Health and Fitness
How Diving into a pool
Diving in the water
is very exciting and since it helps you to swim faster and reach greater depths, it opens up a whole new side of swimming in the pool. Learning to dive can be a little nerve-wracking at first, but good technique can help simplify this process with lifeguard recertification near me.
Prepare for diving
1: Find a pool where you can dive in at the deep end.
Since you are the first to hit the water with your head when diving, the water must be deep enough so that you don’t hit the bottom too quickly and risk a head or back injury. The Red Cross considers 2.70 meters to be a good depth to dive if you want to be particularly careful, but the plunge pool in many pools is 2.4 meters deep. Never dive in water less than 2.40 deep. [1]
If you’re not sure how deep a pool is, don’t dive in it. It is difficult to measure the depth of a swimming pool just by looking. Make sure the water depth in a pool is clearly marked. In many cases it will also be indicated where diving is allowed with lifeguard recertification near me.
Do not dive into lakes, ponds and other natural water bodies unless the area is monitored and made suitable for diving. The depth of water in these natural spots is very inconsistent, and there may be boulders hidden under the water’s surface that you can’t see from the water’s edge.
2: Get used to the thought of diving forward.
Many novice divers, especially children, are initially afraid to dive. This is a logical and helpful response, because in any other situation, a head jump would lead to pain and injury with lifeguard recertification near me. If you’re nervous about taking the plunge, try the following techniques to feel more comfortable with the idea:
Jump straight into the water first so you can get used to the feeling of diving from a height. Children sometimes think that water is hard, so pointing out that it is soft can help them by encouraging them to splash around.
Practice falling while in the water. Stand upright on the water and let yourself fall forward, then back. See how the water ‘catches’ you and prevents you from getting hurt.
3: Practice on dry land before diving into water.
Since diving can be intimidating for a beginner, it helps to practice on dry land and visualize how the dive will go before entering the water. Stand straight with your arms directly overhead, with your upper arms against your ears. Keep your hands flat and place one palm over the other. Tuck your chin in. This is the position for your upper body when you take a dip in the water.
You can also practice the diving movement on dry land. Find a place with a soft surface, such as a lawn or indoors on a soft carpet. Get on one knee and keep your arms and fingertips bent toward the floor. Roll forward so that your hands touch the floor first, followed by your arms. Keep going until you are flat on your stomach.
Remember to place your hands flat and on top of each other, rather than folding them together. Equally important is to push your chin toward your chest. This pose helps to streamline your body, so that your contact with the water becomes softer.
4 :Squat near the pool and slide into the water.
Stand with your toes slightly over the edge of the pool and squat down. Place your arms above your head in the correct position (don’t forget to tuck your chin in!) and point your hands at the water. Now rock your body forward and slide gently into the water, head forward. With your legs following your upper body, stretch them and point with your toes.
Exhale as you slide into the water, then hold your breath. You may accidentally breathe underwater because you are startled, but once you get the hang of diving it will feel natural to hold your breath.
Practice squat diving until you are confident enough to enter the water this way. Once you find this too easy, you are ready to continue diving from a standing position with lifeguard recertification near me
5 : Dive from a standing position.
When you’re ready to try this from a standing position, stand on the edge of the pool with your toes over the edge. Keep your arms and hands in position and bend from the waist until your fingers point towards the water. Tuck your chin in and lean forward into the water. Keep your legs together as they follow your upper body, pointing with your toes.
Consider asking someone to help you the first few times. Diving from a standing position can be a little scary, and it can be reassuring to know that someone else is there to help you. Ask the person to stand next to you and place one hand on your stomach and the other on your back so that he or she can guide you into the water.
Once you can dive from a standing position without assistance, you are ready to move on to learning how to dive properly. You’ll soon be jumping into the water without thinking twice!
6: Hip & Shoulder Positioning
Similar to your feet, your hips and shoulders should be square to the other end of the pool. Keep this in mind as you bend over to grip the front of the block. Try to push your hips straight back! If you aren’t particularly flexible, you may have trouble with this, but don’t worry. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel!
Ideally, you should enter the water with minimal splash so you carry as much speed as possible into the water. Think about diving into a narrow tunnel!
You may think that the goal of a fast start is to enter the water as far away from the block as possible, but doing so may actually be inefficient! If you shoot too far, you’re likely to land a little too flat in the water. This can cause your legs to smash into the water, which creates a ton of resistance that slows you down.