Diving at home
A deep pool, boards and a qualified diving coach; at home, land shapes and a swimming check.
What should we practise today?
Tell us where you are and who is playing. You get one card and the reason.
New to diving? The game in a minute
Read this once before the first card.- The sport in short
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A diver jumps from a springboard (a bendy board 1 m or 3 m above the water) or a platform (a fixed tower up to 10 m high), makes shapes, somersaults and twists in the air, and goes into the water as straight as possible with very little splash.
- How a dive is scored
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Judges each give the dive a mark out of 10 for how well it was done: the start, the take-off, the flight and the entry. The marks are added and multiplied by the dive's difficulty, so a harder dive can score more.
- How a competition is won
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Each diver performs a set list of dives, and the highest total score wins. In synchro diving two divers dive at the same time and are judged together.
- Rules children break first
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- Only one person on a board at a time.
- Wait until the water below is clear before every jump.
- After the entry, swim straight to the side; never wait in the water under the board.
- No head-first entries until a coach has taught and passed them.
- At home you only do land work
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Body shapes and jumps on a mat, the names of the parts of a dive, and a swimming check at a pool with a lifeguard. Everything on a board is with a diving coach.
Words you will hear (21, in plain language)
- Springboard
- A long, bendy board that bounces the diver up; usually 1 m or 3 m above the water.
- Platform
- A fixed, solid tower to dive from, at heights up to 10 m.
- Entry
- The moment the diver goes into the water.
- Entry area
- The patch of water where divers land. It must be empty before each dive.
- Feet first
- Going into the water feet first (a jump) or hands and head first (a dive).
- Entry shape
- Hands locked one on top of the other, arms stretched above the head, upper arms squeezing the ears, body straight and tight.
- Straight
- The four body shapes in the air. Straight is the body long; tuck is knees hugged to the chest; pike is legs straight and folded at the hips toward the face; free is any mix, used in twisting dives.
- Star jump
- A jump with arms and legs spread wide in the air.
- Approach
- The walk or steps along the board before the take-off.
- Hurdle
- The last jump onto the end of the springboard with one knee lifted, which makes the board bounce.
- Take-off
- Leaving the board or edge.
- Flight
- The time in the air between take-off and entry.
- Arm swing
- Swinging the arms up at take-off to jump higher.
- Foot wheel
- The wheel beside a springboard that moves the support under it, making the board stiffer or bouncier.
- Somersault
- Turning head over heels in the air.
- Forward, back, inward and reverse dives
- The four direction groups. Forward faces the water and turns forward; back stands with the back to the water and turns backward; inward stands backward and turns toward the board; reverse faces forward and turns back toward the board.
- Degree of difficulty
- A number for each dive that says how hard it is. The judges' marks are multiplied by it.
- Dive list
- The set of dives a diver chooses for a competition.
- Synchro
- Two divers diving at the same time, judged on how well they match.
- Tread water
- Staying upright in deep water by moving the legs and hands slowly.
- Out of their depth
- In water too deep to stand in.
Try it, nothing to buy
Mark the space once. Every card starts from it.- Base setup Mark your space Club pool only. What fits, kit and safety
- b1 · Basic Are we ready: the entry test Game: Ready test 15 min · 1 and a grown-up · pool or water
- b4 · Basic Dry-land diver Game: Shape call 8 min · 1 and a grown-up · one room
- b5 · Basic Feet-first jumps from the edge Game: Shape jumps 15 min · 1 and a grown-up · pool or water
The cards, level by level
Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.Ticks and stars are saved in this browser only. Clearing the browser's data, or another browser, starts from zero. Carry them into the app
Basic 5 cards · show· hide Water confidence, the 25 m swim, dry-land body tension and positions, feet-first jumps and rolls from the pool edge, and a first jump from 1 m. Many clubs use an award scheme for this level (ask which); land work comes first, and the move from the edge to the board waits until the edge work is stable.
- b1✓ Are we ready: the entry test At home
- b2✓ Jumps and rolls from the pool edge At a club
- b3✓ First dives from the edge At a club
- b4✓ Dry-land diver At home
- b5✓ Feet-first jumps from the edge At home
Move on when the coach signs off the first level.
Intermediate 3 cards · show· hide Jumps and falls from 3 m, arm swings and board bounce, and the first dives. Arm swing comes before board timing.
- i1✓ Higher jumps and first dives At a club
- i2✓ Board timing and tucks At a club
- i3✓ Parts of a dive and judging basics At home
Move on when the coach signs off this level.
Advanced 2 cards · show· hide Somersaults and inward and reverse dives, 3 m dives, then dive lists and competition groups. Beyond this, competition lists and points take over. Platform and synchro diving are learnt only at a club.
Teaching this at home
Movement, safety and the words at home. The sport itself needs water, a boat, a horse or a coach.
You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at. Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal. End every session on one that works.
Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.
How to warm up before playing is at workonfitness.com. The rules of the game are at sportsmaze.com.