How To Do A Front Double Tuck (104C): Your First Blind Entry

Front double tuck is usually the first blind entry you really learn, and I remember being genuinely scared the first time I tried it.

That fear is normal. It's also a great stepping stone toward a lot of awesome dives, front 2½ especially, and learning it is a big step in the right direction.

There are three things that will make your front double really good:

• A tall start with your head up as you leave the board
• Narrow arms on the throw for more power
• A tight tuck

Then at the end I'll get into the comeout, which is where most of the fear on this dive actually lives.

1. What a Tall Start Actually Means

Watch the first diver in the video doing a front 1½ tuck. You can tell they've been diving a long time. Look at how they come down from that final jump keeping their chest up and their body tall as they leave the board.

Now compare that to the next diver, who doesn't get a great hurdle jump and stays low on the board. Every one of their motions directs them out and down. The first diver's motions all direct them up and over.

That's the whole difference.

Diver Guy's Tip: Imagine there's a wall at the end of the board and you're going up and over it. Keep your chin up as you leave and you'll direct your body up into the air, which buys you the time you need to get two flips around.

A lot of divers at this level have their head down on the takeoff. To be fair, you can still make two flips that way, so it isn't the most critical piece. But learning to keep your head up a little longer and drive your hips in the right direction will:

• Make the double significantly easier
• Teach you the mechanics you'll need for harder dives later
• Make spotting easier down the line

It's a great habit to build early.

2. Narrow Arms and Full Extension on the Throw

This is a big one, because a lot of divers at this stage throw with bent elbows and lose most of the power available to them.

In the video, watch the young boy come through. He doesn't get his arms all the way up, which already costs him. But the part I want you focused on is the elbows: his arms aren't locked out, and as they pass his face they actually bend more.

Keep the arms elongated as long as possible and throw from the fingertips. That's how you generate the most flip speed.

This doesn't magically disappear at higher levels either. Look at the girl doing front 2½ in the video. Her arms are bent, and she still has enough power to get around. In her case the bend is only at the beginning of the throw, which is actually fine.

Diver Guy's Tip: The sooner your elbows extend all the way, the longer your lever, and the more force you put into the throw. Get to full extension as early in the throw as you can.

The last example shows both concepts at once. Her head is down on the throw, which keeps her low off the board, but her arms are perfectly straight. That mix gets her two somersaults around fine. If her head were up, she'd finish both flips noticeably earlier.

3. Get Into a Tighter Tuck

Remember the young boy from earlier? His arms weren't all the way up and they were slightly bent, but he had good head position and he gets into a very tight tuck. That tuck is what lets him finish both flips before the water.

This took me way too long to learn in my own career. Getting more flexible, or just getting smaller in your position, is a cheat code for flip speed.

You don't have to get stronger. You don't need better timing. You just have to get into a smaller position and you'll flip faster. It makes hard dives dramatically easier and it isn't something that takes time to do. You can just decide to get into a tighter position.

The Come-out

Most people learning this dive have no idea where they are in the air and can't spot yet. And spotting a front double is trickier than spotting a head first entry, so that's fair.

Spot at one and a half

The goal is to see the water at front 1½. As you pass one full flip, look for the water. That's the habit. It lets you gauge how fast you're flipping and how much time you have before you need to come out.

Then look across the pool

A lot of divers let the chest drop forward on the way out. That makes you look bent going into the water, and it can make you look like you're going over even when you're actually straight up and down.

So: come around for the one and a half, see the water, then as you finish the second flip look across the pool. The backstroke flags, the back wall, whatever's out there. Pick your target ahead of time. Knowing what you're looking for is what makes the standup work.

Lead from the heels

Once you know where you are, kick out strong, but don't just kick straight down for the water. Extend out a bit more so you can sweep your heels back underneath you. That gives you a more extended look and a much better shot at foot ripping the dive.

Diver Guy's Tip: This part only matters if you're competing this dive for scores. If you're using it purely as a leadup, the out matters a lot less. And honestly, by the time you're really perfecting this come-out you're probably already moving to front 2½ tuck or front double pike.

Why the skill still matters

Don't write it off as a dead end. Some twisters land on their feet and need that same extension into the water. You might learn inward double on one or three meter at some point. Controlling your lower body on the out is just as important there, so you don't fly over or look bent going in.

Good luck and I'll see you on the next dive! - DG