How much do you really understand about the visual skills behind elite athletic performance?

In this episode, we kick off the year with something a little different — a five-question sports vision quiz drawn directly from Eye of the Champion. Whether you’re an athlete, coach, or simply fascinated by the science of high performance, this episode reveals why vision is far more than just seeing clearly, it’s about prediction, decision-making, and preparation.

You’ll discover the most misunderstood aspects of sports vision, why generic training programs often fail, and how elite athletes gain a competitive edge long before competition begins.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why the primary role of vision in sport is prediction, not clarity
• Which Olympic sport requires the sharpest distance vision and why the answer surprises most people
• The Sports Vision Pyramid and what must be optimized before higher-level training works
• Why reaction time training only benefits certain athletes and how to know if it’s worth your time
• What the Quiet Eye phenomenon is and how it improves performance across multiple sports

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:43 Question 1: Core Purpose of Vision in Sports
• 02:18 Question 2: Sports Specific Visual Requirements
• 03:53 Question 3: The Sports Vision Pyramid
• 05:00 Question 4: Reaction Time and Athletic Performance
• 06:16 Question 5: The Quiet Eye Phenomenon

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.

Every season, athletes and coaches ask the same question: Does sports vision training really work, or is it just another performance trend?

After more than 30 years working with athletes across Major League Baseball, the English Premier League, and elite sport worldwide, Dr. Daniel Laby gives a clear, science-backed answer: yes, sports vision training works, but only when it’s done correctly.

In this episode, Dr. Laby cuts through the hype and explains why most vision training fails, what elite athletes do differently, and how coaches and players can train vision safely, effectively, and in a way that actually transfers to performance on the field.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• Why 20/20 vision doesn’t equal elite performance and what truly matters when the game speeds up
• Which visual and perceptual-cognitive skills are actually trainable and backed by decades of research
• Why most sports vision training fails and how generic drills and apps miss real-world transfer
• How to train vision safely and effectively so it integrates with movement, decision-making, and competition

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:24 - Common Misconceptions About Sports Vision
• 01:02 - The Sports Vision Pyramid
• 01:16 - Key Research Findings
• 02:21 - Common Problems in Vision Training
• 03:11 - Effective Vision Training Strategies

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.

There’s a brief moment before every shot, often less than half a second, that can determine success or failure. It’s not mechanics or technique. It’s what happens when the eyes stop moving.

In this episode, we explore The Quiet Eye, a powerful but often overlooked performance skill used by elite athletes. Research shows that successful performances are preceded by earlier and longer visual fixation on the correct target, while missed shots under pressure often involve late or unstable gaze shifts.

You’ll learn why Quiet Eye isn’t about staring longer, how it prepares the brain to execute movement, and how it can be trained without changing mechanics, especially when the pressure is highest.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• Quiet Eye predicts success, especially under pressure
• It’s task-specific, the right target matters
• The eyes prepare the brain for execution
• Quiet Eye can be trained without changing technique

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 - The Crucial Moment Before a Free Throw
• 00:15 - Understanding Quiet Eye in Sports
• 00:52 - The Science Behind Quiet Eye
• 01:43 - Training Quiet Eye for Better Performance
• 02:02 - Practical Quiet Eye Drills
• 02:39 - Quiet Eye Under Pressure

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.

What if the hours you spend gaming could actually help you perform better on the field, court, or ice, not just improve your K/D ratio?

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Laby dives into what sports vision science really says about gaming and athletic performance. While gaming won’t magically turn you into a superstar, research shows that the right kind of gaming, done the right way, can sharpen key visual and cognitive skills that matter in high-speed sports.

He breaks down what’s proven, what’s hype, and how athletes can use gaming strategically as part of a smart performance training program.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• The right kind of gaming can sharpen sport-relevant visual skills like reaction speed, tracking moving objects, focusing in chaos, and seeing fine details faster.
• Gaming is a supplement, not a replacement for practice. The benefits are real but modest and only work when paired with proper sport training.
• Only fast-paced, competitive games played with intention matter. Casual or slow games don’t produce the same visual-cognitive benefits.
• Used strategically, gaming is low-risk and accessible, especially in the off-season or during injury and if you’re already gaming, it’s worth doing it in a way that might help performance.

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:36 - Scientific Evidence: Gaming Improves Vision
• 01:16 - Benefits of Gaming for Athletes
• 01:57 - Limitations and Considerations
• 03:35 - Practical Tips for Using Gaming in Training
• 04:40 - When and How to Incorporate Gaming

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.

Athletes, parents, and coaches are sounding the alarm: “Their eyes just aren’t working anymore.” Missed shots, poor tracking, fuzzy vision, late reactions. These aren’t just random off days. They’re symptoms of a predictable, research-backed cascade of visual fatigue.

