10 & Unders: To Taper or Not to Taper

It's no secret that 10 and under swimmers don't get the same physiological benefit out of a taper than older, more mature swimmers. And I have heard more than a couple times in the many clinics that I have taken part in that you don't really need to taper the younger kids. But does this mean that they don't get a motivational boost, or perhaps some psychological benefit out of a taper? I have used tapers successfully with my 10 and under athletes for years. The trick is to make them believe! Believe in their team, believe in their coach, and believe in themselves.

THE MEETING

I usually start my taper with the 10 and under Gold group about 5-6 workouts before the big meet. On day one, I begin with a group meeting. Kids enjoy learning and they crave knowledge for the things they love to do. So, I explain to them exactly what I plan on doing, and more importantly, why. I let them know that if they follow my plan that their chances of success are dramatically increased.

NO DRYLAND

I run a very intense dryland program. So, at this point, we stop strengthening the body and focus on strengthening the mind. I am a talker and I like to use the 30 minutes out of the water for motivational talks, games, and discussions. I teach positive thinking all the way.

THE WORKOUT

A typical regular season workout averages a little under 4,000 yards a day with 1 hour and 30 minutes of water time. We stick with our regular routine all season long, alternating strokes and disciplines each day. The kids get used to a routine and appreciate the fact that they can usually figure out what the next set will require. A couple weeks before the taper I will give them some really hard workouts that go a little over 4,000 yards.

So, to begin the taper I break the routine and get them doing something different. I will start with an unusual warm up set followed by a longer freestyle kick set. After about 45 minutes of semi-typical hard work I bring in the racing sets. We will do some broken 100's and 200's for time. Some 25's sprint on 1:00, no breathers, are also common. For the last little bit of extra time, I go over starts, turns, breakouts, etc. I only drop my yardage by about 100-300 yards a day, never dropping below 2,500 yards. Any extra time I get out of dropping yardage goes into more starts, turns, streamlines, and basic racing skills. I do not let my kids out early.

THE HAPPIEST COACH IN THE WORLD

During this time I become the happiest coach in the world. I make a huge effort to build their confidence beyond my normal capabilities. At first it is a bit hard. But after a couple days of making myself see only the positive and working on that alone, it really gets addictive and becomes a very exciting and fun time for myself and the kids. I really try to become the most positive and constructive person that the kids can believe in. No threatening. No yelling. No disappointment on my face EVER.

In conclusion, I feel that it is important to create some sort of big meet atmosphere around the workouts that lead up to the actual big meet. It may not even need to be a real taper. Perhaps you can call it a peek performance week. But something out of the ordinary that will get the kids fired up about swimming fast for the team. Something that will get the kids to believe!