A 2-week low-volume, high-velocity medicine ball taper produces significantly greater improvements in upper-body power and sprint swim times than complete dry-land rest. Twenty-four regional-level competitive swimmers (17.2 ± 1.1 years) were divided into two matched groups during a 2-week competitive taper: the Medicine Ball Taper group (MBT, n = 12) and the Complete Rest group (CR, n = 12). Both groups followed an identical 45% pool volume taper. The MBT group completed two brief dry-land sessions per week consisting of low-volume explosive throws, whereas the CR group ceased all dry-land training.

Independent samples t-tests revealed that the MBT group experienced significantly greater gains in seated medicine ball throw distance (+0.40 ± 0.11 m vs. +0.08 ± 0.09 m; t (22) = 7.873, p < 0.001) and significantly greater reductions in 50-meter freestyle time (-0.51 ± 0.13 s vs. -0.22 ± 0.09 s; t (22) = -6.176, p < 0.001). These results demonstrate that retaining explosive, sport-specific dry-land work during taper preserves neuromuscular recruitment and maximizes short-distance swim performance.