As soccer’s Women’s Asian Cup continues in Australia, much analysis will inevitably focus on the physical: the speed of Mary Fowler, the power of Sarina Bolden, the endurance of Yui Hasegawa and Ellie Carpenter.
However, in high-pressure environments, those who think the quickest and most creatively can have just as much impact as those who run the fastest.
This brings us to a crucial, under-researched frontier in sports science: the influence of women’s sex hormones that regulate processes such as the menstrual cycle, and what the central nervous system does for athletes.
