The Different Springboard and Platform Diving Positions

Emma Whitner is a student-athlete at the University of Florida. She is also a member of the University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. An NCAA competitor, Emma Whitner has a career-best score of 277.05 and 309.38 in the one and three-meter dive, respectively, during the 2018–2019 season. The four primary platform and springboard diving positions are the straight, pike, tuck, and free.

1. Straight position. Typically, for athletes, the straight position is the most difficult to carry out. Divers should maintain a fluid body line with no bends at the hips or knees. However, they can decide the position of their arms, depending on the dive they wish to perform. They may also maintain either a flat or an arched back.

2. Pike position. The pike is the only position with two possible versions considered correct. These techniques are the open pike and the closed pike. The difference between both styles is in the placement of the diver’s arms. Regardless of the method used, though, the pike involves divers curving their bodies at the waist while the chest lies straight against the thighs.

3. Tuck position. Widely regarded as the least difficult platform diving position, the tuck involves the diver pulling their knees against the chest, with toes pointed and their head looking over their knees.

4. Free position. Finally, the free position is specifically for carrying out twisting dives, with the diver combining two — or all three — of the other positions in their dive.