DIVING = sport of plunging into
water, usually head foremost, performed with the addition of gymnastic and
acrobatic stunts.
Diving Glossary A B C D E F H I J L O P R S T
The origin of fancy diving goes as far back as the 17th
century in connection with the great gymnastic movement in
The only dive then was what is now known as the forward dive straight.
Diving made its first Olympic appearance at the 1904 St.
Louis Games with an event that combined platform and springboard diving. That
event was also on the program at the 1906 “intercalated” games in
Since 1904, Olympic diving has changed in leaps and bounds and is still progressing rapidly. In the early days there were 14 platform and 20 springboard dives. Today there are 63 dives on 1-meter springboard, 67 dives on 3-meter springboard and 85 dives on platform. Difficulty has changed from the point where a double somersault from the platform was dangerous in 1904, to flawless performance of the reverse three and a half somersaults today.
• 10m platform Men
• 10m platform Women
• 3m springboard Men
• 3m springboard Women
• Synchronized diving 10m platform Men
• Synchronized diving 10m platform Women
• Synchronized diving 3m springboard Men
• Synchronized diving 3m springboard Women
Each Dive has its own designated number or code. It consists of 3 or 4 numerals followed by a single letter. The correct number for a dive is obtained by using the following system:
1st
Digit
|
GROUP |
|
|
1 |
Forward |
|
2 |
Backward |
|
3 |
Reverse |
|
4 |
Inward |
|
5 |
Twisting |
|
6 |
Armstand |
Forward: Straight dive head-first off board.
Backward: Dive with back to water.
Reverse: Forward facing with rotation back to board.
Inward: Backward dive with rotation back to board.
Twisting: Any dive with a twist motion.
Armstand: Handstand on edge of board (Platform only).
2nd Digit
|
FLYING ACTION |
|
|
1 |
Yes |
|
0 |
No |
3rd Digit
|
HALF SOMERSAULTS |
|
|
1 |
1/2 |
|
2 |
1 |
|
3 |
1
1/2 |
|
4 |
2 |
|
5 |
2
1/2 |
|
6 |
3 |
2nd Digit (Armstand
Dives only)
|
DIRECTION
/ GROUP |
|
|
1 |
Forward |
|
2 |
Backward |
|
3 |
Reverse |
2nd Digit (Twisting
Dives only)
|
DIRECTION
OF TAKE OFF / GROUP |
|
|
1 |
Forward |
|
2 |
Backward |
|
3 |
Reverse |
|
4 |
Inward |
|
5 |
Twisting |
|
6 |
Armstand |
4th Digit (Twisting + Armstand Dives
only)
|
NUMBER OF
HALF TWISTS |
|
|
1 |
1/2 |
|
2 |
1
|
|
3 |
1
1/2 |
|
4 |
2 |
|
5 |
2
1/2 |
|
6 |
3 |
Letter (At End of code)
|
POSITION IN THE
AIR |
|
|
A |
Straight |
|
B |
Pike |
|
C |
Tuck |
|
D |
Free |
Straight: Arms/body fully extended and feet together.
Pike: Body bent at the waist with straight legs.
Tuck: Body curled with knees and thighs tight to chest.
Free: Combination of any two positions with a twist.
Once airborne, the diver must keep their toes pointed while assuming one of the four positions.
PIKE
TUCK
E.g. 1 305(b) - Reverse 2.5 somersaults pike
1st digit> Group> 3= reverse
2nd digit> Flying action> 0= no flying action
3rd digit> Number of half somersaults> 5= 5 half somersaults=2.5 somersaults
Letter> Position in the air> (b) = pike
E.g. 2 5237(d) - Back 1.5 somersaults 3.5 twists
1st digit> Group> 5= twisting
2nd digit> Direction of take off> 2= backwards
3rd digit> Number of half somersaults> 3= 3 half somersaults= 1.5 somersaults
4th digit> Number of half twists> 7= 7 half twists= 3.5 twists
Letter> Position in the air> (d) = free
Approach: The steps, usually three or more, taken by a diver before the hurdle and takeoff.
Armstand dive: Any dive that's executed from an Armstand position; in platform diving only.
Backward dive: Any dive on which the diver begins with his or her back toward the water.
Balk: Usually a false start, on which the diver begins the approach but doesn't complete the dive. A balk also occurs when the diver loses balance on an Armstand dive and the feet touch the platform. A balk results in a score of zero for that dive.
Break: When a diver comes out of a particular dive to enter the water. Failure to do so usually results in some hilarious wipe-outs, and severe pain! Of course breaking is not always advisable when you are to close to the board!
Compulsory dives: See required dives.
Degree of difficulty: A measure applied to each dive, ranging from 1.2 to 3.6. The judges' scores are multiplied by the degree of difficulty to determine the total score on a dive. See “Degree of Difficulty” below for a list of the tables.
