LA84 Dive Clinic 2016 Page 1
Teaching Basic Diving Skills Dryland Basics: Stretching & Tumbling (should be 20-30 minutes) Stretching - VIP - proper stretching helps prevent injuries. Every stretching regime should cover head & neck, arms & shoulders, core, hips, legs - ankles - feet. Head & Neck: Static stretch each direction Arms & Shoulders: arm circles (both directions), overhead, entry stretch (with partner), shoulder stretch (with partner) Core: pike stretch, straddle stretch, cat, touch feet to head, pike-up, tuck-up, twist-pike Hips: splits (3 directions) Legs - Ankles - Feet: hurdle stretches Basic Tumbling - everything relates to diving & can be performed on standard 2 mats. Toe pops, lunges, side steps (karaoke), high knees, skip hurdles, Forward Roll, Back Roll, Cartwheels (both directions), Dive Roll, Tuck-up -down-roll out, back extensions (emphasizing push up), *Handstands, *Handstand Roll-out, approaches. * May need a spotter Page 2
Deck Drills & Hand Spotting for Safety If you want a very good basic diving video the American Red Cross and United States Diving Association collaborated to produce the DVD : Diving Basics in their newest Learn-to-Swim Program (Level 6). Forward Jump - Straight, Tuck, Pike (with arm circle) Forward Dive - Knee, standing fall-in, rainbow, tuck, pike Forward Somersault - forward dolphin, squat, standing Back Jump - Straight : arms up, arm circle Back Dive: Back Dolphins, squat, standing Back Dive Tuck - Back Somersault - back dolphin - tuck over (in water), standing Inward Jump - Dive Reverse Jump - Pike Drop - Somersault Twist Jump - 1/2, full, 2 Twist Dive - fwd & back Page 3
Diving Repeat deck drills on diving board. Always start new divers at the tip, then add one step hurdle, and finally add the full approach. Every dive can be hand spotted for your super timid divers. Forward - Back - Reverse - Inward - Twisting - The hardest dive to teach is 103c - forward 1.5ss. Once they get past it, the rest of the dives follow suit. Page 4
When coaching, always try to keep your divers and dive stations in direct line of site. Eliminate balks immediately by having the diver fall in. If balks become a problem, have the diver do 5 approaches on the deck, or do a few more preps, and then move on. Keep it positive, and avoid punishment. Eliminate balks in a meet, by taking the 2 point deduction and allow your diver to feel comfortable performing their dive from the tip or using a one-step hurdle. 3 meter makes the 1 meter seem much easier for new divers, use it every day. 3 meter also helps divers improve their core strength and body alignment. Stress approaches, jumps, and lineups on 3 meter. Tell your divers everyone can do these skills no matter what age. Let your team know what you expect from them, let each one know what dives they must learn to compete, and what dives you feel they are capable of learning. Make practice fun. Page 5
Judging Diving Exceptional 9-10: No visible flaws. Approach, hurdle, height, distance, execution and entry are all exceptional. Excellent 7.5-8.5 : Approach, hurdle, height and distance slightly affected. Execution well defined. Good 6-7: Approach and hurdle unaffected. Height and distance acceptable. Execution defined, entry controllled, but slightly affected. Satisfactory 4.5-5.5: Approach and hurdle acceptable. Height and distance adequate. Execution complete and entry slightly over or under. Deficient 2.5-4: Approach and hurdle affected. Height and distance inadequate. Execution affected and entry over or under. The diver partially alters the position of the dive during flight; A diver enters the water with one or both hands above the shoulders on a dive requiring a feet-first entry, or with one or both hands below the shoulders on a dive requiring a head-first entry. Unsatisfactory 0.5-2: Approach and hurdle affected. Height and distance inadequate. Execution not complete or broken position. Entry significantly affected. Failed 0: Page 6
Straight Position: Relatively straight body, arms extended overhead or to the side. In back, reverse, and twist dives performed in the straight position, an upper back arch is desired. Pike Position: Legs straight, toes pointed, head in line with arms Page 7
Tuck Position: Knees should be tight to the chest no wider than shoulders, toes pointed. Free Position: Is a combination of tuck, pike, and or straight positions performed in a twisting dive. (Not to be judged as deficient if diver chooses to use the tuck position). Twisting: position of the shoulders must exceed 90 degrees when hands/feet touch the water. Page 8