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Diving · Basic · b4

Dry-land diver

At home 8 min 1 and a grown-up One room

Ready when: Are we ready: the entry test (b1) started.

Start a session

What you are learning

The shapes a diver makes, practised on land: straight, tuck and pike held still with pointed toes; the entry shape (hands locked, upper arms on the ears); and jumps that show a clear shape in the air. Divers who hold tight shapes on land hold them in the air.

Words on this card Entry, Entry shape, Straight, Star jump, Take-off
Entry
The moment the diver goes into the water.
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.
Take-off
Leaving the board or edge.

Set up

A mat or soft carpet; room to jump.

Weather: any weather

The base setup for diving

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. Straight: stand tall, arms by the sides. Tuck: sit and hug the knees to the chest. Pike: sit with straight legs and reach for the toes.
  2. Entry shape: one hand flat on top of the other, arms stretched above the head, upper arms squeezing the ears.
  3. Jump: bend the knees, swing the arms up, show a star in the air, land with bent knees and hold.

Your part while they practise

Call the shape; check the three points: hands locked, upper arms on the ears, body straight.

Step by step

  1. Hold the straight, tuck and pike shapes for 3 seconds each, still, toes pointed.
  2. The entry shape 5 times.
  3. Jumps: bend the knees, swing the arms up, show a clear shape in the air (straight, tuck, star).
  4. Land with bent knees and hold.

How much: 3 rounds 8 min a session 3 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Shape call

You call a shape just as the child takes off; they must show it in the air.

Who plays: the child against you; swap so the child calls for you.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. The child stands on the mat in the entry shape
  2. They bend and swing the arms up to jump
  3. As the feet leave the floor, you call "straight", "tuck" or "star"
  4. They show it, then land and hold. 10 jumps
Fair play
A younger child hears the call just before take-off.
Points
1 point for the called shape; 1 point for a still landing held for 2 seconds.
Fouls
No points for that jump
  • The wrong shape
  • The hands come apart in the entry shape before the jump
  • A stiff-legged landing
Winning
Beat your best from 10 jumps.
Stars
  1. 8 points for 1 star
  2. 14 points for 2 stars
  3. 18 points for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

Shapes lying down.

Harder

A quarter turn in a straight jump.

What you will see, and what to say

  • the hands come apart One hand on the otherLock the thumbs.
  • the arms sit in front of the face Upper arms touch your earsSqueeze the ears.
  • the shape is floppy Tight from toes to fingersEvery part tense.

Self-check

5

5 calls in a row ending with the hands locked and the arms on the ears.

Stop and get a coach when

Pain in the back, neck or wrists.

Fitness for this

Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.

This card trains body tension, positions, take-off.

awiseathlete.com/sports/diving/diving-b4