Teach Platform Diving Lessons

By: Kathryn Gierok

Break Studios Contributing Writer

By keeping some basic guidelines in mind, you can learn about how to teach platform diving lessons. While platform diving is still relatively a rare sport, is is growing in popularity around the world. Be sure that you, as a coach, feel comfortable performing the steps outlined below in order to ensure optimal results when coaching others.

  1. Understand the basics of diving. In order to be a good platform diving instructor, you must feel comfortable performing the dives yourself.
  2. Start students on the lowest diving board available. In most cases, this is the 1-meter diving board. This provides students with a greater sense of comfort, and allows them to develop their technique before moving to the platform diving board.
  3. Take notes. In order to be a good coach, it is important to be able to clearly explain what the student is doing right or wrong. Take notes, pictures, and videotape in order for your to provide the best training feedback.
  4. Encourage students to strength train. In order for students to be good platform divers, it is essential that they have a great deal of body strength, especially in the legs. Encourage students to lift weights at least twice a week for best results.
  5. Start students on the easiest dives, such as the swan dive, and gradually increase difficulty level, such as with dives with many flips and twists. This gives them a sense of assurance that they are progressing, and provides the best overall results. In addition, it gives motivated students something to strive for. Understanding that they need to master the basics before moving on to more difficult dives will make these students work all the harder.
Posted on: Feb. 06, 2011