Diving
After a person has mastered the first rudiments of swimming, such as the back, breast, and floating strokes, he is naturally anxious to learn to dive. There is nothing more fascinating to a swimmer than a sharp, clean plunge into cool water.
The whole secret of diving is the possession of plenty of pluck and self-confidence. One need not be an expert swimmer to be a good diver. In fact, some persons can dive very well and at the same time are mediocre swimmers. As in other branches, practise makes perfect.
While in ordinary swimming diving is indulged in merely for the pleasure derived therefrom, in racing diving is a very important factor. Frequently races are won mainly from the ability of the contender to dive properly; in other words, to get away with a skimming plunge, thus securing a good start and getting into a stride that carries him to victory.
This form of swimming is also of the utmost importance in the matter of life-saving. As a luxury in sea-water bathing nothing equals a plunge from a good height.
I advise beginners to practise from a float or springboard, the latter being preferable, as the spring naturally throws the legs up into the air, thereby preventing the diver from landing flat on his stomach, as most beginners usually do. The essential points to be considered in diving are to keep the head well tucked in between the extended arms, the thumbs locked, the arms forming an arch above the head. In standing, preparatory to the dive, the knees should be slightly bent, so that the spring comes from the bended knees and toes.
In teaching diving to a nervous pupil, at first I generally hold up the left leg as he is bending over to dive. The farther over he bends, the higher I raise the leg, as per illustration. Then it is impossible for the swimmer to fall flat on the water; the upraised leg prevents that. This is the way that I advise all would-be divers to make their first attempt. After a while the diver will throw up both legs in the air behind him. To obviate entering the water with the knees doubled up, as so many do (see illustration), the toes must be pointed straight up, back arched. Pointing the toes tends to straighten the legs out (see page 94). Another method I use in teaching a diver to spring well out is to hold a long stick across the water, about four feet away and three feet above the diving-board. This makes the diver spring well out and throw his legs up behind him. It is well to impress the diver always to keep his thumbs interlocked. Otherwise, if he should be diving in a shallow place, the hands would spread and the head would strike bottom; locking the thumbs prevents this.
After deep and shallow dives have been mastered, the pupil can take up various fancy dives, such as the “side dive,” “standing-sitting dives,” “standing, sitting-standing dive,” “back dive,” “jack-knife dive,” “front-back dive,” “back somersault,” “front somersault,” “sitting jump,” and numerous others.
The side dive is made by standing sideways on the diving-board, the forward foot turned so that the toes grip the edge of board. When springing out, the back should be well hollowed and the face turned up, the head well tucked in between the arms.
The “standing-sitting dive” must be made from a good springboard. The diver stands at the edge of the springboard, the arms straight down, with the hands at right angles with the arms, the palms downward. With a slight spring the pupil drops to a sitting position, the palms flat on the springboard, and the legs straightened out rigidly in front. Thus the impact, assisted by a push-off with the hands, will jerk the diver head foremost into space. The diver then turns over, straightening the body and entering the water as in an ordinary dive.
In the “standing-sitting-standing” dive from a standing position the diver assumes a sitting position as in a “sitting” dive, drawing the knees under to regain the feet again and pushing off for the dive.
The back dive requires a depth of at least five to six feet. The toes should be well up to the edge of the pool and the back well hollowed. This is the main essential; one also must point the toes out well. This is a very difficult dive and requires plenty of nerve and practise.
The “jack-knife dive” is made from the back-diving position by springing up in the air, doubling the body up from the waist, and throwing the legs up behind, trying to enter the water as clean as possible facing the springboard.
The “dolphin dive” is the straight front dive, only the body must be turned sharply in the air from front to back. The easiest way is to practise this from a springboard about six feet above water.
The back somersault from the springboard requires the swimmer to double up while in the air; the arms should be lowered from the shoulder and bent up from the elbow, and the knees drawn up, so as to make the body ball-shaped, when the turn-over can be made easier.
The front somersault is exactly the same, only with the face forward instead of backward.
For the Australian splash one stands in the regular diving position, springing well out and doubling the body in the air, with the hands clasping the knees. One must keep the head well forward with the toes pointing down.
The “neck dive” must be done from a springboard well above the water. Grip the front of the board with the hands, with the head well over the edge, throwing the legs in the air, turning the body over, and back somersaulting into the water, feet first.
When a swimmer has improved and added speed to his racing stroke, he should practise shallow racing dives and how to turn sharply in a tank. This is very important, as many a race has been lost through the inability of the racer to turn sharply when reaching the end of a tank. To practise this, swim slowly to the end of the tank, gage your strokes, so that the right hand grasps the bar which is usually placed around the tank a little above the water. Throw the left arm over the right arm against the marble side of the bath under water; at the same time double the body up, switch around, gathering yourself well together, and shoot forward with the arms extended. Ten to twenty feet can be covered on a good push-off. The method usually followed by swimmers in America is to double up and turn to the left when they are within a foot of the end of the bath without touching with the hands, but pushing off with the feet. In races in England this turn is not allowed, as the racer must touch the end of the bath with his hands.
A racing dive is a very shallow dive. The quicker the swimmer gets to the surface the less time is wasted in getting into his stroke. Both these things are very important and should be well practised. When training in a tank, the racer should never go the full distance, but reserve his speed for the day of the race. In a tank it is a good plan to count the number of strokes required to do the length, so that you know just when the end of the bath is reached without turning the head. A straight course is always advisable. This can be kept by swimming parallel with the side of the bath. It is good practise to get a friend to time your lengths, and get used to diving at the word “go.” The best position for a racing dive is with the hands in front of the body, the knees bent, and the mouth open, so that you get all the air possible before striking the water. Always spring out as far as you can. Never mind if it is a flat dive. This is much better than a deep, clean dive, and less time is lost.