Batting glove and cushioning apparatus

A batting glove comprising:

• a cover member having a top portion and a bottom portion cooperating to define a central opening and a plurality of finger elements including a forefinger element and a thumb element configured to receive respective fingers and thumb of a user, the cover member configured to provide closed distal ends of the plurality of finger elements and cover an entire hand of the user, a web space defined between the forefinger element and the thumb element;
• and
• a web member having a first portion connected to the forefinger element and a second portion connected to the thumb element wherein the web member is positioned in the web space, the web member having a free perimeter edge that extends across the web space from the forefinger element to the thumb element, wherein the web member has an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein the outer layer encloses the inner layer, wherein the outer layer of the web member comprises a first segment and a second segment, first segment and the second segment operably connected together to form a pocket therebetween, the inner layer of the web member positioned in the pocket, wherein the bottom portion has a palm portion and the web member has an extension portion wherein the extension portion extends into the palm portion, wherein the forefinger element defines a first longitudinal axis through a center of the forefinger element and along an entire length of the forefinger element wherein the first longitudinal axis further extends into the palm portion of the bottom member, the extension portion extending past the first longitudinal axis, wherein the extension portion is configured to cover a portion of a palm of a hand of the user wearing the batting glove.

A batting glove comprising:

• a cover member having a top portion and a bottom portion cooperating to define a central opening and a plurality of finger elements including a forefinger element and a thumb element configured to receive respective fingers and thumb of a user, the cover member configured to provide closed distal ends of the plurality of finger elements and cover an entire hand of the user, wherein the bottom portion has a palm portion, a web space defined between the forefinger element and the thumb element;
• and
• a web member having a first portion connected to the forefinger element and a second portion connected to the thumb element wherein the web member is positioned in the web space, the web member having a free perimeter edge that extends across the web space from the forefinger element to the thumb element, wherein the web member has an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein the outer layer encloses the inner layer, wherein the outer layer of the web member comprises a first segment and a second segment, the first segment and the second segment operably connected together to form a pocket therebetween, the inner layer of the web member positioned in the pocket, the web member further having an extension portion wherein the extension portion extends into the palm portion, wherein the forefinger element defines a first longitudinal axis through a center of the forefinger element and along an entire length of the forefinger element wherein the first longitudinal axis extends into the palm portion of the bottom member, the extension portion extending past the first longitudinal axis, wherein the extension portion is configured to cover a portion of a palm of the hand of the user wearing the batting glove, and wherein the inner layer is an energy absorbing composite material having a solid foamed synthetic polymer matrix, and a polymer-based dilatant that is distributed through the polymer of the matrix and incorporated into the polymer of the matrix during formation of the polymer matrix, and a fluid distributed through the matrix, wherein the combination of the matrix, dilatant and fluid provides a composite material that is flexible and resiliently compressible, wherein the web member is configured to engage a curved handle surface of a bat in response to the user gripping the bat wherein the web member is in a curved configuration and in surface-to-surface contact with the curved handle surface of the bat, and wherein the web member is void of any overlapping upon itself, and wherein the extension portion is configured to be positioned between the curved handle surface of the bat and the adductor pollicis muscle of the user, wherein the web member minimizes force against a thenar region of the user's hand in response to the bat hitting a ball.

A batting glove comprising:

• a cover member having a top portion and a bottom portion cooperating to define a central opening and a plurality of finger elements including a forefinger element and a thumb element configured to receive respective fingers and thumb of a user, the plurality of finger elements further including separate middle finger element, ring finger element and little finger element wherein spaces are defined respectively between the middle finger element, the ring finger element and the little finger element, the cover member configured to provide closed distal ends of the plurality of finger elements and cover an entire hand of the user, a web space defined between the forefinger element and the thumb element;
• and
• a web member having a first portion connected to the forefinger element and a second portion connected to the thumb element wherein the web member is positioned in the web space, the web member further having an extension portion having a base extending into the bottom portion of the cover member, wherein the web member defines a free perimeter edge that extends across the web space from the first portion to the second portion, wherein the web member has an outer layer and an inner layer, wherein the outer layer encloses the inner layer, wherein the outer layer of the web member comprises a first segment and a second segment, the first segment and the second segment operably connected together to form a pocket therebetween, the pocket extending from the free perimeter edge to the base of the extension portion, the inner layer of the web member positioned in the pocket from the free perimeter edge to the base of the extension portion, wherein the first segment and the second segment of the outer layer define a smooth and uninterrupted surface.