Platform and springboard diving positions and groups

Diving positions for platform and springboard diving are based on four distinct shapes.

These are straight, pike, tuck, and free. During competitions they are referred to as A, B, C, and D.

Diving positions explained

Click the following links to find out more about when each dive position is used:

• Straight Position (A)
• Pike Position (B)
• Tuck Position (C)
• Free Position (D)

Dive groups

You may have also noticed that when they are standing on the diving platform or springboard, divers will approach the dive from different positions.

All the positions can be placed into six different groups. Open the image gallery below to scroll through images of the six groups.

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• 
  Forward Dive

  The diver faces forward and rotates forward.
  1/6
• 
  Back Dives

  For back dives, the diver faces backwards and rotates backwards.
  2/6
• 
  Reverse Dive

  The diver faces forwards and rotates backwards towards the board or platform.
  3/6
• 
  Inward Dive

  The diver faces backwards and rotates forwards in the direction of the board or platform.
  4/6
• 
  Armstand Dive

  Armstand dives are performed only from platforms and begin from a handstand. They can be performed forwards or backwards, with forward, back or reverse rotation, and may include twists.
  5/6
• 
  Twisting Dive

  Twisting dives can be performed forwards, backwards, reverse or inwards. They involve a lateral twist.
  6/6

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Each of the dive groups is represented by a number in competition:

• Forward Dive – 1
• Backward Dive – 2
• Reverse Dive – 3
• Inward Dive – 4
• Twisting Dive – 5
• Armstand Dive – 6

For international and senior national level springboard events, divers must perform one dive from each of the first five groups.

Male springboard divers – who are required to perform six dives in senior competition – perform two dives from one group in their dive list.

Male platform divers perform one dive from each of the six groups in their list while female platform divers choose one dive from five of the six groups.

Dive numbers

The character of the diving positions and the number of the dive group are used to produce codes to represent each dive.

Forward, backward, reverse and inward dives are represented by four-character codes while twisting dives have a five-character code and armstand dives can have either.

Four-character dive numbers

• The first number in the code represents the dive group
• The second number in the code represents the initial position of flight – for springboard and platform diving, this is almost always 0.
• The third number in the code represents the number of half somersaults. Unless the diver is planning to enter the water feet first, this will be an odd number.
• The fourth character in the code represents the diving position.

So 109C is forward 4 ½ somersaults in tuck position and 305B is reverse 2 ½ somersaults in pike position.

Five-character dive numbers

• The first number represents the dive group – this will be 5 for twisting dive or 6 for armstand twisting dive.
• The second number represents the direction of rotation – forward, backward, reverse or inward – and these are the same numbers as used for the dive groups in the four-character codes.
• The third number represents the number of half somersaults. Again, this is typically an odd number.
• The fourth number represents the number of half twists in the dive.
• The fifth character in the code represents the diving position.

An example of a five-character code is 5131D which is a forward 1 ½ somersaults, ½ twist in pike position.

Armstand dive numbers

Codes for armstand dives follow the same format as a five-character code.

• The first number will be 6 to represent an armstand dive.
• The second number represents the direction of rotation.
• The third number represents the number of half somersaults – this will be an even number this time for the diver to land on his head.
• If it is a twisting dive, a fourth number will represent the number of half twists.
• The final character in the code represents the diving position.

An example of a armstand code is 614C which is armstand forward 2 somersaults in tuck position.