Any rotation forward is initiated while the diver is still in contact with the diving board. Rotation will begin when any part of the upper body is ahead or behind the center of gravity at the moment of lift-off. How much rotation is determined by how early or late the somersault is initiated. There is a point where over all height will be sacrificed for additional rotation.

After the diver completes the forward press, he/she should finish the reach as shown in Figure A. This position not only gives direction to the dive but also affords maximum lever action to initiate somersault rotation. Once the reach is achieved, the diver begins to extend the legs. At this same moment, he/she begins to move the arms down and bend at the waist (Figure B). Notice how long the lever of the upper body is as it extends beyond the end of the board. The further beyond the end of the board this can occur before lift-off, the more rotation will be established. Height for the dive will occur because the force from the recoiling board will travel a line through the legs up to hips as lift-off occurs in Figure B.

In an attempt to get rotation, divers have a tendency to cheat at the start of the somersault. Instead of finishing the reach shown in Figure A, they land from the hurdle and cut down the reach similar to a position shown in Figure B. This form of cheating costs them in the form of height and rotation. It is crucial in multi-somersault dives to stand up for the reach in Figure A. I like to refer to it as the "Magic Position" for most dives. This is the position from where the somersault lever action becomes the most effective.

Another mistake is trying to lead down into the somersault with the head. It appears that this action for forward somersaults brings the diver closer to the board and produces unusual rotations. When the chin goes down this early, the hips have a tendency to move backward causing the diver to cut in toward the board. With the chin in line, the arms, head and the bend at the waist move down almost simultaneously. Actually the arms will move down slightly ahead of the rest, activating the lever at the hips, which creates the height for the dive along with rotation for the somersault.

Once the diver is off the board, he/she continues chasing the legs for the somersault. Most of the first somersault is spent chasing the legs. In Figure C, the diver grabs the shins for the tuck position. Grabbing the mid to lower shin is the objective because the diver can make the position more compact by pulling in the lower leg and forcing the head and shoulders forward and down. In the pike position, the hands should grab just behind the knees. The objective should be to push the head and shoulders forward and at the same time pull the legs in the opposite direction.

The later the down action, the more noticeable it is for the coach to see the knees move in the opposite direction of the intended rotation.

• --Stand up straight and reach up as shown in Figure A.

• --Take a bow at the waist to initiate rotation (Figure B) and continue extending through the legs.

• --Get into a tight, compact position immediately (Figure C). Rotation happens at its fastest when this is accomplished.

It is very noticeable that as divers progress toward the harder dives, many do not understand how to get more rotation. Some will jump a mile in the air and have to use every inch of that mile to barely complete the rotation. An observation is that they only use 1/2 of the parabolic arc the dive travels (downward portion). In order to acquire the additional rotation they must understand jumping higher would be nice but impossible for some. They need to understand that they have wasted the first half of that parabolic arc. No rotation was achieved on the way to the top of that arc. Additional somersault must occur on the way up too.

The reverse is opposite also. Once divers have achieved the expertise in acquiring this additional rotation, many are inept with the ability to control the easier rotations. All forward somersault rotations are not the same. The diver can not initiate a forward 1 1/2 somersault the same as is done for the 3 1/2 somersaults. There are two reasons for this. The first is that the diver will inevitably not be able to find the finish of the lower rotation dive. He/she will be lost or pass the time to come out. Second if he/she is able to find the lower rotational finish, he/she will have to come out extremely early, which makes the dive look out of control. The lower rotational dives will appear whippy and way out of control at entry. This diver must understand and practice the principles of how to control the amount of rotation needed for any dive. That control happens by delaying or speeding up the initial move that begins the rotation.

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