In today’s episode, Dr. Daniel Laby breaks down what’s actually happening when an athlete says, “I just can’t see anymore,” and why most people have been thinking about sports vision all wrong. He explains the three overlapping systems that fail under fatigue, the science behind visual breakdown, and what athletes can finally do about it.

This is a must-listen for athletes, coaches, performance staff, and parents who want to understand the hidden factor limiting high-level performance and how to train it.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• Visual fatigue has three components: physical, eye muscle, and cognitive
• Fatigue follows a predictable breakdown: eye movements → gaze control → timing → decisions
• Many late-game mistakes are caused by tired eyes, not tired legs
• Visual performance under fatigue is measurable and trainable

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:29 - Understanding Visual Fatigue: A New Perspective
• 00:58 - Physical Fatigue and Its Impact on Vision
• 01:34 - Local Visual Oculomotor Fatigue
• 02:03 - Cognitive Fatigue: The Hidden Challenge
• 02:38 - The Predictable Pattern of Visual Breakdown
• 05:21 - Real-World Implications and Solutions
• 05:50 - Addressing Visual Fatigue

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Laby unpacks one of the biggest misconceptions in sports vision - the idea that correlations fully explain how visual skills impact performance. After decades of analyzing athlete data, he reveals why linear thinking misses the real story and how a non-linear, threshold-based approach uncovers the insights that actually drive results.

Using examples from baseball hitters, Dr. Laby shows how small visual improvements only create big performance gains when an athlete crosses a specific threshold—highlighting why individualized, targeted training matters far more than generic visual improvement.

Whether you're a coach, athlete, or trainer, this episode will change the way you think about visual performance and training.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• The visual system is non-linear, so correlations alone can be misleading
• Real performance gains occur when athletes cross specific visual thresholds
• Small improvements only matter if they happen near those thresholds
• Targeted, individualized visual training is far more effective than general improvement

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:42 - The Non-Linear Nature of the Visual System
• 01:01 - Practical Example: Baseball Hitters
• 01:36 - Understanding Threshold-Based Performance
• 03:07 - The Logistic Curve Model
• 03:39 - Practical Implications for Athletes and Coaches
• 04:20 - Rethinking Visual Training

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.

In this episode, Dr. Daniel Laby zooms out from drills and techniques and explores the future of sports vision training.

He breaks down the three major forces reshaping how athletes train their brains — democratization of tools, adaptive intelligence, and neuroplasticity acceleration, and explains why we’re at the most exciting turning point in human performance.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• We’re entering the Cognitive Athletics Revolution, where training the brain is as important as training the body.
• Pro-level vision and cognitive tools are now accessible to everyday athletes.
• Adaptive systems personalize training in real time based on your performance.
• Advances in neuroplasticity let athletes improve visual-cognitive skills faster and more precisely.

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:24 - The convergence of science, technology, and performance
• 01:00 -Big Change #1: From million-dollar labs to smartphone-based vision training
• 01:40 - Why widespread access doesn’t guarantee equal results
• 02:15 -Big Change #2: Systems that tailor training based on real-time performance
• 03:00 - Personalized, predictive programs that adjust automatically to athlete needs
• 03:42 - Big Change #3: How brain training can now happen faster and more precisely
• 04:30 - Training specific brain circuits vs. doing generic drills
• 05:05 - How the three major trends work together to form the Cognitive Athletics Revolution.

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.

Most athletes, and even many coaches, believe elite vision training requires elite budgets. In today’s episode, we flip that misconception on its head.

Dr. Daniel Laby breaks down six incredibly effective sports vision tools, each costing less than $50, that he regularly uses with athletes from youth sports all the way to Premier League and Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold.

You’ll learn why visual performance is the underdeveloped competitive edge in modern sport, how simple tools can transform an athlete’s reaction time, processing speed, and on-field decision-making, and exactly how to start implementing these drills into your weekly training.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• Six high-impact tools that dramatically improve visual performance
• The foundational Sports Vision Pyramid and how to apply it to any sport
• How to structure 30–40 minute weekly vision training sessions for maximum results
• The key principle behind long-term improvement: consistent, focused practice

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:41 - Tool 1: Swivel Vision Training Glasses
• 01:30 - Tool 2: The Eye of the Champion Book
• 02:15 - Tool 3: Juggling Set
• 02:40 - Tool 4: Brain HQ App
• 03:07 - Tool 5: Home Court App
• 03:43 - Tool 6: Tennis Balls
• 04:31 - Real-World Results and Case Study
• 05:09 - Implementation Strategy for Vision Training
• 05:33 - Breaking Down Barriers to Elite Vision Training

HELPFUL RESOURCES:

• Sports Vision NYC
• Connect with Dr. Laby on Instagram
• Pick Up a Copy of Eye of the Champion
• Download The Ultimate Sports Vision Guide for Athletes [FREE]

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe to Sports Vision Radio so you never miss an episode on the science of peak performance.