The Ups and Downs of Taper Time
The Ups and Downs of Taper Time
Feature by Michelle Berman, Swimming World intern
Have you ever felt bad in the water the day before a championship meet? Have you ever felt good weeks before you were supposed to in the middle of taper season? Have you ever showed up at a meet thinking, ‘I have no idea what to expect?'
Taper season is as confusing to some as learning a new language. Alyssa Anderson, a junior at the University of Arizona, as well as a member of the U.S. Pan Pacific team, can swim just about any event on a meet line-up.
"A taper to me is a time where you are able to let your body fully recover from all the hard work and training you've done leading up to that point," Anderson said. "It is also a time to re-discover some of the easy speed you may have lost during tough training. Taper is when you put it all together and really get tuned in for what you've been preparing for all season."
As Anderson described, tapering is, in simple terms, a way to let your body energize itself prior to championship swimming time. But having a successful taper takes focus and emphasis on the details.
