Where science meets practice: Olympic coaches’ crafting of the tapering process

Abstract

Although there is research providing physiologically-based guidance for the content of the taper, this study was the first to examine how coaches actually implement the taper. The purpose of this study was to examine the taper planning and implementation processes of successful Olympic coaches leading up to major competitions and how they learned about tapering. Seven track and field coaches participated in semi-structured interviews exploring their tapering processes. To be considered for inclusion, coaches were required to have coached one or more athletes to an Olympic or Paralympic medal. Through a process of axial and open coding interview transcripts were analysed and lower and higher order themes developed describing the coaches' tapering processes. Our findings indicate that the strategies employed to achieve the desired physiological adaptions of the taper were consistent with research (e.g., reduction in volume whilst maintaining intensity and frequency). However, our findings also suggest that tapering is far from a straight forward "textbook" process. The taper was not restricted to physiological outcomes with coaches considering athletes' psychological as well as physical state. Coaches also involved the athlete in the process, adapted the taper to the athlete, continually monitored its progress, and adapted it further as required.

The Training and Development of Elite Sprint Performance: an Integration of Scientific and Best Practice Literature

“…The general scientific guidelines for a likely effective taper in strength- and power-related sports are a 2- to 3-week period incorporating 40–60% reduction in training volume following a progressive non-linear format, while training intensity and frequency are maintained or only slightly reduced [169–171]. The strategies employed by successful track and field are generally consistent with research [172]. The 10-day taper program developed by Charlie Francis has received considerable attention within the sprinting community [13, 14] (Table 5).…”

“…Given that there are several roads to Rome in terms of tapering, it is generally accepted that the training during this period should be highly specific. That is, only exercises that directly assist sports performance should remain, while accessory work and assistance exercises should be removed from the training prescription [169, 171, 172]. Moreover, the number of technical inputs should be kept to a minimum to prepare the athletes mentally and build confidence.…”

“…Moreover, the number of technical inputs should be kept to a minimum to prepare the athletes mentally and build confidence. Successful coaches adapt a holistic strategy where physiological, technical, and mental aspects are integrated into the tapering process [172]. The individualized approach is consistent with discussions of coaching, reinforcing that not all athletes are the same, nor are circumstances and contexts, and hence, a “one-size-fits-all” approach is rarely appropriate.…”

Health complaints and heat stress prevention strategies during taper as predictors of peaked athletic performance at the 2015 World Athletics Championship in hot conditions

“…However, a recent study of pre-Olympic preparations among athletics athletes reports that experienced coaches emphasise the interaction between the athlete's body and mind and letting the athlete's experiences influence the decision-making processes when attempting to optimise performance. 24 This approach employed by experienced coaches aligns with the practice implications that can be drawn from the present study. The finding that the athletes' concerns regarding a health complaint were predictive of whether the complaint would influence performance implies that continuous communication with athletes regarding their health beliefs and concerns during championship preparations is desirable.…”

Training Load, Heart Rate Variability, Direct Current Potential and Elite Long Jump Performance Prior and during the 2016 Olympic Games

“…On the days that comprised one training session/day, this typically had a regenerative focus with lower-level aerobic exercise (e.g., tempo work) combined with mobility and injury prevention exercises. Based on previous research examining sRPE-TL and performance (Coyne et al, 2020b) and elite coaching practice prior to competition in athletics (Ritchie et al, 2017), TSB was assessed as: i) absolute values (i.e., the value on the day of the competition); ii) the value 21-days prior to competition subtracted from the absolute value (CH21); and, iii) the volatility (standard deviation) of values in the last 21 days prior to competition (VOL21).…”