This course, U CAN Be a Diver, helps teachers, instructors and coaches confidently introduce basic  diving skills to a class.

It is possible to accommodate a class  size of 6-to-12 divers and can adapt and include participants from the ages of 6 years to  adult.  

Participant Benefits

Throughout the lessons, divers should experience:

• a strong learning curve along the class journey
• improving flexibility,
• better core strength,
• heightened body awareness,
• more coordination, and
• keener spatial  orientation.

These skills are not only important in diving, but help athletes to  improve in and enjoy other sports as well.

Lesson Plan Framework

Each of the skills taught follows a simple progression.

Master teachers often utilize drills on deck before  applying the new skills on the diving board. Divers deploy many repetitions across several lessons before  progressing to the next skill. Emphasize the importance of good technique and  developing a strong foundation of skills so that divers are comfortable and enjoy their  diving experience.  

Pursuing Diving

The objective for divers is for them to have fun learning and to be comfortable with  some basic diving concepts. Information within the course helps bring awareness as to how divers can further pursue diving as a competitive  sport.

Equipment and Facilities 

1-METER / 3-METER

It is not necessary that a facility have a 3-meter springboard to offer the course. The progression of skills is extended to slowly introduce some skills on 3-meter  springboard. If and when a 3-meter board is available, teachers have the discretion to  allow divers to progress to the 3-meter. Divers get to try diving from the higher height if the individual:

1. shows control at 1-meter,
2. is having fun, and 
3. desires to do so.

Dryland Deck Space

This course and your classes need to include skills to be taught at the side of the pool, and on the deck area around the pool. Ideally this area should be dry and there should be some Yoga mats that  can be used for stretching, basic exercises and drills.

The dry-land portion of the  lessons can also be taught in any other areas where there are mats for stretching such as  a studio, on a track, or outside.  

Safety

It is important that the teacher read and understand all the the safety content with the course and beyond. 

Review diving safety with the divers before starting every lesson. 

Enjoy

The unique character of diving, combining acrobatic skills with landing in the water can  be a real thrill for divers who learn the basic skills. Welcome. Have fun.

Course Lesson Plans

This course helps in the running of a fun and valuable class. Teacher who complete the course get a broad overview of a diving program with organized lessons. Each lesson provides detailed information for each of the skills and progressions to be  taught.  

Two parts to each lesson:

LESSON SUMMARY

The lesson plan summary includes:

1. Brief introduction to the purpose and focus of the lesson. 
2. Amount of time for the warm-up, conditioning, dry-land and water. The lesson on the warm-up, stretching, and conditioning presents guidelines.
3. List of skills for the day. Skills are both new and reviewed. Plus skills are for on deck and in  the water. The lesson plans present a guideline. The teacher decides  how many repetitions of each skill and which skills to focus on depending on the skill level of each diver and on the amount of time  available for the class.  
4. Game! A game for each of the day is described and explained as to how it ties into that day’s lesson.  

Skill details offer detail description of the mechanics of each dive as well as key emphasis points and notes with regards to progressions. 

Warm Up & Conditioning

Since the warm up and conditioning of each class depends on:

• the facilities  available, 
• the ages of the participants,
• the fitness of the divers, and 
• the class size.

See the list of activities that can be used for both the warm-up and conditioning portions of each class.  

This warm-up and conditioning parts of the classes allow the teachers to be creative with their classes. The course guidelines and suggestions can help the divers have more fun, structure and knowledge of how to dive.  

Skill Progressions

Skills are to be introduced at each height in ascending order. In other words, after the  divers have been introduced to the concepts of particular skills in the dry-land or on-deck  portion of the lesson, they are to be taught to perform the skills from the side of the pool,  from the 1-meter springboard, and then from the 3-meter board.  

Not all of the skills can be practiced at all of the heights. For example a back fall-in can not  be performed from the edge of the pool because there is not enough height to perform  the necessary rotation.  

SKILL REVIEW OR NEW SKILL:  

Each lesson includes a list of skills that follow the skill progression for the lesson plan.  Each skill is either be a ‘Skill Review’ or a ‘New Skill.’  

The ‘Skill Review’ has been designed to help solidify skills that divers learned in earlier  classes. These dives can either be practiced before the “New Skill’ dives of the day, or  they can be integrated with the ‘New Skill’ dives of the day.  

Typically, the practice should be organized so that divers are practicing all of the skills for  the day of a similar skill group before moving on to the next skill group of dives for that  day.  

TEACHER DISCRETION:  

Although lesson plans have been created to follow a progression of basic skills, if a  diver has difficulty progressing with the suggested lesson plan, it is important that the  teacher use discretion in adapting the lesson plan to work within the abilities of the  diver. This can be accomplished by simply increasing the repetitions of dives that the  diver is comfortable with or to not progress with a particular skill to a higher height.    

Review of Skills” is meant to help paint a big picture of the skills that  are being presented in the lesson plans.