News For
SWIM PARENTS
Published by The
American Swimming Coaches Association
5101 NW 21 Ave.,
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THE TAPER CHASE
By T.J Liston
Many times senior swimmers get to the end of the season and
look for great swims and great time drops due to the �Magic of The
Taper.� Often, swimmers expect these things to materialize because they
have in the past, because other swimmers on the team have done well, because it
is an important meet, or because they just want it to. But in reality,
the reason why swimmers swim fast is because they have prepared to. Good
performance is preceded by good preparation. To swim fast, swimmers must
train hard and must swim fast in practice.
The coach lays out a season plan before the season even
begins. The season is divided into several different training
cycles. These macro cycles are then divided into smaller mini
cycles. These all add up to a season�s training. Each mini cycle
must be swum with effort and focus or a key part of the swimmer�s training will
be missed. Each cycle is in itself very important and each mini cycle
sets up and enhances the next training cycle. The successful athlete
approaches each cycle with great effort and focus realizing that every cycle,
indeed every practice, is dependent upon the one before it.
As coaches, we are often able to detect strengths and
weaknesses in an individual�s training by how well they are able to hold on to
a taper or by their endurance and ability to go from one race to the next with
equal success. To perform well, it is important that early season
training is successfully challenged. To put together smart races and have
good splits, the successful athlete will need a strong and focused middle part
of the season. Good fine tuning in later cycles will help the swimmers set
up their races correctly and have the necessary speed to race. Every
cycle in a season is important to the success of the next cycle.
Successfully challenging and completing each cycle helps swimmers perform
faster and to be able to meet the demands of even more challenging sets at
practice. Swimmers who are able to perform during physically demanding
practices, the ones whose repeats hurt, are the swimmers who are preparing for
success at the end of the season.
We establish guidelines for what we expect and want at
practices for each cycle. We may make some minor adjustments to intervals
and sets, but we don�t make changes to the performance parameters of the
cycle�s focus. Many times we use key individuals as markers to determine
the effects of the overall training. These individuals are the ones that
best represent the work offered and the groups� expectations and
abilities. These swimmers have near perfect attendance and have fulfilled
the challenges of the workouts we have given. These athletes understand
that the training curve is well ahead of the performance curve, and that
practice efforts from weeks before the championship meet are impacting the
swimmer�s ability to race. The season�s results are dependent on the
season�s efforts. The taper will highlight the work done during the
season, and the swimmer whose efforts and attendance have been consistent is
usually the swimmer who performs well at the championship meet.
So, before swimmers expect �Taper Magic,� it is important
that they put in the work during the early months of training and all the way
through the season. Their attendance needs to be as near to perfect as
health allows. Their efforts and focus have to be 100% every day.
They have to eat, sleep, and hydrate properly throughout the season and all the
way through their big meet. They should not gain weight on their
taper. They should not use up all their extra energy that begins to
emerge as they are tapering by staying up late, spending all day playing in the
sun, etc.. What they do away from the pool is as
important as what is happening at practices. Rest, rest, and more rest
are in order. Save up that energy. Save it for racing.
Successful swimming is not magic. Successful swimming is part of the plan.