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Print this entrySports Science Topic - June 23, 2009
What things do you traditionally do during the tapering process that you feel give you the best chance at achieving your goals? So any special sets or gimmicks that work for you.
Responses
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Of course the term "gimmick" adds an element that almost opens the door to anything, so share things that you think are potential winners for the readers out there. Don't be like my wife who muttered across the table that more wine works for her... although come to think about it I didn't clarify whether that was more whine or... more wine. |
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I remember reading an article where Lea Maurer talked about having her girls at Stanford sculling upside down, and that as they tapered, they could get their legs higher and higher out of the water, or something like that. I would be interested to learn more about that. There should be some very interesting things thrown around on this idea. One of my best tapers was one where we started doing more and more hypoxic work every day up to the point where nearly everything was done no-breath with best strokes possible. |
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I'd love to have the water time to provide for a taper. We only get 3 sessions a week on Saturday, Sunday and Monday so plenty of time to rest before the next weekend's meet anyway! When my son was training 10 sessions a week they just used to reduce the volume but maintain or even increase intensity daft as it may seem it worked |
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I learned this "gimmick" from my brother. During taper, my Mom asked him to shine his shoes... he refused. He said that the energy used in the manual labor may be energy he needed to perform at his highest level at the upcoming meet. While many may see this as an easy way out, when you put that thought to your daily "taper" life, as I've written somewhere else on the site... doing EVERYTHING a bit slower and with ultimate efficiency, you'll always be focusing on WHY you're trying to save that energy, and always have your championship race in your mind. Obviously, this is out of the pool stuff... and FYI... I'm tapering for a meet in 2020, so I can't do any manual until then. |
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I'll inform Denny as to your current "taper" plan. I'm sure he'll be in touch |
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I like to use a Tempo Trainer set in Mode 2 to get a feel for what actual race pace feels like. E.g., if I'm trying to race a 50 in 35 seconds, I set the TT to beep every 17 seconds and try to beat the TT to the wall for a 25. Or, e.g., if I'm trying to swim a 100 in 80 seconds, I set the TT to beep every 20 seconds and swim a few 75s. These swims are from the blocks, with heart rate at 100 before starting. |
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Doesn't anyone out there do race extended version of BH's race rehearsal stuff? I could write a book about the tapering process, but when I write something in here everyone goes away, and the comments dry up. So am looking for comments from the readership with regards to what they do, and what they feel works. C'mon don't be shy... I'm sure that SPRINTER spends more time on that bike getting a feel for speed OR works on getting better at sticking that tongue out at all the not so lucky people in her event. I'll touch on a small mind issues concerning the tapering process.
I would also note that when I was younger I made the mistake of attaching irrelevant things to my success or failure during the tapering process. Stupid stuff like - if I can bounce this ball into that cup then I'm going to win, and if I don't I'll... I'll... I'll just ignore the consequences of my failure to get the ball into that STUPID cup. |
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I definitely use visualization of each race, starting several weeks out from the event. I swim the race in different lanes of the pool (in Masters you often end up in an end lane, no matter how fast or slow you are), I use my approximate stroke counts per length, and I like to burn into my cortex the notion that I will have endless energy throughout the race. When I first start to visualize a race, from well before the start to the finish, it takes 2 to 3 times the actual length of the race to do the visualization (there are a lot of "do-overs" :)) But if I visualize on a daily basis, there are fewer and fewer do-overs and by race day, the visualization takes about as long as the race. I also use cords a lot during taper, just to feel like I can whup anything and anybody in a race. |
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I sure didn't ready everyone's posts, but here are things I do or have done. Pantyhoes on arms and legs at practice the week or 2 before a meet, or in between meets where I have already shaved. This season I am gonna go from my drag suit to a normal practice brief(although the drag suits seem to be the norm nowdays...) on the last week or 2 leading up to my meet. A couple weeks before I try to visualize all the races I plan on doing about 3 times per day. I really cut back on all the junk food and focus on the healthiest foods I can get. Start doing race pace tempo and drop down the volume and keep trying to increase the intensity. Take longer recovery between repeats in a set, so it becomes more of feel good sets. Watch pump up races and movies and listen to plenty of pump up songs. Take AM heart rates (trying to get a resting heart rate) trying to get it as low as possible and modifying my training to continue to get it lower and lower. |
Jonty Skinner
GW
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