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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Max Stone
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
Taper is an important component of race preparation in swimming but is often misunderstood by athletes and coaches. Thus, through a multi-phase qualitative investigation, we aimed to examine swimmers’ and coaches’ understanding and psychological experience (i.e., thoughts, feelings, and behaviors) associated with taper. An interpretive descriptive methodology was used in both phases, with data collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed in line with interpretive description recommendations. Findings from Phase 1 and 2 suggested swimmers and coaches understood taper as an idiosyncratic, multidimensional, and unpredictable training phase, and their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours centred around ensuring taper had positive psychological and performance-related effects. Findings from both phases were also examined to identify similarities in key psychological features associated with taper. This revealed the psychology of taper is complex, imperfect, and multilevel in nature. Overall, our research provides the first detailed insight into the psychology of taper in elite athletes and highlights the need for further research and applied considerations in this area. Lay Summary: We explored the psychology of pre-competition taper, revealing insights beyond conventional understanding. We demonstrated taper is a nuanced process, inducing both positive and negative psychological states. Crucially, its effectiveness hinges on interactions among athletes, coaches, peers, and the training environment. This groundbreaking research advances our comprehension of a pivotal phase for elite and international athletes.
Author(s): Stone MJ, Knight CJ, Hall R, Cropley B, Shearer C, Nicholas R, Shearer DA
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Applied Sport Psychology
Year: 2025
Pages: epub ahead of print
Online publication date: 28/05/2025
Acceptance date: 14/05/2025
Date deposited: 28/05/2025
ISSN (print): 1041-3200
ISSN (electronic): 1533-1571
Publisher: Routledge
URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2025.2507636
DOI: 10.1080/10413200.2025.2507636
Data Access Statement: Raw data were generated at University of South Wales, UK. Derived data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author [DS] on request.
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