Spring type apparatus for the projecting of footballs and the like

Apparatus for shooting a football, comprising:

• a ball container adapted to contain a plurality of footballs, means defining a ball shooting station, transfer means for the transfer of balls one at a time from said container to said shooting station, striking means for striking a ball located at said shooting station, said striking means having ball engaging means that impacts against a ball to immediately propel a football through the air, adjustment means for adjusting the strength of the force with which said striking means strikes said ball, and position selection means for selecting the position of the point of impact of said striking force against said ball, said striking means comprising a striking bar and means for mechanically engaging and driving said striking bar in the shooting direction, said striking bar being mounted near its upper end on a horizontal pivot for pivoting movements in a vertical plane, said striking bar striking said ball at the lower end of the bar and in the general area of the lowest point of the swinging movement of the bar, said shooting station including determining support points to determine the position of said ball at said shooting station, said shooting station being in proximity to the ground, said mechanical driving means including positively driven means for abuttingly engaging said striking bar to accelerate said striking bar to initiate a shot and impact said striking bar against said ball with a striking force, and, after impact, continuing to apply said striking force to said ball to provide follow-through, whereby said ball is projected in a selected direction with desired strength.