John McMahon: Getting it right for the championship

Final preparations are well underway for the GAA club championship. Every team and management trying to plan their final few weeks to get it ‘right’ for their championship campaigns.

But what does ‘getting it right’ look like? How do you? or can you? prepare a team to peak for a championship? The simple answer is yes you can. However, there are many factors and considerations to ‘get right’.

Below is a very small list of considerations to factor into your thought process as you plan these next few weeks ahead.

Firstly, A club player training two or three days a week would taper differently to an elite county footballer or world-class athlete training up to 20-30 hours per week.

Man in the middle: All-Ireland final referee Martin McNally

If total training volume is approximately five to six hours per week, tapering for no more than a few days would be appropriate. Players training between six to 10 hours per week may consider a 7– 10 day taper.

Mastering the art of tapering has been of great interest to coaches, athletes and sport scientists for decades. Tapering should be carefully planned, practised and fine-tuned in the lead-up to key performance peaks, however there is no textbook plan or ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

Your players, squads will all have a combination of varying ages and recovery needs. So, individualise the tapering protocol, factoring this in.

My experience many athletes do not enjoy tapering out of fear of detraining. Again, the importance of education and messaging to your players is key.

However, the most experienced athletes and coaches can recognise when fitness is at its peak and feel confident in reducing the training load to optimise recovery.

5 Key Considerations

1. A full taper should only be completed before a couple of key competitions each year in order to maximise training-induced adaptation.

2. Game-specific intensity is very important during the taper, but higher intensity workouts should be interspersed throughout the training week to minimise accumulating fatigue.

3. Other factors that can positively improve performance include the quality – and quantity – of rest and sleep, sports massages and good nutrition and hydration strategies in the lead-up to competition.

4. If you find yourself thinking ‘one extra session won’t hurt’, try to find new aspects of performance to focus on e.g. visualising your performance or getting a sports massage or prioritising sleep.

5. During the taper phase, you may need to adjust your energy intake and the balance between carbohydrate and protein, relative to your new energy expenditure.