Diving isn’t just for competitive swimmers
In competitive swimming, a racing dive is the most explosive part of the swim. On the start signal, swimmers burst off the blocks, fly a short distance and punch into the water.
They carry the speed generated through the first few metres of the swim, first gliding, then adding power with strong dolphin kicks.
A good racing dive requires strength, balance and coordination. To maximise its benefit, you need excellent streamlining.
Life benefits
These things don’t just happen; you need to develop them through practice. And it’s worth practising them even if you never race. It will not only improve your swimming but also your functional strength and balance, which become increasingly important as we get older.
Annoyingly, most pools won’t let you practice racing dives in public sessions, presumably for health and safety reasons, although I can’t see why, if done considerately. Perhaps you could ask for permission at your local pool.
Yet even when diving practice is offered – say as part of a masters or swim fit training session – very few people make use of it. I think they’re missing an opportunity. Here’s why.
Fastest point
Unless you’re being dragged by a boat, you will never move through the water faster than when you dive in. It’s therefore the perfect moment to fine-tune your streamlining.
Improving how easily you slip through the water is fundamental to swimming more efficiently. Poor streamlining is brutally highlighted when you dive in.
If your hands aren’t locked together with your arms pressed tightly against your ears, you will feel it. Either your arms will be forced apart or your head will smack into the water.
Then you need to hold enough tension through your core and legs that you don’t crumple to a sudden halt. Instead, you should carry your momentum cleanly into the water.
If your streamlining is going wrong on your dive, it is also probably sub-optimal for your swimming, whether you’re sprinting or crossing the English Channel.
Renaissance approach
A core concept in the Renaissance Swimmer project is that practising skills in one area of your swimming helps the others.
Working on your non-favourite strokes doesn’t just improve your skills for them, it will also make you more efficient on your preferred stroke – it is definitely not wasted time.
Likewise, practising sprints benefits endurance swimmers, and doing longer swims benefits sprinters.
Almost any skill you practice in the water – including diving – will help your swimming.
Besides, racing dives are fun, so why wouldn’t you do them if you have a chance?
How to practice
1. Watch other swimmers diving
2. Visualise yourself diving, before you do it
3. Practice jumping on the spot to put some spring into your legs
4. Practice getting into a streamline, both on land and in the water (e.g. after pushing off the wall)
5. Try diving and get feedback
6. Dive and glide – see how far you go before you stop. Keep practising and try to increase how far you go. This measures both your power and your streamlining.
