How to Spin Fast by Mark Lenzi

We already know that applying a force to an object creates a reaction that is opposite and equal to the force applied. How than do we create a force in a circular motion. This is easy to accomplish! First, you must exert the maximum force possible to get the maximum reaction. To understand this easily, think of a baseball player at bat. If this batter wants to hit a home run, then he will have to swing fast and in a large arc to achieve the velocity necessary to hit the ball out of the park. If that batter swings the bat halfway and then hits the ball, then he has only applied half the force necessary to hit the ball as far as he possibly can. He must swing the bat all the way around to gain the maximum velocity and force to cause a reaction on the ball to fly out of the park. This is a simple analogy for what a diver must do to achieve the maximum velocity necessary for him or her to cause a maximum action on the board that will cause a reaction on the diver's spin.

The diver must achieve this force before his feet leave the board. Remember the Voyager spacecraft? If the diver leaves the board before he completes his arm throw than all the force after he leaves the board will act in an opposite direction of his throw and that direction is the opposite of the way he wants to spin. The diver's feet will then come towards his hands. This is not an effective way to spin.

Here is a question that will test your knowledge of how this works. A diver is on the ten meter platform with his hands above his head and he steps off of the platform. He is now falling toward the water. If he then throws his arms forward and down, then what will happen? Will he somersault? The answer is no! He will not somersault. His feet will act in the opposite direction of his hands. This will cause his feet to come up toward his hands in a pike position. Think of a cheerleader. When a cheerleader wants to jump up and do a pike she will jump up and then throw her arms down which causes her feet to come up. To get her feet back under her before she hits the ground she will throw her hands back up.

This is precisely what happens to a diver when his feet leave the board or platform. Any motion or force that is applied after a diver leaves the board will only act in the opposite and equal direction that it was applied. Coaches need to understand this basic principle of action and reaction to effectively teach their athletes and correct their athletes mechanics. If a coach doesn¹t understand this basic principle then how can that coach have any credibility with his athletes. In any other profession people are required to know what they are doing to effectively do their job. How then can a diving coach instruct divers if he doesn¹t understand this basic principle of physics? After all, diving is nothing but applying physics to an athletic endeavor. If I were an airline pilot you would expect me to know how to fly a plane, right? Athletes expect their coaches to know what they are doing as well. Coaches should take pride in their profession and give their best to their kids by being as thoroughly educated as possible.

Forward Somersaults Now that you know how this basic principle works, let us apply it to a forward somersault. A diver should be able to reach all the way up to vertical while the board is at it¹s lowest point. If a diver is unable to get to this point, then the rest of this explanation will do no good. Timing is everything in diving! You must be able to get to each specific point or the timing and action will be flawed. We have now established where a diver¹s arms should be at a specific point in the takeoff. What should happen next? God bless Isaac Newton! Isaac Newton¹s second law of motion comes into play.Newton's second law of motion states that force equals mass multiplied by acceleration or F=ma.

This law is the heart of achieving the necessary force to complete a somersault. The force in this equation is the vector sum total of all the energy that has been stored up in the hurdle and throw to come. If all of these forces add up to zero, then the object and or diver will not accelerate and or somersault. This is what happens when a diver leaves the platform with his arms above his head and then throws on the way down. His legs come up. If you have forgotten this principle then go back and reread the beginning of this chapter.

Now, what can a diver do to maximize Newton¹s law? The diver should throw, with straight arms, down in an large arch as far as possible and as quickly as possible before leaving the board. We have already seen the action and reaction that occurs after a diver leaves the board. We have also seen how a baseball player hits a home run. Therefore, it is imperative for a diver to get his arms all the way down before his feet leave the board. The further down the diver gets his arms, the more somersault that is generated. A diver should be able to see his hands just over his feet as he is leaving the board.

If this position is accomplished then the diver has no other recourse than to spin at a fast rate. I often saw my hands just over my feet as I was leaving the board. And I could spin pretty expeditiously! Make sure that your diver throws his hands, arms, head, and then chest down into the somersault. Any other variations of this sequence causes a diver to get stuck at the top and or cut off the board. This is the most effective way of generating speed and power in the somersault. The image of this sequence is one in which each component of the throw adds power to the somersault. As the hands go through, the arms add more power. As the arms go through, the head adds even more power. Get the picture? It is like pulling a spring back more and more until it fires away. Is this the last thing a diver should do? The answer is a resounding no! The amount of energy that has been applied to the somersault is set and is constant as the diver¹s feet leave the board. How can we then make ourselves spin even faster? The answer is Kepler's law!

