The Neural-Centric Model: A Signal-Based Framework for Performance Adaptation in Sport

This paper proposes a neural-centric framework for understanding performance adaptation in sport, with an emphasis on coordination durability and signal degradation under load. It repositions late-stage performance breakdown as a systems-level outcome driven not only by metabolic fatigue, but by loss of signal fidelity and neuromuscular coordination. The model provides coaches and performance professionals with a theoretical scaffold for interpreting coordination collapse and planning adaptive training.This manuscript is part of a broader conceptual sequence exploring neural signaling and performance decay. Although based on similar theoretical principles, this version is tailored for an applied sport science audience.This manuscript was submitted to the International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching and is now being considered for repositioning.