Equipment
Dives may be performed from either a springboard or a platform. The same kinds of dives are performed from either surface-except that occasionally a diver will make a dive from a handstand in platform competition.
The springboard is either 1 meter or 3 meters high; the distance is measured from the surface of the water to the bottom of the board. In major competition, the board is 16 feet long and 20 inches wide, and is covered with a nonskid material. The board should overhang the edge of the pool by at least 5 feet and preferably 6 feet. The water should be 11 to 12 feet deep.
The high platform is 10 meters above the water surface, while the intermediate platform is 5 to 7 1/2 meters high. The nonskid runway should be at least 20 feet long and at least 10 feet wide, and the water should be at least 16 feet deep.
Categories
All dives are divided into six categories. They are:
- Forward dives - The diver faces forward and dives forward.
- Backward dives - The diver faces backward and dives in such a way that the body rotates away from the board.
- Reverse dives - The diver faces forward but dives so that the body rotates back toward the board.
- Inward dives - The diver faces backward but dives so the body rotates toward the board.
- Twisting dives - The diver, from either starting position, twists the body in the air before reaching the water.
- Handstand dives - These are performed from the platform only; the diver begins the dive from a motionless handstand on the edge of the platform.
Positions
Dives are further classified as to the body positions used. There are three basic body positions:
- Layout, in which the body is kept straight.
- Pike, in which the body is bent at the waist, with the legs straight (the most familiar is the jackknife).
- Tuck, in which the body is bent at the hips, and the knees are kept together and drawn into the chest.
- There is also a so-called "free" position, for use in very complicated dives-in effect, the diver has a choice of which position to use, or can use a combination of positions.
Judging
Like gymnastics, diving is judged subjectively. Each judge rates each dive on its approach, takeoff, elevation, execution, and entry. Then a score is given, ranging from 0 to 10. In major contests there are five or seven judges; the highest and lowest scores are thrown out, and the remaining scores are added. They are then multiplied by the degree of difficulty for the specific dive, to give the score for that dive.
Degree of difficulty ratings range from 1.0 for very simple dives to 2.9 for very difficult dives.
Each diver must submit a list of dives, in the sequence in which they are to be performed, before the competition begins. Every contest has a specific degree of difficulty requirement that must be met. If a list doesn't meet the requirement, the diver is given a chance to amend it. If it isn't amended to meet the requirement, any dives that bring the diver out of compliance are marked as failed.
Approach - Judging begins when a diver stands in the starting position on the front end of the board. The contestant should hold the body straight, head erect, with heels together and arms straight and at the sides. The approach should be smooth and straight, and should consist of at least three steps before the hurdle.
Take-off - The jump to the end of the board, known as the hurdle, is the beginning of the take-off. Both feet should hit the end of the board simultaneously; the take-off should be made without hesitation and should be forceful.
Execution - In the passage through the air, the body should be definitely in the layout, the pike, or the tuck position (unless the dive involves somersaults combined with twists, in which case the free position may be used).
In the layout, the body should not bend at the knees or the hips; the back, however, will normally be arched. The arms should be straight, the feet together, and the toes pointed.
In the closed pike position, the legs and arms should be kept straight, and both hands should touch the toes simultaneously. The open pike position, used for some dives, involves a simple bending at the waist, to a 90-degree angle with the legs; the arms are extended overhead, at approximately a 45-degree angle from the shoulders, with the palms turned outward.
In the tuck, judges above all look for compactness: The diver should be rolled as tightly as possible into a ball, thighs touching chest, arms locked tightly around the legs, between shin and knee.
Entry - The entry should be vertical, or as nearly vertical as possible, with body and legs straight and toes pointed. Most entries are made headfirst, and the arms should be straight overhead, hands touching. In the rare dives with a feet-first entry, the arms should be kept straight and close to the sides.
Balks and Failed Dives
If a diver begins the approach or press for a diver after assuming the starting position and then stops, it is a balk. It is also a balk if the diver, while preparing for a handstand dive, loses balance and any part of the body other than the hands touches the platform.
If there's a single balk on a dive, each judge is instructed by the head referee to substract 2 points from the diver's score. If there's a second balk on the same dive, it is ruled a failed dive, which results in zero points.
It is also a failed dive if:
- The dive is performed out of sequence, based on the list of dives submitted by the competitor.
- The diver fails to perform the scheduled dive within one minute after being warned for causing undue delay.
- The diver falls off the board into the water before assuming the starting position.
- On a twisting dive, the amount of twist is greater or less than announced by 90 degrees or more.
- Any part of the body below the waist enters the water before the hands on a head-first dive.
Compulsory and Optional Dives
As in gymnastics and figure skating, diving competition is broken into two parts, compulsory and optional. The springboard diver is generally required to perform five compulsory dives, one from each of the five categories, and six optional dives. The platform diver must usually six compulsory and six optional dives.
In most important meets, the compulsory dives are used as a preliminary round, with the top scorers advancing to perform optional dives in the second and final round.