When Liverpool and England star Trent Alexander-Arnold partnered with Dr. Daniel Laby in 2021, few could have predicted the impact that cutting-edge vision training would have on his game. In this episode, Dr. Laby walks you through the remarkable journey, from early testing to measurable performance gains, revealing how elite-level sports vision can unlock untapped potential on the pitch.

Featured in a Red Bull documentary, Trent’s transformation shows that football isn’t just about physical ability or tactical awareness — it’s also about how well players see, process, and react to the world around them.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL LEARN:

• How traditional vision tests fall short for elite athletes
• What the Advanced Vision Testing System (AVTS) is and how it mirrors real game conditions
• Why multiple-object tracking and depth perception are crucial for high-speed decision-making
• The incredible stats behind Trent’s improvement — including a 240% jump in tracking ability and major increases in assists and key passes
• The science behind regression to the mean — and why vision training, like strength training, requires maintenance
• What this means for the future of football and athlete development

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:46 Advanced Vision Testing System (AVTS)
• 01:01 Systematic Training Approach
• 01:26 Importance of Depth Perception and Adaptability
• 01:55 Innovative Training Techniques
• 02:16 Remarkable Performance Improvements
• 02:55 The Need for Ongoing Maintenance
• 03:28 Vision Training: The Untapped Frontier

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 Deep Dive episode, the hosts break down the Sports Vision Pyramid — a five-level performance model built from decades of working with elite and professional athletes. Rather than relying solely on strength, speed, or technical skill, this framework prioritizes how athletes take in, process, and act on visual information under high-pressure, real-time conditions. Performance isn’t just about muscles or mechanics — it’s fundamentally about perception and decision-making.

The conversation begins by examining why the pyramid model starts with vision as its foundational layer. If the raw visual input isn’t sharp, fast, and accurate, then every higher-level skill suffers. Athletes cannot execute elite-level actions if they are processing incomplete or delayed visual information. The episode stresses that training the top of the pyramid without first optimizing lower levels is inefficient — and often a waste of coaching time and resources.

From vision clarity and contrast sensitivity, to depth perception, to decision-making, to motor execution, each level builds on the one below it. The hosts highlight that many pros compensate for subtle visual deficits with advanced instincts and mechanics—but once detected and corrected, even small improvements in foundational visual performance can deliver meaningful competitive gains.

The episode concludes with compelling empirical evidence from pro baseball: players with superior Level-1 visual performance (on the AVTS test) demonstrated significantly greater plate discipline and higher on-base rates, not from hitting harder, but from improved selectivity and decision-making. The message is clear — optimizing vision improves cognition, which improves execution, which wins games.

The takeaway? Whether you're an athlete or a business professional, elite performance begins at the foundation. Master the input — and the output takes care of itself.

• Vision is the foundational performance input — clarity + contrast sensitivity are Level 1.
• Testing must simulate real-world demands: brief, time-pressured visual stimuli.
• Each eye must be tested individually to identify asymmetries.
• Level 2: stereo vision — depth perception & spatial judgment.
• Level 3: visual-based decision-making — clarity reduces cognitive load and increases selectivity
• Level 4: motor execution — training here is inefficient if lower levels are weak.
• Level 5: on-field performance — the visible outcome of a strong foundation.
• Pro-level data: better foundational vision correlates with a higher on-base percentage via improved pitch selection.
• Training the top without fixing the base is like building athletic performance on sand.
• The model applies beyond sports — decision quality depends on the quality of input.

• 00:00 — Introduction to optimizing athletic performance
• 00:20 — Why vision matters more than strength/speed alone
• 00:45 — The Sports Vision Pyramid concept explained
• 01:10 — Importance of building from the bottom up
• 01:50 — Level 1: Visual acuity & contrast sensitivity
• 02:49 — Time-pressure visual testing and monocular testing
• 03:40 — AVTS testing: speed, clarity, contrast
• 04:28 — Even pros compensate for hidden visual deficits
• 05:11 — Level 2: Stereo vision & depth judgment
• 06:19 — Level 3: Vision-based decision-making
• 07:44 — Cognitive load and early pitch recognition
• 07:50 — Level 4: Visually-guided motor execution
• 08:48 — Why mechanics alone can’t fix...

Dr. Laby’s framework for turning effort into exponential advantage — and why every athlete can build greatness from scratch.

In this episode of Sports Vision Radio, the hosts explore what truly separates elite athletes and high performers from the rest — and it’s not raw talent. Drawing on the expertise of Dr. Daniel Laby, who has spent three decades working with professional athletes, the conversation challenges the myth that success is primarily genetic. Instead, it emphasizes preparation, deliberate practice, cumulative advantage, and sheer work ethic as the real engines of excellence.

The discussion begins by dissecting the traditional equation of Achievement = Talent + Preparation, revealing that as one moves toward the top tier of performance, the importance of natural talent diminishes while preparation and training dominate. The hosts highlight that the psychological freedom in focusing on effort rather than innate ability empowers individuals to take full control of their development.

Next, the episode delves into the nature of deliberate practice—not mere repetition, but precise, targeted training aimed at correcting weaknesses. Examples such as Steph Curry’s early commitment to refining his shooting form and Tiger Woods’ lifelong accumulation of golf practice illustrate how compounding small advantages early in life leads to exponential results over time.

The conversation culminates in identifying the ultimate differentiator: effort. At the elite level, everyone is talented and trained — but only the few who sustain extraordinary levels of effort and intensity rise to the very top. Dr. Laby’s personal story about training for the New York City Marathon — starting with a single block and progressing to 26 miles — perfectly illustrates how determination and systematic improvement can overcome perceived limitations in talent.

Ultimately, this episode reframes success as a function of controllable variables — deliberate effort and sustained preparation — challenging listeners to increase their own preparation by just 10%. A small, consistent boost today, the hosts suggest, becomes tomorrow’s competitive edge through the power of cumulative advantage.

• Talent matters less than we think: Success at the top levels depends more on preparation than innate ability.
• Deliberate practice is key: Focused, feedback-driven training targeting weaknesses builds long-term mastery.
• Cumulative advantage compounds success: Small early gains snowball into large differences over years of consistent work.
• Effort is the ultimate differentiator: The hardest workers outpace even the most naturally gifted.
• Actionable takeaway: Boost your preparation by 10% this week — effort compounds just like interest.

• 00:00 – 00:47 – Introduction: Redefining success beyond genetics and highlights
• 00:47 – 02:11 – The talent myth: Why preparation outperforms natural ability
• 02:11 – 03:54 – The psychology of effort: Controlling what you can build
• 03:54 – 05:27 – Practice as the engine: Deliberate, targeted improvement
• 05:27 – 07:26 – Cumulative advantage: The compounding effect of early mastery (Steph Curry, Tiger Woods)
• 07:26 – 08:47 – The final differentiator: Relentless effort and intensity
• 08:47 – 10:22 – Dr. Laby’s marathon story: Effort over talent in real life
• 10:22 – 11:45 – Core takeaways: Preparation, deliberate practice, compounding, and effort
• 11:45 – End – Challenge to...