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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.

They are then asked to grab their shins and keep the chin tucked down as if they were doing the somersault. Then they are told to imagine that they have just completed the front somersault which will be followed by rolling off the end of the board and straightening out as they approach the water to complete the head first entry. This action simulates the finish of the 1 1/2 somersault. Keeping the chin down affords the ability to sight the water as the extra rotation is being performed. When performing the actual dive, if the chin begins to move up, the tendency is for the tuck to loosen up and may cause them to come out early with the potential of the belly flop on entry. This drill also works very well for those that are making the transition from a double somersault to a 2 1/2 somersault.

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 diver can stand with only a quarter of a turn or no turn at all. That would be for the coach to decide which would best suit the situation. I prefer some turn to get the diver to anticipate when that finishing square will happen. The idea is to finish the amount of twist with the body straight and then bend over for a "T" dive and headfirst entry. It should become one fluid defined motion. Many divers seem to come out around the corner on many twisting dives. This drill focuses on maintaining the twist position until the required twist is completed. As the diver becomes more familiar with this concept and the dive, the coach can emphasize arm placement for the finishing square.

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.

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