Diving – Stage 8 swimming activities

Safe foundations: depth, space and pool rules for diving, controlled feet-first jumps and shapes, body tension and early head-first entries from sitting, kneeling and crouching – only where water depth and pool rules allow. Outcomes are SwimShare focus areas.

Diving · 29 activities.

Outcomes

Know safe depth, space and rules for diving
Controlled feet-first jumps into deep water
Hold a tight, streamlined body shape
Show straight, star and tuck shapes in jumps
Early head-first entries where depth allows
Surface, turn and return safely

Activities

Balance Stance Hold – Poolside balance practice: rise onto the toes with arms above the head and hold steady, building the control needed for a calm take-off.
Body Tension Check – Hold a rigid straight body on the back while a partner gently moves you by the feet – if you stay in one piece, your body tension is ready for positions, entries and rotations.
Clear Water Check – A routine swimmers perform before every jump or dive: check depth, look left, right and ahead for swimmers, wait for the signal – until it becomes automatic.
Crouch Dive to Streamline – From a crouch with toes over the edge, swimmers push out into a streamlined entry and glide before swimming.
Deep Water Jump and Tread – Jump into deep water, surface, tread for a count, then swim back to the side – entries and survival combined.
Depth Check Detective – Swimmers find and explain the pool's depth markings, 'No diving' signs and the areas where jumping and diving are allowed – safety knowledge before any entry.
Diving Confidence Ladder – Swimmers choose their own rung – sitting, kneeling, crouching, lunging – and move up only when they've done three controlled entries, so nervous divers progress at their own pace.
Diving Cool-Down and Reflect – Finish with an easy swim and back float, then each swimmer names their best entry today and the safety rule they used most.
Diving Rules Huddle – A quick poolside huddle to agree the session's entry rules: one at a time, check the water is clear, swim away after surfacing, stop on the whistle.
Diving Warm-Up Mobility – A gentle poolside warm-up before entries: shoulder circles, arm reaches into the grab, calf rises and tension holds – preparing the body for jumps and dives.
Entry Splash Detective – Partners judge the size of the splash on each entry – the smaller the splash, the more streamlined the entry – making 'quality' easy to see.
Flat Hand Grab – Learn the diver's hand position – one flat hand gripping the other, palms facing the water – that protects the head and opens the entry.
Forward Roll in the Water – A tucked forward somersault in the water – the safe way to feel forward rotation long before any rotation in the air.
Jump Sequence Relay – Teams perform a sequence of different feet-first jumps one at a time – pencil, star, tuck, turn – scoring for control and safe exits, not speed.
Jump, Sink and Push Up – A pencil jump where swimmers let themselves sink a little in the straight shape, then push water down with the hands to rise – calm control after entry.
Kneeling Dive – One knee down, arms streamlined – swimmers overbalance forward into a shallow dive, the step between sitting and crouching.
Partner Shape Call – A game: one partner secretly chooses a shape, the jumper performs it, and the partner checks it matches – lots of jumps, lots of fun.
Pencil Jump – A straight feet-first jump out from the edge – arms by the sides, legs together, toes pointed – the basic diving entry shape.
Poolside Shape Freeze – Dry-land practice on a poolside mat: swimmers freeze in straight, star, tuck and pike shapes on command, building the body awareness needed in the air.
Quarter-Turn Jump – A straight jump with a quarter turn in the air, landing feet-first facing the side – the first controlled twist.
Sitting Dive – The first head-first entry: from sitting on the edge, arms over the head, swimmers overbalance forward into a shallow glide.
Star Jump Entry – Jump out, open into a star shape in the air, then close back to a pencil before entering – the first shape that must be finished before entry.
Streamline Glide After Entry – After a head-first entry from a low position, swimmers hold the streamline, then steer up by lifting the hands and head – a smooth, safe finish to every dive.
Stride Entry – A feet-first stride entry – one leg forward, one back, arms out – that keeps the head above water, useful for watching the area and for safe entry into deep water.
Surface, Turn and Swim Away – After every entry, swimmers steer up, turn to face the side and swim out of the entry area – so the next swimmer has clear water.
Target Entry Jumps – Jump feet-first into a floating hoop placed a safe distance from the edge – teaching swimmers to jump out with control and enter exactly where they intend.
Toes Over the Edge Stance – Set up a stable diving stance at the edge – toes curled over, feet hip-width, knees soft, arms in the grab above the head – and hold it before any entry.
Tuck Jump Entry – Jump out, bring the knees to the chest in a tuck, then straighten before entering feet-first.
Visualise the Dive – Before trying an entry, swimmers close their eyes on poolside (back from the edge) and picture every step – stance, take-off, shape, entry, surfacing – building calm confidence.