As the athletics sports become more and more popular across the world in all age levels, the need to compete well at a high level has increased dramatically(1). This might increase in athlete’s interest to train more to attain peak performance than their competitors (2). The extra engagement in such exhaustive training, practices and competitions cause symptoms of overtraining which could influence the physiological and psychological adaptations (3). These routinely tough training and competition and the knowledge of optimal training regimens severely influence contemporary training and recovery methods (4). In previous times, a single training bout per day was considered to be sufficient (5). However; contemporary experiences show that athlete have been trained twice a day or more for an extended durations. As a result, the numbers of athletes reported to be over trained and have insufficient rest have increased (6).
Exercise scientists continue to investigate the physiological and psychological benefits of different training interventions, recovery methods, and dietary intake to increase the performance of the athlete (3). In many competitive events, performance improvements are attained or assured with a marked reduction in the athletes’ training load during few up to several days prior to the competition (7). This segment of reduced training load designed to help athletes to peak athletes just before a competition is generally known as the taper (5).
Tapering is a specialized exercise training techniques designed to reverse the harsh training induced physical, physiological or psychological fatigue during a variable period of time, in an attempt to reduce the stresses of routine trainings and accumulated effects of fatigue for optimizing performance (4, 8). In an explicit way, tapering is formalized recovery training method needed to employ after a heavy training periodization (9).
Pre-event taper training can prepare an athlete both physiologically and psychologically (10). The taper is intended to wash out the accumulated physiological and psychological fatigue, which might have an influence on training adaptations, and performance optimization or peaking (11). Previous studies have emphasized to the effects of tapering on the physiological and psychological traits with different approaches rather than to deal in combination (12, 13). The type of sport, sport, the level of conditioning and training period needs to be taken into consideration to determine proper pre-event taper, including the amount of volume to be reduced, the pattern of taper and the duration of taper to enhance the performance of the athlete (3).
Adequate recovery from training related stress enhances athletes performance by initiating physiological adaptations through increased the haematological components like increasing of red blood cell (RBC) volume, haemoglobin concentrations and percentages of hematocrite which insure high oxygen carrying capacity. It also increases the level of oxidative enzymes that boosts energy level and improves running economy and power out puts (8). The combinations of a reduced work load particularly the training volume and performance maintenance during the taper period promises the psychological changes that may boost the confidence level of an athlete (14). Optimization of athlete’s physiological status characterized by high oxygen carrying capability, improved running economy and power output resulting from a well designed tapering strategy is presumably accompanied by beneficial psychological changes, including well balanced mood state, perception of effort and quality of sleep (15).
Physiological changes such as increasing of red blood cells (RBC) count, hemoglobin (Hgb) concentration and hematocrite (Hct) percentages and psychological changes like the reduction of tension, aggression, depression, confusion, fatigue and increasing of vigor were observed after well planned taper interventions (16–19).
Improvements of the psychological traits especially the total mood disturbance (TMD) which is characterized by the differences in the negative mood states of aggression, tension, depression, fatigue, confusion and positive mood state of vigor were indicators of progress in endurance performances (20). Changes in these variables provide evidence on the endurance performance of the participant athletes (8).
To achieve high endurance performance ability, the taper should be designed systematically (8). The decrease in training load can be accomplished by reducing the number of practices (frequency), the intensity of the work outs (intensity), the volume of training performed in a given session (i.e distance, time, or repetition), and by varying the length of the taper or duration (5). However; the reduction of training load should be done mainly at the expense of training volume, but not with training intensity (4) for a variable segment of time that depends on individual profiles of fatigue level and adaptation Volume could be greatly reduced but training intensity remains high for highly trained athletes (14).
Systematic manipulation of the training variables (volume, intensity and frequency) and rest time before, during and after the training is critical to evaluate the load and the adaptation (8). Care should be taken while reducing the training loads and its practice. The reduction of training volume enables to have enough recovery time which aids in super compensations and a brief high intensive training program also gives sufficient stimuli to prevent detraining (5). Having adequate recovery time will assure adaptations for the physical, physiological and psychological stress of training that improves performances (4)
Although, no confirmed and commonly agreed tapering formula (21), some studies reported that a reduction of 60–70% of the training volume is considered to be appropriate to improve endurance performance without causing detraining symptoms (22), while others suggest a minimum of 70% of the training load is needed to maintain training induced VO2 max (23). Banister and his colloquies, (24) also have reported that, there was a recorded performance improvement after 31% of reduction of training volume. Endurance performance were improved in competitive cross-country runners following a step wise reduction of the training volume and slightly increased training intensity for seven-fourteen days just before major competitions (14). According to Shepley et al., (14) runner’s performance improves more when low volume, high intensity taper were used for seven days as compared to the low volume, low intensity taper, or rest groups. In addition, the procedures of total load reduction, the way to decrease the load (single step wise reduction or a progressive reduction with a more rapid or slow) can also influence the effects of tapering or performance (24).
In order to maintain or enhance the performance using tapering, it has been done through the reduction in either training volume or intensity or both in the final week/s before competition (8). However; there is limited consensus on the amount of volume to be reduced, its reduction pattern and on the duration as to how long the taper period should stay (5). Research on these strategies showed that tapering is mainly implemented with a reduction of the training load before competition and it have an influence on the physiological and psychological, but more investigation is needed to identify the actual amounts of load to be reduced, its duration and patterns for achieving peak performance (5).
Coaches, athletes and sport experts now use different strategies to decrease the accumulated fatigue while planning to retain or further enhance the athletes fitness which leads to reach peak performance just immediately before competition, but they face difficulties and become uncertain about the best performance peaking strategies in accordance with the individual athletes experience and sport participation.
The research study attempts to investigate, compare and evaluate the high intensity low volume (HILV) and high intensity moderate volume (HIMV) tapering strategies and their effects on specific psychological traits among young endurance athletes in selected national level athletics training centers of Ethiopia. As an indicator of the psychological state the total mood disturbance and the sub-profiles mood states like tension, aggression, depression, fatigue, confusion and vigor were assessed and evaluated.