Diving upside down is thrilling, and you can swim faster and deeper, so you can enjoy a new feeling in the pool. Learning how to dive may be nerve-wracking at first, but if you learn good skills, you can dive easily.
1. Finding Deep Diving Pools
Diving should be a place where the head goes into the water first, so the water is deep enough that the head touches the floor and there is no risk of injury. According to the Red Cross, 2.7m deep is good, but most of them are 2.4m deep. Never dive in a shallow pool less than 2.4 m.
If you’re not sure about the depth of the water, the safest way is not to dive. It can be difficult to know the depth of the water just by looking at it. Find a swimming pool with a clear water depth. In most cases, there will be an indication that you can dive.
Unless the place is a managed place or a place where diving is allowed, refrain from diving outside such as a lake or pond. The water depth of the naturally formed water is not constant, and rocks that cannot be seen from the outside may hide in the water.
2. Getting used to diving upside down.
Diving beginners, especially children, are afraid of diving at first. It is natural to be scared because you often get hurt while landing upside down in other situations. If you’re nervous about going into the water, try to relax with the following techniques:
First, you get used to the height of the water by getting into the water with your feet. When children are afraid of water, they can touch it to let them know that it is soft and play with water.
I try to go into the water. Stand in the water, fall forward, and turn back again. Feel how the water “holds” and protects you from injury.
3. Practice on the ground before diving.
For beginners, diving is scary, so it is helpful to practice on the ground before entering the water and visualize it. Stand upright, then spread your arms straight over your head, and cover your ears with your upper arm. Make your hands flat and cover your other hand with one palm. Pull the tip of your chin. When diving in the water, the upper body should be like this.
You can also practice diving on the ground. Find a grassy place or practice indoors with soft carpets. Get on your knees and point your arms and fingers to the ground. Roll your body forward so that your hands touch the ground, and then your arms follow. Do it until the boat hits flat.
You should remember to flatten your hands and put one hand on the other, not hold it tightly. It is equally important to pull the chin towards the chest. This movement makes the body streamlined so that it can be smoothly obtained.
4. Curl up toward the pool and slide into the water.
Stand with your toes slightly hanging over the edge of the pool and curl up. Keep your arms on your head, and don’t forget to pull your chin, too! And turn your hands toward the water. Now, roll your body forward and slide your head into the water first. When the upper body goes in, the legs follow, but attach the legs and close the tip of the toes.
When entering the water, hold your breath after exhaling. You may be surprised and breathe in without realizing it, but once you get used to diving, holding your breath will also become natural.
Continue to practice crouching until you get used to crouching in the water. If it feels easy, you can move on to the next step and dive into a standing position.
5. Diving in a standing position.
If you’re ready to stand and dive, stand with your toes at the end of the pool. Put your arms and hands in place, bend your waist, and make your fingers face the water. The chin pulls and leans toward the water. When the legs go in along the upper body, attach the legs and close the toes.
It helps when you do it for the first time if you have someone next to you. Diving while standing can be scary, but having someone next to you will help. Put a helper next to you and put one hand on your stomach and the other on your back, so that the person can help you get into the water.
If you can dive standing up without a babysitter, you are now ready to move on to diving in a good posture. Sooner or later, you’ll go straight into the water without worrying!