Over the course of the season, the training load on our swimmers has been building and building.  It has been building just for this time of the season…now we REST! A synonym for this resting period is “taper."  Swimmers should start tapering for their season culminating meets at the onset of puberty.  After many months of training (usually 4-6 months), a swimmer’s muscles have broken down and built back up to constantly adapt to the training.  It has been found that a period of "super compensation" helps swimmers to recover before the expectation of peak performance competition. Now is the time for these competitions, so now is the time to taper.

Consider your training is a slingshot.  As you pull it back, the rubber strap gives more and more resistance.  It gets harder and harder to continue to pull back further.  Then you relax your fingers and let the projectile fly!  When you are in heavy training, it is supposed to be difficult.  Some people only pull that slingshot back so far and then just wait for the time to rest.  Some are able to consistently continue to pull back the strap farther and farther, meeting new levels of resistance along the way.  When you let go and watch your performance soar, the work that you did months earlier will judge how far your racing will take you.  (You also have to have that sling shot aimed in the right direction...you won't get the results you want if your slingshot is constantly aimed at the ground).

A taper for an age group swimmer, or other adolescent swimmers who are not approaching physical maturation, lasts about 7-10 days. This gives enough time for the muscles to rest, recover, and ready for the stresses of a 3-4 day meet. Swimmers who have put puberty behind them typically need more rest. Swimmers who have higher muscle density may need more rest as well. Remember that US Nationals is a 6-7 day meet. The Olympic swimming lasts 8 days! Swimmers need to be prepared to swim their best at all stages and sessions of their focus meet. While many swimmers feel “tired” on the last day of a meet, their bodies may be very prepared for the stresses of competition.  Maybe, emotionally they lack the ability to motivate themselves to put in a best effort.

Some things to consider for those who are tapering:

1. Rest away from the pool is as important as rest in the pool. Don’t spend the weeks before your big meet participating in EXTRA activities that use physical exertion and mental exhaustion. If you have been ice skating every Saturday for the past 6 months, skating during your taper won’t hurt you; however, you may want to tone down this activity to avoid any soreness or injury. Take care of your body and your body will take care of you.

2. Get some sleep. If you don’t have the opportunity to sleep later in the morning (most of you don’t), you should be going to bed earlier. If you can’t get to sleep, try some soothing music or progressive muscle relaxation. If your studies are keeping you up at night, get ahead! There’s no rule against it. If your swimming is important to you, your sleep is important to you, too.

3. Keep the groceries up! I’ll bust a couple of myths…if you are doing less swimming, you need less calories: WRONG! But you do need to cut out the garbage, and eat more greens. Myth #2: Champs time, I need to load up on carbs: WRONG! You should still maintain a balanced diet; however, carbs need to be the primary fuel source on meet days, with fats and proteins to be eaten at meal times.

If my job is to physically prepare you at the pool for fast swimming at your season culminating meet, don’t blow it with what you are doing away from the pool. Make sure you are walking on deck knowing that you’ve done everything you can in preparation for the meet that you could possibly do. Then just let some fast swimming happen!

Quick article on what a taper is and why we do it:

Taper - what is it?