Diving techniques and sport fundamentals

Diving

A History of Diving and a Description of Diving Techniques

Diving is one of the most exciting and complex sports known today. Some call it an art, but the truth is that diving goes back through history as one of the most fantastic gymnastic movements. Its origin is found in 17th century Germany and Sweden, when gymnasts moved equipment to beaches in the summer for the sole purpose of practicing this sport.[footnoteRef:1] According to history, diving, then, is more related to gymnastics than to swimming, but since both diving and swimming involve water, they have become naturally and inextricably linked. [1: O'Brien, R. (2011). History of Diving. USA Diving. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from . ]

Platform diving, which the official U.S. diving website qualifies at 33 feet high, according to the website, achieved notice at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, "when it was included as an event on the men's swimming program."[footnoteRef:2] A few years later, springboard diving was added to the Olympic Games, and eventually, women's diving was accepted as well. By 1912, high diving was part of the Olympics and in 1920, the first women's springboard contest was also held. Then, eight years later, according to this same website, women's high diving came into being internationally. [2: O'Brien, R. (2011). History of Diving. USA Diving. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from . ]

Due to their history in this sport, Germany and Sweden dominated the competition from the start; however, in the 1920's the United States, according to the U.S.A. Diving website, "reached worldwide prominence in diving by winning three of the gold medals in the Olympics (men's and women's springboard and men's platform events). From that time through 1992, the United States has been the world leader in diving. The total count is 46 of 75 Olympic gold medals for the United States."[footnoteRef:3] [3: O'Brien, R. (2011). History of Diving. USA Diving. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from . ]

Another important issue to discuss with regards to this sport is the technique. There are many websites that explain these, and they include anything from a springboard dive, to a shallow dive. A springboard or platform dive, for example, is, as mentioned above a high or fancy dive.[footnoteRef:4] A shallow dive, on the other hand, is just that: diving into shallow water. The record for this, for example, is held by Darren Taylor, who jumped from 36.2 feet into a child's wading pool.[footnoteRef:5] [4: Springboard Dive. (2011). USAdiver. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from ] [5: Francis, E. (2011). Shallow Diver Breaks World Record. ABC News. Retrieved October 10, 2011, from < http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/shallow-diver-breaks-world-record/story?id=13160247>.]