The following description pertains to jumping off the board backward either foot first or while performing back dives. The approach to the end of the board for backward take-offs is not included as a criteria for judging however the diver should present him/herself well.

The purpose during the back press is to load the board with as much energy as possible while maintaining balance and good posture. Where the diver chooses to place the arms for the starting position, is a matter of choice as long as he/she can achieve the original purpose. The two most acceptable starting positions are with the arms down at the sides or at a position out to the sides, at or above shoulder level. As long as the diver begins moving the arms by the fourth oscillation, the number of times he/she rocks the board is inconsequential unless timing and technique are affected. [For SAFETY, the entire ball of the foot (almost half of the foot) should be placed on the board. This is imperative so the diver's foot or feet don't slip off the board during the back press.] There have been divers who place the entire foot on the board without negatively affecting any of their dives. Foot placement is a matter of what a diver gets used to in the beginning stages.

Figure A shows the start of the back press when the arms have moved up and the diver has extended at the ankles causing the entire body to move upward. If there are multiple oscillations, the diver will be at the top of the last oscillation before moving the arms. It is at this point that the arms must pause slightly for effective timing during the press. When the diver can feel his/her body weight begin to descend, the arms begin to move downward to apply force to load the board with energy (Figure B). If this arm action at the beginning of the press is too rapid from the up to downward motion (no pause), a crow-hop (One foot or both feet leaving the board.) will occur. More importantly, it is a matter of the diver's safety that a crow hop is never developed. This is also a rule violation where the judges will deduct 1/2 to 2 points from their scores. Figure C is the continuation of the arm swing and the beginning of the leg extension that completes the force applied to the board. The diver in Figure D completes the reach and extends the body to form a line that the energy unloaded by the recoil of the board will follow.

The above is a simplistic description of the back press. The addition of other factors greatly affects the execution of the ultimate back press. The most common error during this press is leaning or loss of balance backward at any point from Figure A through C. The novice diver generally will begin losing balance as soon as the arms begin to initiate the press in Figure A. The more experienced divers tend to lose balance anywhere between Figure B and D. Divers must understand that a slight lean backward is necessary to insure safe distance from the board and establish rotation for all back dives (Inwards are different in this respect and will be explained in another article). The coach helps determine how much of this lean is necessary to keep the diver safe. This controlled lean should not occur until the diver nearly completes the reach and body extension shown in figure D.

Many divers try to compensate for excessive balance loss by leaning more forward before they actually start the press. Their thought is that "since I'm going out too far, I'll compensate by leaning toward the board". This only seems to create more lean and sometimes is the reason why the diver loses this balance in the first place. Dipping the shoulders toward the board during the press also seems to create the same problems for the beginning diver and in some cases puts them too close to the board.

How oval or round the arm swing should be is determined by the stability of balance shown by the diver as the arms swing through the press. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE ROUNDER (more circular) THE ARMSWING, THE MORE THE SHOULDERS HAVE TO MOVE TO COMPENSATE FOR THE ADDITIONAL WEIGHT OF THE ARMS AS THEY TRAVEL IN FRONT AND BEHIND THE BODY'S CENTER OF GRAVITY.

LEAN = DISTANCE
LINE OF FORCE = HEIGHT