Swimming at high speeds and deep depths can be intimidating, especially as a beginner. As you gain more experience and practice, the process gets easier to manage.
Working Up to Diving
Find a deep diving pool.
Diving is an enjoyable activity, but one that can come with some risks. The Red Cross considers diving depths at nine feet to be a good depth for caution, but it’s important to know the depth of pools and lakes when you’re looking for a spot to dive. If you’re unsure how deep a pool is, it’s best to avoid diving there.
It’s not always easy just by looking to see what the depth may be and risk hitting rocks or parts of the pool floor your head or spine. Find a pool where the depth of the water is clearly marked and read any signs before diving.
Consider giving outdoor bodies like lakes, ponds, and other natural bodies of water in case their depths are irregularly inconsistent and there are hidden boulders in them which would be difficult to see from the shore. Swimming outside in natural bodies of water is best left for supervised fun swims with knowledgeable people who’ve cleared out all hidden dangers.
Get used to the thought of diving in headfirst.
We can all learn from this scenario: kids who might never dove into the water with any other intention than fun often have an issue with fear and dread.
This method can help with that issue by introducing some gentle entries into the water: jump feet-first to get acclimated to the feeling; or practice falling forward or backward, so your body gets used to catching and stopping in mid-air.
Do a dry run on land before diving into water.
If you’re a beginner looking to try diving, your best bet is to practice on land, visualize the dive beforehand, keep your arms stationary above your head, keep your hands flat and one palm over the other and tuck in your chin.
You can also practice on land, it’s just a little less scary! Remember to hold your hands flat, place one hand over the other one and tuck in your chin for an easier entry into the water. These actions help to streamline your body and make for an easier entry.
Crouch close to the pool and glide into the water
To begin, stand with your feet slightly over the pool’s edge and then crouch down until your toes are submerged beneath the water. Your hips and knees should be at a 90 degree angle. With your hands raised up over your head, move them forward so that they point towards the “sink” while you squat into an upside down push-up position.
Drop your torso down under the water and when you’re in it fully, lift up to straighten out your legs again. When you feel ready, exhale, then hold a deep breath in to dive in.
Keep practicing until you feel completely comfortable entering the water this way. Once it feels natural and easy, try diving from a standing position instead.
Dive from a standing position.
When you’re ready to try diving from a standing position, pull yourself close to the pool edge so that your toes are at the water line. Get your arms and hands in position, bend at the waist, squatting until you’re pointed toward the edge.
Face the direction you want to dive and tuck in your chin. Then slowly tilt forward into the pool water. As you sink deeper, keep your legs together and point your toes. Consider having a spotter help you once or twice before attempting a dive from a standing position completely on your own.
It might help to know that someone else is there to help guide you during this process as it can be a little intimidating as well as stressful because of not knowing how deep the water is. Once you can take successful dives without needing any spotters, feel free to advance to learning how to properly execute dives with correct form for faster and more accurate results!
Diving With Good Form
Place your lead foot over the rim of the pool.
If you are right-handed, your lead foot will be your right foot and if you’re left-handed it will be your left foot. Place your lead foot out straight in front of you slightly with your toes just barely over the pool. Your back foot should be flat on the ground with your weight balanced equally over both feet. This is the starting position for a dive and is typically accomplished from the edge of a diving board.
To help with developing a comfortable diving stance, try to start in exactly the same spot every time, as well as planting your feet firmly in place when diving from a stationary position.
Once you feel confident doing this, progress to practicing a walking dive or running dive by jumping into movement from 3 or 5 steps forward before launching deep into the water.
Point your arms above your head.
Raise your arms above your head, and turn your elbows vertically straight. Keep your upper arms against your ears, and hold hands flat with one palm resting on the back of another. Hold this position with your arms and hands until you’re ready to dive.
As always, remember to keep your chin tucked down so that it doesn’t hit the water first! If you’re doing a walking or running dive, start with your arm out at side but always end in an upright position before entering the water (or pool).
Push off and dive into the pool.
To dive as far and fast as possible, try pushing off with your lead foot to add distance. Remember too that you should enter the water fingertips-first and keep your body straight when you go underwater. If you want to make your plunge deeper into the pool, running or walking out of the water in advance will sometimes add more distance for your dive.
The angle of the entry is important too – this goes for both a deep dive or an under-tuck jump start. Your body will enter the water at the same angle and using the same basic form regardless of how long you’ve been swimming, so focus on what feels good for you.
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