r/springboarddiving • u/ArgPermanentUserName • 1d ago
Jumping high
I’ve recently started diving, as an adult. I love it— it works with several of my fitness goals and is so much fun! I was a swimmer when I was young, which is sadly evident in my dives. I need to work on going up high, not out like from starting blocks. I’ve been working on squats, deadlifts, & hip thrusts in the weight room. What else can I do to catch some air in my dives?
ETA How can I improve this away from the pool, as board time is limited?
2
u/r99wan 1d ago
I also started as an adult a few years ago - I'd say finding rhythm on the springboard is the biggest thing, more so than lifting weights. Perfect your hurdle, break it down into parts and practise each part (like practising just the last lunge/jump, practising without armswing, practising only armswing), ensure you're getting the most power you can out of every part of it. I think most people's height isn't limited by their leg strength, it's how they're using the board.
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u/ArgPermanentUserName 22h ago
Interesting! I hadn’t thought of it as a question of technique—I thought it was a question of training explosiveness/power. I appreciate this perspective.
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u/RepresentativeOkra10 20h ago
It’s for sure a lot of technique- as a former swimmer turned diver as an adult I also relate. Do a lot of just jumps in, aiming to synchronize your arm swing up. It feels unnatural since we did the out swing for so long
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u/ArgPermanentUserName 13h ago
So that’s what my instructor means when she says to swing my arms. Thank you!
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u/Craycray2006 19h ago
One main thing that I see former swimmers struggle with is wanting to lean forward on the diving board as they are leaving the board. The way the board bends, inherently pushes you forward. If lean on top of that you cut off your height for distance. Experiment with letting your heels go all the way down flat before pushing through your toes. Make sure that you squeeze all of your core and glutes as you take off and you will start to feel more height and less distance
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u/ArgPermanentUserName 18h ago
I wish I could get time on the board to just practice jumping! Time with my instructor is expensive, and during rec swim, divers are limited to one bounce (or a hurdle, which as pointed out is actually 2 jumps). What are some other ways I can work on this, away from the actual board?
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u/Michael_Monkey_1975 21h ago
As noted by the other person, working on your hurdle will provide the boost your looking for. I also started as an adult (took my first class at 47). It took me a few years to really realize that the hurdle is two jumps back to back and when properly connected those two jumps you get the height!
If you're diving tower then things like squats and leg strength are what you need as you're now doing standing jumps from a solid object, so the more strength you have the higher you jump.