How to Swim Successfully at the Big Meet Part II

   Another critical aspect of the physical preparation is the taper. The general rules of an effective taper are:

1.MAINTAIN THE FREQUENCY OF  TRAINING.

To change your training schedule by sleeping in and giving up on morning swims, can be counter productive ( the big challenge is to convince the parents about this)

2.MAINTAINHARD WORK THROUGHOUT THE TAPER

Don’t be afraid to include some high intensity training during the taper period. It’s important to stimulate the swimmers nervous system and energy systems activity during taper.

3. DECREASE TRAINING VOLUME – Swimmers can benefit from a significant reduction in training loads over the taper period.

In summery, training sessions during the taper should be at the same times and on the same days as if it were during the regular training cycle, but they should be lower in volume. Keep in mind that young swimmers are very resilient and too much taper can result in flat, tired and lethargic performances.