Swim England Diving Sport Hub
Practising basic entry drills from home
March 31, 2020In a normal week, you grab your hands hundreds of times while diving in the pool. It is an absolutely essential movement for diving.
It is important to reinforce this movement pattern regularly while not training in the pool.
Our Swim England Diving Talent team have listed some exercises you can do to work on maintaining your strength while unable to dive in a pool. There are three different levels of exercises; start with the basic level and progress if you feel ready.
Focus on posture
Don’t forget to focus on your posture while performing these drills.
Think about keeping your head neutral, shoulders relaxed, ribs in, abdominals and core engaged, hips under, glutes engaged with leg tension.
Practising Basic Entry Drills – Level One
Perform 10 reps of each exercise, before taking a short break and moving on to the next exercise. Then repeat the process twice more.
Watch the video below for examples of how to do each exercise.
- Standing front entry from T position
Perfect posture. Arms in T. Look up. Grab hand whilst going on to tip toes, break hands back to flat feet. - Standing back entry, wide grab
Perfect posture. Arms in dish position. Look back whilst going on to tip toes and squeezing glutes. Wide arm movement to grab. Break hands back to flat feet. - Standing back entry, narrow grab
Perfect posture. Arms in dish position. Look back whilst going on to tip toes and squeezing glutes. Narrow arm movement to grab. Break hands back to flat feet. - Kneeling front Entry from T position
Kneeling with perfect torso posture, toes hovering slightly off of floor. Arms in T. Look up. Grab hands then break back to T - Kneeling back entry, wide grab.
Kneeling with perfect torso posture. Rock back as far as you can without breaking posture. Look back. Wide arm movement to grab and break. Return to upright position. - Kneeling back entry, narrow grab
Kneeling with perfect torso posture. Rock back as far as you can without breaking posture. Look back. Narrow arm movement to grab and break. Return to upright position
Practising Basic Entry Drills – Level Two
Perform six reps of each exercise, before taking a short break and moving on to the next exercise. Then repeat the process twice more.
Watch the video below for examples of how to do each exercise.
- Standing front tuck drill out, with pike out
Start standing in compact tuck position. Break arms to T whilst straightening legs to open pike position. Open at hips to standing position. As exercise 1, level 1. - Standing front pike drill out
Start standing in a closed pike position. Break arms to T to open pike position. Open hips to standing position. As exercise 1, level 1. - Standing back tuck drill out
Start standing in compact tuck position. Quickly stand up in to a dish with hands on legs. As exercise 3, level 1. - Standing closed pike come out
Start standing in a closed pike position. Open at hip and press in to a dish position with hands on legs. As exercise 3, level 1. - Standing pike required come out
Start standing in pike shape with arms straight pressing over toes. Open at hip and slide hands up legs in to a dish position with hands on legs. As exercise 2, level 1.
Practising Basic Entry Drills – Level Three
Perform 10 reps of each exercise, before taking a short break and moving on to the next exercise. Then repeat the process twice more.
Watch the video below for examples of how to do each exercise.
- Sitting open pike entry 1
Start sitting in pike position with arms in T. Open at hip to just short of 90 degrees. Grab hands and break to T maintaining perfect leg tension and Torso posture. - Sitting tuck pike out entry 1
Start sitting in a tuck position. In a sharp motion, kick feet along the floor and break in to an open pike position. As exercise 1, level 3. - Sitting open pike entry 2
Start sitting in an upright closed pike position. Break to T and fold in open pike position. As exercise 1, level 3. - Sitting tuck pike out entry 2
Start balancing on bottom in tuck position. Kick feet up and break to T in a sharp pike out action. Fold in to open pike position. As exercise 1, level 3. - Laying back tuck drill out
Start balancing on bottom in tuck position. Kick to dish in a sharp motion. Look back. Narrow hand grab motion whilst slightly extending at hips. - Laying back closed pike drill out
Start balancing on bottom in closed pike position. Press to dish in a sharp motion. Look back. Narrow hand grab whilst slightly extending hips. - Laying back required pike drill out
Start laying on back in a slight dish position. Pike up and press over toes, then slide hands down legs to dish position in a sharp motion. Look back. Wide hand grab whilst slightly extending hips.