Thursday, September 18, 2008

6 1/2 'em To Death!

A good lesson for young coaches or high school coaches to learn is that consistency is the key to success in diving. Coaches need to preach to their athletes the "Holy Trinity" of diving skills: 1) Vertical Entry, 2) "RIP" Entry (grab flat hand, line-up and lock-out); 3) Good Form (legs straight, feet together, toes pointed).

Granted, some divers jump higher than others. Some divers spin faster than others. Some divers are more flexible than others. Some divers are more graceful than other. However, if your divers can consistently go straight in the water with good form and a good entry, they are very likely to get scores of 6 - 6 1/2. Maintain this throughout the competition and you will be happy with the end result.

Your competition gets an 8 on their first dive and you get a 6.5 on yours. Then the diver gets 7 on their next dive and you get a 6.5 on yours. In the next round, the other diver get a 4 and you get a 6.5. Then they get a 5.5 and you get a 6.5. etc. etc. In many cases, your consistency will be rewarded with the higher final score when the meet is over. You "6 1/2'd" your competition to death!

Of course, divers and coaches should continue to work hard and improve their dives so that the next time you compete, you "7 Them to Death" and the next time you "7.5 Them to Death" etc. etc. GOOD LUCK!

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