As a High School Football Coach in Norco, California, I kept noticing the same problem. Players having difficulty identifying their keys and reads. It happened at every position. They weren’t dialed in. Distractions were everywhere. Something was needed to restrict players vision and force their focus.
A solution was taking shape in my mind and a drawing soon followed. Next came a Provisional Patent. I needed a teammate and so my lifelong friend Joe Valenti joined me. We went to a sporting goods store and got ski Goggles along with rubber base and duct tape from a hardware store. Then it was off to work, taking out the lens, cutting out the rubber base, and taping it to the sides of the ski goggle to block the peripheral. It did the job! Our Utility Patent was issued!
We found a lab to make a prototype and manufactured a small amount for youth & adults. Then it was off to sports conventions & tournaments where our Goggle was extremely well received. Nevertheless, it needed to fit better under a helmet and be sleeker in general. Back to the drawing board, and the lab making what is the current one-size-fits-all comfortable design, which I’m proud to say is made in the USA. My son Ryan joined us in marketing our new product and a business was born, which has grown to where professional athletes, as well as youth and adults, train with Swivel Vision in a variety of sports.
As a former Coach, I love helping athletes see success!
Jim Konkler, President
Swivel Vision
