1. During
the pressing action, angle the body a bit forward, with the chest slightly in
front of the hips/toes. Keep eyes focused on the anticipated entry point or
other desired spot.
2. As arms
reach overhead, they are shoulder-width apart with palms facing either inward
or forward. The arms extend
slightly behind the ears.
3. Lower
torso remains hollow, while chest and shoulders open slightly, and, as legs
extend, with knees straight, balls of feet push downward and backward into the
board, creating an equal and opposite reaction carrying the body upward and,
combined with the arms/upper body positioning, backward, while creating enough
rotation for the half somersault to be done.
4. As the
legs complete their extension, drop the arms smoothly into the set position,
before the feet leave the board, thereby minimizing excessive movement during
the dive.
5. During/after
the setting action, the amount of opening of the chest/shoulder area may be
adjusted to control the rate of rotation (opening chest more causes arch and
slows the rotation, while closing the chest more speeds up the rate of
rotation. The muscular actions of
“pulling the chest” or dropping the arms below the set position can speed
up the rotation). Such
adjustments should be very small and not affect the smooth flight of the dive.
6. After the
set, the head smoothly tilts back ever so slightly, allowing the eyes to sight
the water in anticipation of the entry.
7. Once the
water has been sighted, or the trajectory of the dive has been calculated by
the body’s kinesthetic senses, the lower body presses the legs in the
opposite direction of rotation while the arms close with a lateral arm
movement and the rest of the mechanics for a back entry are employed.