Talent Development with England Talent Diving Pathway

Zone Squad

The Zone Squad (Team Z) divers are selected from the England Talent Games. The squad is for divers aged 10 – 11 years of age at the point of selection.

Divers follow a journey over an 18 month period. Team Z will complete seven weekend-based camps. These are focused around developing divers technically and physically by building on the fundamental skills demonstrated at the Games.

Each camp has a defined technical theme that has been established to assist a diver in transition from skills to elite diving over the 18 month period.

The Team Z camps are spaced throughout the season to provide opportunity for divers to develop core skills and demonstrate progression from camp to camp.

In addition to the technical themes (Forward and Inward Rotation, Back and Reverse Rotation, Twisting and Bouncing Skills), the camps will provide a detailed physical diving development programme with a strong focus on acrobatic skills and gymnastic conditioning.

The programme aims to prepare each diver for the Junior Elite Championships at the end of the 18 months.

National Squad

Divers in the National Squad (Team Y) are selected from the National Assessment Camp and are between 12 and 15 years old.

To be considered for invitation to the National Assessment Camp, a diver must have first competed at the GB Junior Elites.

The Assessment Camp will typically run in September at the start of the season.

Selection to the squad will require a pass in a number of technical and physical areas:

1. Performance GB Junior Elites – Invited to join the camp
2. Physical Testing (Gymnastic Routine + Physical Tests).
3. Physio Assessment
4. Entry Test – consistency
5. Bouncing skills test 3m – consistency, awareness & control
6. Required dive test platform OR springboard (six dives) – group fundamentals
7. Squad staff observations

Talent Athlete Scholarship Programme (TASS)

TASS is the top tier of the England Talent Programme.

Divers aged 16+ who make the ‘B’ qualification standard for European Junior Championships at the Junior Elite Championships or achieve the performance matrix at a Senior Championships who are not on World Class Podium Potential are invited to the England Programmes TASS Assessment Camp.

They must complete a slightly different set of skills to be considered for selection.