Key Dives And Diving Positions

The dives

There are five categories of dives according to the type of takeoff and flight. In platform diving, an additional category — the armstand dive — is added:

• Forward dive : the diver faces forwards and rotates forwards away from the board.

• Backward dive : the diver faces backwards and rotates backwards away from the board.

• Reverse dive : the diver faces forwards and rotates backwards towards the board.

• Inward dive : the diver faces backwards and rotates forwards towards the board.

• Twisting dive : any dive with a twist is included in this group, whether forward, backward, reverse or inward.

• Armstand dive : the diver begins the dive from a motionless handstand on the edge of the platform These are performed only from solid platforms.

Dive positions

The basics positions the diver will take up in a dive are as follows:

• Straight dive : the diver’s body remains straight.

• Pike dive: the diver bends his/her body forward at the waist. The legs are straight and the toes are pointed.

• Tuck dive : the diver bends his/her knees, bringing or ‘tucking’ the knees and thighs closer to the chest and heels toward the buttocks.

• Free dive : a combination of straight, pike or tuck, used only in twisting dives.