A swimmer’s favorite words to hear from a coach are “Good job.” But nothing compares to hearing, “We are starting our taper.” That moment feels like the first breath after the final turn in a 200-meter backstroke. The grind of a swim season is hard, and swimmers feel it all year. The work is necessary, but it is felt, and the season piles on a weight that a taper finally lifts.
What is a Taper?
A taper in swimming is a period of reduced training volume that lets the body recover and build toward peak performance at a major competition. A taper is crucial because it gives the swimmer’s body a chance to return to its top form. Throughout the season, swimmers push through constant fatigue in their quest to improve and get better. With all of that strain, real recovery becomes necessary.
A strong taper involves reducing the volume of a practice, not the intensity. A swimmer gains real rest through the drop in yardage. In most cases, the taper reduces yardage by about 40 to 60 percent. Maintaining high intensity keeps the swimmer mentally prepared to race. With less yardage to swim through, a swimmer can lock in on the small details and techniques while still hitting race-level effort.
Tapering is personal. Each swimmer has different needs. A taper should be tailored to the swimmer. Swimmers respond differently depending on the training they have done during the season. Some swimmers do best with a longer taper, or a progressive taper with a steady drop in yardage. Other swimmers respond better to a shorter taper, or a step taper with a steep drop in the yardage at once. A distance swimmer does not need the same taper as a sprinter, and that preparation never looks the same for everyone. It is essential to prepare each swimmer properly, because tapers should be built around the swimmer, not the other way around. A taper is specialized recovery, recovery with purpose that fits the swimmer.
The Calm Before the Storm
A big piece of putting together a great race is having the mind right and ready. A taper creates the perfect time for the mind to settle. It gives a swimmer the chance to visualize success and mentally rest. These moments open the mind to the possibility of great racing. A long season wears a swimmer down, and this time of rest rejuvenates every part of the mind and body. Tapering brings calmness before the storm, and the storm is kicking butt in the pool. Mental preparation pushes a swimmer forward when the body reaches its limit.
The taper is the final stage of the cycle. A swimmer’s cycle from big meet to big meet starts with a base, then builds to a peak. After weeks of that climb, the taper begins about one to two weeks before the big meet. This stage shifts the focus away from heavy training and toward priming the swimmer for fast racing. The taper serves as the final step to the moment when all the work from the season comes together.
Hard Work to Execution
A taper is the bridge between hard work and results. It is needed, and it is necessary. That time allows a swimmer to breathe, both literally and metaphorically, and step into championship season with confidence and composure. It is where a swimmer cashes in the season. It gives the body its strength back and the mind its edge back. Then the taper brings the swimmer to the edge of the diving board and says, “Jump.” It sets up the swimmer to execute the race that matters most. And the race comes down to execution.