Kepler's Law Kepler¹s law was used to explain how the planets spin around the sun. Isaac Newton then used Kepler¹s laws to explain the science of mechanics. We can use this law to easily explain how to spin quickly in a somersault.

Kepler's law states that the speed of an object is inversely proportional to it's distance from the center of the radius at which it is spinning. There is centripetal force applied, but without torque. The quantity of energy conserved in this situation is called the angular momentum. Simply put this means that as a diver gets into a tighter and tighter tuck and or pike, the speed at which he spins will increase. This can be seen in figure skating too. When a skater pulls his or her arms in tighter to his or her body, the speed of the twist increases. This can be applied to somersaults and twists.

Here is an experiment to better explain what happens using Kepler's law. Take a glass tube, a string, and a ball. Attach the ball to the end of the string and run the string through the tube. Spin the ball around in a circle. As you do this, pull the string slowly through the tube so the radius of the circle of the spinning ball gets smaller. What happens to the speed of the ball? It gets faster and faster as the radius decreases. You have now seen how this law of conservation of angular momentum works. Let us apply it to a diver.

Your diver is just leaving the board. He or she will travel in a specific trajectory for a specific amount of time from the board to the top of the dive and then down to the water. Generally, this usually lasts for about two seconds or so. This is why a diver must reach all the way up or he or she will travel to far from the board and will not be able to score well and or make their dive.

Because the trajectory and time of the flight of the dive have been established, the diver should immediately squeeze his or her tuck to decrease the radius as much as possible and as soon as possible. This also allows the diver to spin on the way up. I have seen too many divers that jump very high and wait until they are at the top of their dive to get into a nice tight tuck. Why wait? You know that you have established a certain trajectory and time of flight. Take advantage of the limited space and time by spinning on the way up. I used this technique to it¹s fullest. This is why I was able to make the difficult dives look easy.

The conservation of angular momentum is also why a diver and or figure skater can slow down the somersault and or twist. Many divers, while spinning, loosen their tuck and open up. This usually occurs in the last somersault and or twist. The diver gets anxious and starts to take a peek at where he is. This opening up causes the radius to increase and thus the somersault slows. You don¹t believe me? Go back to your ball and string. Repeat the experiment but this time start with the string farther down the tube. Spin the ball and then let the string out so the radius increases. The ball slows down doesn't it?

Divers use their head in this fashion all the time. If the head looks back, then the speed of the somersault slows. This can be to a diver¹s advantage when the somersault is completed and in fact it is a necessity to stop the dive. I will get into that concept shortly...

Now we know how to get the maximum somersault and speed by using very simple laws of physics. Is there more? Yes, there is! There are things that you can tell your diver to do that will help them maximize their own potential. These techniques are common sense, as you will soon see.

How do we get our diver to throw with straight arms so as to increase the amount of force applied? Some divers just can¹t throw with their arms straight and if they do, then they can¹t get all the way down in time before their feet leave the board. Is there no hope? Yes, there is! Try these simple techniques.

Here is a simple procedure to help the diver who cannot keep his or her arms straight while throwing for a somersault. Have the diver turn his or her palms forward so they are facing the same direction that he or she is throwing. When this is done the diver should be able to throw his or her arms down while keeping the arms straight. Don¹t believe me? Try this exercise.

Put your arms out straight in front of you. Now, turn your hands so that your palms are facing one another. Which way do your elbows bend? Are they bending and pointing down? Is this the position that your diver is in when they try and throw for a somersault? Your diver is simply trying to throw his or her arms in the path of least resistance. It is no wonder that they are bending their arms while throwing.

Now, turn your hands so that your palms are facing the ground. Bend your elbows. Which way are they pointing now? If you have done this correctly, then your elbows should be pointing out to the sides. Sure, it is possible to turn your elbows so they point down in this position, but you must make a conscious effort to do it. This is not likely to occur to your diver while they are throwing for a somersault.

There is another reason why this technique is more effective in keeping the arms straight while throwing for a somersault. It is called centripetal force. Centripetal force pulls the arms straight when an athlete throws his arms down quickly. Remember the experiment with the ball and string? The force applied to the ball, centripetal force, keeps the ball traveling in a circle and on a straight plane. This is also what happens in your clothes dryer. Centripetal force keeps the clothes on the walls of the dryer. Need another example? How about a satellite in orbit? The force of gravity is the centripetal force that keeps the satellite in orbit instead of flying off into space.