Draw: A random method of determining diving order.
Entry: The end of a dive, when the diver begins to enter the water. Judges look for a vertical body position, with toes pointed, on entry. On a head-first entry, the arms should be stretched above the head, in line with the body, and the hands should be close together. On a feet-first entry, the arms should be close to the body and the elbows should not be bent.
Execution: The performance of a dive, judged on mechanics, technique, form and grace.
Elevation: The height a diver achieves from a take-off.
Forward dive: The more or less standard dive, on which the diver faces the water and rotates forward, toward the water.
Free position: Positions, allowed only on twisting dives, which is a combination of the pike, straight, and tuck positions.
Fancy diving: A 19th-century exercise where gymnasts performed over water, leading to modern-day diving.
Flying: Used to describe a dive in which the diver assumes a straight position from take off, or after one somersault in an 115C, before executing the remainder of the dive. The straight position must be held for at least one quarter of a somersault (90 degrees).
Hurdle: The last portion of the diver's approach, on which he or she springs off one foot toward the end of the board and lands on both feet.
Inward dive: A dive on which the athlete begins with
back to the water and rotates toward the board after takeoff.
Judge: An official who rates each dive on a 0-10 scale. At major meets, there are seven judges and the highest and lowest scores are thrown out.
Layout: See straight.
Optional dives: The dives that a diver can choose to perform, with no limit on the degree of difficulty. They are usually performed after the required dives.
Platform: A stationary diving stand, at least 20 feet long and 6 1/2 feet wide and usually 10 meters above the water.
Pike: A position in which the body is bent at the hips, with knees straight and toes pointed.
Preliminaries: A series of dives used to determine which divers reach the semi-finals of a meet.
Referee: The lead official at a meet, who is in charge of seeing that all rules and regulations are observed. The referee does not function as a judge.
Required dives: A list of dives that must be performed by all competitors, usually before any optional dives.
Reverse dive: Any dive on which the diver makes an approach facing the water, then turns while in the air to enter the water facing the board.
Rip: The ideal entry that creates little splash, named for the ripping sound made as the diver enters the water.
Running dive: A dive performed with either a walking or running approach.
Springboard: A flexible diving board that adds to the diver's own spring on takeoff. The regulation springboard must extend at least 5 feet beyond the edge of the pool and is 1 meter or 3 meters above the water.
Somersault: A movement on which the diver's body is rotated around the imaginary horizontal axis through the hips.
Straight: A position in which body is perfectly straight from head to toe, the feet are together, and the toes are pointed. Formerly known as "layout”
Shammy (a.k.a Sammy): This is the "funny towel thing". It is basically a hyped up version of the common car Shammy. Divers use it to dry themselves during dives. Why do we dry ourselves? Well, so that our hands don't slip when we are holding onto our legs during a dive.
Standing dive: A dive in which the diver stands facing forward or backward at the end of the springboard or platform.
Takeoff: The moment at which the diver lifts from the board or platform to begin execution of the dive.
Tuck: A position in which the body is bent at the waist and knees, the thighs are drawn up to the chest, and the heels are close to the buttocks.
Twisting dive: Any dive that includes a twist with
the legs together and the toes pointed.
Tower: The platform's entire structure.
Each dive in a meet is scored by three to seven judges, always seven for the top meets. The judges evaluate every diver's approach, technique, grace and execution in the air and entry into the water. The FINA assign each required and optional dive a degree of difficulty. Difficulty is based on the number of somersaults and twists and whether the dive is performed from a springboard or platform. The judges award points and half points on a scale of 0 - 10. After the judges have awarded their scores, their scores are added up and then multiplied by the degree of difficulty. The result is the athletes score for that dive. The scores for all the athletes dives are then added together to find the total score.
Completely failed - 0 points
Unsatisfactory - .5 - 2 points
Deficient - 2.5 - 4.5 points
Satisfactory - 5-6 points
Good - 6.5 - 8 points
Very good - 8.5 - 10 points
Degree of Difficulty- Springboard
Degree of Difficulty- Platform
Pool: The pool must be at least 5 meters deep.
Springboard: A flexible diving board that can be adjusted to create more or less spring. It must be at least 4.8 meters long and a half-meter wide, with a non-slip surface.
Platform: For platform, the board must be at least six meters long and two meters wide, with a non-slip surface. (For synchronized diving the platform must be three meters wide.)
Illustrations: Forward Dives
Pictures:
Videos:
FINA Fédération Internationale
de Natation Amateur (International Amateur Swimming Federation)
N.A.C National Aquatic Centre,
G.B.D.F Great British Diving Federation
W.H.D.F World High Diving Federation
L.E.N Ligue Européenne de Natation (European League of Swimming)
Great British Diving Federation links page.
