How to dive in a pool for swim races

Here we are talking of swim diving, or the diving start that swimmers use at the beginning of a race.

You need to master a proper dive in the pool for races. A bad dive or a bad start can make or break the game.

Remember

• A good dive gives you an early edge over your next rival
• It boosts your morale and helps you to push yourself to maintain your lead over the others.

Still, we tend to take it easy on swim dive and put enough practice

What are the checks before you dive into a pool?

Before you dive into the pool

• Be aware of the depth of the pool. Do not dive into the shallow side of the pool.
• See that your goggles are tight. The goggles tend to fall off when you are
• If you are diving for the first time, see that a swim coach is there to guide you. Do not try without the supervision of a coach.
• In the initial stages when you learning to dive do not try with the track position. Try with the grab position instead.

A proper dive for a swimming competition is very important as many swimmers get disqualified at this stage.

The five stages of a dive

You can essentially break your dive into 4 stages, the position, the push, the spring, the entry, and the follow-through.

The position

• Stand in the grab start or the track start position. When you are learning to swim, you usually follow the grab start dive. the swimmer grips and pushes with both legs instead of one leg which is done in the track start.
• Work on your reaction time. Practice reacting quickly to the sound of a whistle or starting gun to improve your reaction time.

The push

• Push yourself against the starting block or the wall to thrust yourself forward.
• You can push yourself with 2 legs or 1 leg depending on the position you are standing.
• Stretch your body forward as if you want to catch something in the front.

The spring

• After you spring, you have to move forward in a straight line.
• You should not try to spring upwards as if reaching for the sky or move downwards as if you want to get into the water immediately.
• Keep your arms extended, holding one above the other.
• The head should be tucked in between your arms and look down.
• Your body should be in a streamline position.
• To avoid falling flat into the water, move in a arch to touch the water.

The entry

• Stretch and push yourself forward so that you can dive as far from the wall as possible.
• The hands should enter the water first followed by the head and the rest of the body.
• Consider an imaginary hoop through which you have to enter the water
• You would end splashing the minimum amount of water as you slowly glide your body into the water.
• To avoid going too deep, angle your fingers slightly up.

The follow-through

• Once you are in the water, move forward in the same streamlined position with your head in between the arms.
• start the butterfly kick to move to the slowly move to the surface
• You can move 15 m underwater.
• Do not immediately start breathing. Start with couple of your arm strokes before you start breathing on the side.

Common problems faced by swimmers to dive

• Swimmers do not take diving seriously. They concentrate on improving their strokes and timings but not the swim dive. So they do not allocate enough time to improve it.
• Swimmers, especially young swimmers are intimidated with diving into the water
• Swimmers do not react to the start whistle or gun correctly. Some start early while some start late
• Young swimmers look down into the water while diving. They enter the water too early. It is better for them to look at their knees while diving
• Young swimmers take time to learn how to spring off the wall or the starting block
• Swimmers enter the water almost flat slowing them to move foward.
• Swimmers trying to come out of the water as soon as they touch the water, instead of doing the underwater kick. This also tires them.
• Try to visualise yourself diving. This is important when you try anything out.

Drills for diving better

There are very few drills that actually improve your diving.

Like any skill, the swim dive requires practice to master. Set aside time each week to practice your dive, and gradually increase your speed and distance over time.

Swimmers should practice diving atleast 2-3 sessions per week.

Most of the time the swimmers practice diving just before swim meet which does not help the swimmer.

Here are some of the drills that can help

• Ask a fellow swimmer to hold a swim noodle on the water. The swimmer diving should cross the swim noodle to enter the water. Once he is able to dive ahead of it, move the swim noodle more into the pool. This helps the swimmer to thrust forward to jump forward into the pool.
• Some swimmers hold a hula hoop to jump through it. It helps the swimmer to maintain the streamline position to enter the water. Not all swimmers are comfortable with this though.
• Strengthen your core to improve in diving. Your swim coach can help you improve on your core strength.

How to track your improvement in swim dive?

Unless your track your progress in diving, you would not improve. There are number of ways to track your improvement.

Your swim coach

A coach can help you improve your technique and provide feedback on your form. Listen attentively to what your coach is telling. Concentrate on one action at a time. Practice. Take feedback and work again.

Your parent

Ask your parent to record videos of your dive into the swimming pool. Understand what needs improvement. Discuss with your coach and work on the improvement.

Your swim log book

Track your progress in diving in your swim log book. Once you track, you know how to improve. You also know how fast you need to work on it.

Watch good swimmers dive

Watch good swimmers diving. Sarah Sjostrom, Ryan Lochte are known for their strong starts. Watch and make notes.

As always, take care of your body. Like any athletic activity, swimming requires proper nutrition, hydration, and rest. Make sure you are eating a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and getting enough sleep to help your body perform at its best.

Other than the technique of the swim stroke, the swimmer should also master the dive, flip turn, and finish of a swim race.