Highdiving

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
I was wondering if you could help me out with some advice. I have recently
taken up highdiving, and im getting better at a forward dive off of the 1m
sring boards. However when i go up to the 3m static platform, it all goes to
pot, I literally cant keep any form and keep having my legs flip over my head
a a hit the water and im shabby on the way down. Dont even get me started
on a tick. I was wondering what advice do you have for this  kind of problem.
I want to eventually get up to the 10m and add birannis etc.
many thanks,

Anthony


ANSWER: Hi Anthony -

The transition from diving spring board on one meter and then trying the same dive on a 3 meter platform can be confusing and sometimes painful. Since you have not told me what position front dive (tuck, pike or straight) you are trying to do on 1 meter and 3 meter, it will be harder for me to answer your questions. Please send in another question with following information:

What dives & positions do you do on the 1 meter.

What dives & positions are you trying to do on the 3 meter platform.

What other diving boards and platform heights are there at the pool you use.Give me a description of all the diving equipment at the pool.

In general, what dives do you want to learn from these different boards & heights.

With this information, I can explain the learning progressions you need to be doing to have a safe and more fun experience with diving.

I look forward to your answers to the above questions I have.

Tom Trapp

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Tom,

Thanks for your response and taking the time to help me out.
In answer to  your questions - Dives I do from the 1m are a straight forward
dive, and a tucked dive, all of which I have hassel with when it comes to
propper take off and over rotating. I have tried a back dive off of the 1m
spring board as well but didnt manage to keep a straight body. Off the 3m I
tried a forward dive straight and a forward dive tucked. The straight dive I
over rotated and didnt take off properly and completely mucked it up. As with
the tucked dive.

We have two 1m spring boards, 1 x 3m spring board, 1 x 3m platform and a
5m platform. We also have a decent poolside to do standing dives from.

Since im trying to get on the stunt register I want to learn up to the 10m
platform. I want to be able to do forward and backward dives, both straight,
tucked and piked aswell with running involved. I also want personally to learn
forward somersaults, birianis (required for the stunt register) and more
complicated dives.

Many thanks for your help

Anthony

Answer
Anthony - Now that I have more information I think I can help you attain your goals. The reason you are over rotating on your front dives from the 3 meter is due to the angle of your takeoff. You are most likely 'leaning' too far forward before you leave the board causing your trajectory to aim out and down instead of in and up. It could be that you are trying to do these dives with a front approach (3 steps and a hurdle). The front approach takes a long time to master and it is not easy to teach it to yourself.

You need to try some fundamental standing dives from the 3 meter to perfect your angle of entry. These fundamental dives are called 'line-ups'. They have no spring to them at all. The way you do them is as follows:

Stand on the very end of the platform with your arms over your head. Now choose a hand to grab the back of the other with in such a way that one of your palms is flat. Make sure your biceps are squeezing your ears so that you have a good body alignment. Now bend over half way at your waist keeping your legs straight. Raise up on your tip toes and hold a balanced position. The final move is to simply fall off the platform without pushing. As you fall, keep aiming your palm for an area of the pool that is in front of. Your goal is to enter the water at the opposite angle of your problem. This will result in a head first entry that is less than half way instead of more like you do when you try a front dive.In diving language, this angle of entry is called "short" for entering short of vertical. You need to know what it feels like to enter the water correctly with a simple fall in rather than continuing to flop over all the time. Make sure your palm hits first so it opens a hole for the rest of your body to go through. You need to do a lot of these entries to perfect them. It might get boring but the best divers in the world practice this skill all the time.

This same line-up can be done backwards too. The only difference is that you do not bend forward. Stand the same way as described above only after raising up on your toes, start falling slowly and let you back arch ever so slightly. It is important not to push on this skill as you will most likely flop over. Keep looking for the water, stay tight and aim for an entry that is just short of vertical. This again will give you an idea of what it feels like to enter the water correctly.

When it comes to the more complicated dives from a higher level platform I suggest getting instruction or practicing with a group of adults. Go to this website to find a group of divers called "Masters" at www.usadiving.org. These are adults who dive for fun, recreation and low key competitions. They can direct you to someone in your area who can help you learn the harder dives you want to get to be a stuntman.At this website you can also locate clubs, coaches and other divers.

There are also some books on diving you may want to check out. Go to www.springboardsandmore.com and look for two books by Hobie Billingsley, one of them illustrates and explains all the dives you want to learn.

Good luck with your diving.

Tom Trapp