Here are some exercises that your kids can do to help them achieve a straight, quick, and effective arm throw. First, have your kids lay flat on their backs with their arms above and on the ground behind them. This is the takeoff position. Now, place a medicine ball in their hands and have them toss it to someone standing a few feet away from them. Make sure that the diver throws the ball so that the hands go all the way to their legs. The diver should be able to throw the ball and achieve a sitting position with their arms down by their feet. This is the position that your diver should be in when their feet leave the board.

Be sure that you use very light medicine balls when you start this exercise. You do not want to have your divers hurt their backs and or necks when starting this exercise. Remember that you are trying to improve your diver¹s quickness and technique, not send them to the hospital. Use good judgment!

Another effective way to improve your diver¹s technique is to do the same exercise as the medicine ball exercise, but have them do it with a lat pull down machine while standing upright. This is a better exercise for those athletes who are not strong enough to use medicine balls. Remember, these exercises are for technique and quickness. They are not intended to build muscle and extraordinary strength. technique is more important than strength. A perfect example of proper technique without a lot of strength are the Chinese divers. They employ timing and quickness to effectively maximize potential. They are not body builders! Nor should your divers be body builders! Images are great for explaining what you want your diver to do. Try this one. have your diver imagine that there is a bar in front of him or her. This imaginary bar should be a little higher than waist high. Have your diver throw his or her arms over the bar so that the body follows the hands and never touches this imaginary bar. This is a great image to visualize and it is one that I often used.

The basic idea is to throw your arms and head over the bar so that your hands are down in front of you at an area near your feet. The diver should feel as if his arms have pulled his head and chest, in that order, down with the arms. The hips should feel as if they are being pushed up and then over the bar as well. The arms should follow an arc, not go straight down.

I always knew when I was about to really crank a somersault because I felt this sensation. I would also see my hands just over my feet while my feet were still on the board. I would spin so fast that, at times, I could not spot the water. The G-force was so great that my eyes would roll back in my head. Now that is maximizing physics!

Inward Somersaults Inward somersaults are generated the same way! There is no need for any variation in the somersaulting technique. It is the same! Your diver is only standing backward. The arm throw and images used are the same as the forward somersault. If you understand the forward technique, then you can understand the inward technique. There are other forces involved in the inward somersault, but it is not necessary to understand all of them to be a good coach. It wouldn¹t hurt you though!

Backward Somersaults The hand position for back somersaults is the same as for forward somersaults. The same reasoning applies. If the hands are facing each other, then it is very easy, especially for back somersaults, to bend the elbows while throwing. Let us now look at the most effective way to somersault in the back direction.

We have explained why the conservation of angular momentum or Newton¹s second law of motion allows a diver to maximize somersaulting in the forward direction. So how can a diver use this law to his or her advantage in the back direction? Try and remember the analogy of the baseball player and how he hits a home run. The baseball player swings the bat all the way around to achieve the maximum arc and velocity to impart a force on the ball. That force then reacts and sends the ball on it¹s way over the fence. The same force applies to the back direction.The diver needs to get his arms all the way up past vertical to a point well behind his head. The farther the arms get behind the head, the more somersault that is generated. Remember that the arms need to be as straight as possible to get the maximum distance and speed of the hands through the arc that is created. This arc, like the forward arc, creates the force that pushes against the board.

The reaction is the board throwing your legs up and over your head. It is important to note that the center of gravity of the diver must be in front of the hands. This will maximize the reaction to the arm swing and thus generate as much somersault as possible. The farther that the hands go beyond vertical, the more somersault that is generated. The hips move slightly forward to aide in this action. This is easily accomplished and is a natural occurrence for most divers. It is often referred to as the reverse "C" position.

Also, the diver must get into his tuck or pike as soon as his feet leave the board. Remember that the trajectory of the dive has already been established so why wait to get into the tuck. Go ahead and have your diver spin on the way up. This action is not a difficult one to achieve and the reaction is well worth the effort.

Be careful when teaching this technique. It is important that the diver does not cut off the takeoff by getting into his tuck before maximizing the arm swing and jump from the board. Here is another approach to help your diver get to this full arm swing position or reverse "C" position. Divers need to be able to visualize and feel what they are doing. Tell your diver to strive to leave his feet on the board as long as possible while swinging his or her arms. It sounds elementary and it is! If the diver is conscious of trying to stay in contact with the board as long as possible, then chances are great that he or she will do so. The longer a diver stays on the board, the longer he or she has to get his arms through. For myself, I felt as though I was on the board longer than in the air.

