Tapering for districts?

[Nor'easter]

Hi everyone~

I will be playing in my first USTA districts this weekend and am seeking advice as to how to spend these last few days before the matches. I feel that my tennis has peaked within the last few weeks....attending a 3 day tennis camp and finishing off the USTA season with some strong wins. Now wondering if and how to taper properly.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[CrispyFritters]

What does it mean to taper? Do you mean...sustain your level of peak performance?

[HookEmJeff]

Seriously....rest. Let your body be fresh before you play, especially if you're a singles player and might have to play two matches a day. Tiring yourself out before that is just disastrous. You've been playing enough it sounds like, so you're probably about as grooved as you're going to get.

Go in as fresh as you can. Just some light hitting the day before maybe. Maybe try to play a lefty, too. Just in case you get stuck playing one and you haven't seen it before.


Jeff

[WBF]

I would rest (i.e. no long matches), but I would be sure to keep your timing and game up with some practice sessions.

[Nellie]

Personally - I would play as much as possible and then rest a couple of days before Districts. I found that I was not conditioned in anyway, to play 1 or 2 matches per day, outdoors in the heat, for 3 days.

[Nor'easter]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I was worried about finding the right balance between practice and rest...worried that with too much rest the rust would set in. I am a former triathlete/marathon runner and have always incoporated a taper session before race day. So was thinking maybe good for tennis too.

Normally I play matches/practice 5-6 times a week. This week I've played 3 times Sun, Mon, and Wed: 2 of those sessions being practice matches against stronger doubles pairs. We also threw in a couple of 10 point tie-break scenarios. Our first match is tomorrow so I am taking today off. I am feeling a little wired/anxious...maybe a good sign that I am ready to go? The only thing I really miss during my "taper" is that I've reduced my wine consumption to nil in order to get a better night's sleep.