Head postion

Question
Hi Tom, my question is regarding head postion during forward dives and somersaults. Does the head remain erect or does it shift slightly downward? Does it change for different dives? Also, does focal point change from 1M to 3M?  

Answer
Hi Mandy -

The position of the head is important in all dives. Since you have asked about the front group, I will keep my answer to those dives only.

The head during the approach, hurdle, take off and dive the head should remain in what I call a "neutral" position. To attain this position, I have divers stand up against a wall with the feet flat on the ground and their head back against the wall. I then have them take the index finger of either hand and tell them to press against their chin so their head is "in". I equate this to the head position a military person assumes when they are at attention. The final part is to have the diver look down without moving their head and take one step forward from the wall while holding the same head/eyes position. This is what it should feel like when they walk down the board.

When the diver hurdles the tendency is for the head to shift downward so they can see the tip but I encourage them to look only with their eyes moving down and not their head. Hard to to do but the result is better balance.

I do not have the diver change head position for any dive in the front group. If they keep their head still and look by just moving their eyes they can focus on the landing area in the water. This is the most important when somersaulting. If the diver "ducks" their head while doing say a front 1 & 1/2 tuck, they will not see the water when they should and probably over rotate. Conversely, if they spin forward with their head backwards (head way up), they will see the water at the wrong time and may go short of vertical.

The only focal point that changes from 1 meter to 3 meter is that on 3 meter, the focal point of the water is greater because the diver is higher up. Whatever they do on 1 meter I have them do on 3 meter as far as looking. This is also called "spotting the water"

I hope this has answered your question adequately.If not, please feel free to submit a follow up question.

Happy diving !

Tom Trapp