There is another technique, which I call the "C" lift, that can be used to teach the proper technique. I will go into it later in the trampoline section of this book.

Here is an image that will help your diver get to the full reverse "C" position. Remember the image of the diver throwing his arms and then chest over an imaginary bar? Have your diver do the same in the back direction, only this time, the diver will be getting his or her hips over the bar. This action is similar in appearance and feel to the beginning of the famous Fosbury Flop.

Reverse Somersaults Reverse somersaults are the same as backward somersaults. The arm action, images and feel are the same as backward somersaults. It is nice to know that once you learn one direction of somersaulting you have really learned two (ie Front & Inward, Back & Reverse).

Somersaulting and Trampoline Belts The use of trampoline belts in teaching divers to somersault can be a great benefit and a great detriment to their progress. The benefit comes from learning how to spot, getting the feel of a specific dive, building confidence, and throwing with narrow arms. Belts are also very effective in teaching twisting techniques. Vince Panzano used belts to teach me how to twist. It was the reverse 3 1/2 twister which secured the gold medal for me in Barcelona. Thank you Vince!

The detriment of belts comes from improper somersaulting technique. The arms cannot return to the legs along the lateral plane or slightly in front when attempting back and reverse somersaults. The ropes are usually to close to the diver¹s sides therefore, the diver is unable to grasp the legs. Divers will obtain rope burns on the back of their arms from trying to circle in the somersault. The ropes inhibit this proper arm circle and reverse "C" position.

Another detriment comes from pulling the belts before the diver has completed the proper technique. As a coach, you should be very aware of this common fault. If you pull the belts before the diver gets his or her arms through, then the diver will have no recourse but to lift the head to make the somersault. This is a very harmful and potentially dangerous situation for a diver. If a diver learns to lift the head to soon and it becomes a habit, then that diver will have a tendency to either jump to far out or jump dangerously close to the board.

Lifting the head early has other consequences to a diver too. Here is a list of common maladies: the diver cannot put his or her head back to stop the dive (action + reaction), the arms do not come all the way through, therefore there is not enough somersault, the reach is short of vertical and the diver will travel too far out, the diver will cut off the jump, and the diver will pull him or herself into the board. As you can see, the effects of lifting the head early can destroy any chance of a diver completing a dive. It is dangerous and should be watched very carefully.

My personal experience tells me that belts are great for forward, inward, twisting and spotting dives. However, I personally feel that back and reverse somersaults should be learned without the use of belts. I feel it is better to learn this technique through other means. The "C" lift is a great exercise for this action. I will explain it shortly. You can practice your lead-ups on one meter springboard. This is usually adequate. Let me say another word about the improper head lift and the trampoline. If your diver has a terrible head position and you can't seem to correct it, then you can use the belts to rectify it. The belts can help isolate the head movement and thus eliminate it. You must solely key in on the head position. Do not worry about your diver making the somersault. This is the only time to use belts vigorously in these spinning directions. Be sure to concentrate on head and arm position at the start. The finish of the correct somersault technique can be accomplished with lead-ups on the one meter.

Here is an exercise to help your diver achieve the proper head, arm, and reverse "C" position in back and reverse somersaults. You do not need a trampoline or belts to teach it. All you need is yourself, your diver, and a little room. I call it the "C" lift. Stand behind your diver with your hands placed on your diver¹s waist. Have your diver extend his or her arms out to the sides. Tell your diver to swing his or her arms all the way around while jumping as strong as possible. Slide your shoulder under your diver¹s lower back when your diver leaves the ground. Your diver should be resting on your shoulder. You can lift your diver in the air if they do not jump very high. Your diver should be in the reverse "C" position while resting on your shoulder. Now, simply set your diver back on the ground after they achieve the reverse "C" position. Do this several times before and after a diver is practicing their back and reverse somersaults. This is one of the best exercises that I have seen and used to achieve the correct takeoff position for back and reverse somersaults. It works!

Conclusion Not every person thinks the same way. Therefore, not every diver thinks the same way about diving. Using physics, feel, and images is the best way to communicate to your diver what you wish them to do. You must be able to communicate your thoughts to your diver. If you are unable to get your point across, then what good have you done? Take heart! The one constant is physics. It doesn't change and its is very predictable. Use images to help your divers understand what they should be doing. Be creative and you can come up with your own images that will make you a better communicator and coach!