. By engaging each of the control arms on each side of the Soccer Racket into a fixed clasp, the Soccer Racket is lifted on its wheels which enables a single person to easily maneuver it around the field. By quickly disengaging the control arms from the clasps the Soccer Racket is ready for action.
The RAPID-FIRE Jr. was developed at the request of training camp coaches who are constantly on the move. Because of its size it is completely portable via a pickup truck, or trailer for relocation to another field. It can also be oriented both vertically and horizontally for a thorough and complete workout.
Yes! both the RAPID-FIRE and RAPID-FIRE jr. Soccer Rackets can be installed indoors. This makes it ideal for indoor soccer arenas, gyms, health clubs, and family-fun centers. A wall-mounted support frame is supplied to enable mounting indoors. The wall mounted frame also enables the Soccer Racket to be easily adjusted to the necessary angles to take advantage of its versatility.
The Soccer Racket comes fully strung. The only assembly required for outdoor use is to assemble the tubular mounting frame to the racket. This procedure takes about 30 to 45 minutes for the untrained person. The Soccer Racket can be left outdoors fully assembled or can be disassembled from the mounting frame for storage. Indoor installation will take additional time to make the wall ready for the mounting frame.
The Soccer Racket will be shipped from our factory directly to your home or business. Common carrier is the preferred method of shipment.
The Soccer Racket carries a 90 day parts replacement warranty on sub-component parts judged by Soccer Racket of America to be defective. The customer is responsible for shipping charges to return the defective part to Soccer Racket of America for direct part replacement during the warranty period. If Soccer Racket of America judges the part to be defective, Soccer Racket of America will provide a replacement part and refund the shipping charges. Since we opened our doors in 1999 Soccer Racket of America has never had a warranty claim or request for refund. We encourage you to request references from our customers if you are considering a purchase.
Proceed to the order form and fill it out. It will calculate your shipping charges and total cost. You may then order electronically with a credit card or send in your order to the address listed on the form.
The RAPID-FIRE and RAPID-FIRE Jr Soccer Rackets are engineered soccer training aids designed to last a lifetime. The Soccer Racket is a professional quality appliance manufactured from the highest quality materials by experienced machinists. The racket frame is fabricated from 1/4" thick extruded 6061-T6 high strength aluminum alloy designed to provide a super-taut rebound surface. The tubular support frame is formed from sturdy industrial grade G90 galvanized steel tube designed for outdoor service. Fasteners are stainless steel and all welded joints are TIG welded. The rebound surface is composed of individual UV protected "BLACKDRAGONwire (tm) nylon cords woven together to form a powerful, high intensity rebound surface designed for interactive professional skills training in a real-game response environment. A patented design, exceptional material quality, and skilled workmanship work hand in hand to provide the most challenging soccer training experience possible.
