Using Some Imagination To Teach Concepts
.There are certain areas of diving that are best left to the imagination of the coach and diver as mentioned in the article "Teaching diving in the water". Again basically this will apply to those of us that "can't" or "don't feel very comfortable" using any of the spotting equipment available at the higher levels of diving. I will try to describe a couple of ideas that have been used to help the diver understand what to expect when attempting a new dive. The following is a description of two drills that assist the diver in understanding the transition from foot first to headfirst entries from the diving board.
The first example is trying to get a diver to make a successful transition from a front somersault to a front 1 1/2 somersault. Many kids are concerned about landing on their stomach when making this attempt for the first time. Some will be concerned that they are not high enough to complete the rotation. To alleviate this problem the divers are asked to use their imagination to help with this transition. To begin, they will walk out to the end of the diving board and squat down.
The second example is that of making the transition from a front and/or back twisting somersault to 1 1/2 somersaults with those twists. Once again the diver is asked to walk to the end of the diving board. They will be asked to turn so that their back is facing the water with their arms held in the twist position that they use. They are told to imagine that they are finishing this twisting somersault. After turning back toward the water they are asked to bend over like the "T" dive descriptions and fall into the water headfirst.
The above ideas were developed in an effort to assist a diver to the point of saying, "I think I can do this". When that happens, it's not long before they make the attempt. Again, as a coach, it is our job to do everything possible to convince the diver that they can achieve that new dive.
I would like to thank the divers pictured, Sean and Brandon, for demonstrating these drills. They have made it easier for the reader to picture the concept being discussed.