How To Do An Inward Dive Pike (401B): Arm Timing, Drive, and the Pike Save Explained

The inward dive pike — 401B — is one of those dives that exposes everything. Your arm timing, your drive off the board, your body position in the air, and your entry are all on display.

In this breakdown I go from beginner all the way to Olympic level, showing exactly what changes — and why — as you move toward expert technique.

Let's get into it.

3 Key Fixes for Your Inward Dive Pike

1. Stop Circling Your Arms Too Early

This is the most consistent mistake I see across all levels on the inward dive. Divers start their arm circle before their knees even begin to bend. It feels natural — but it's robbing you of power.

The sequence should be: knees start to bend first, then the arm circle follows. And here's the other part people miss — your arms need to get all the way to 12 o'clock, fully straightened out, before the throw happens.

Most beginners and intermediate divers cut off at about 10 o'clock and throw from there. That's T-Rex arms on the throw, and you lose all the power that comes from long levers.

Diver Guy's Tip: The more patient you are with the arm circle, the faster and more powerful the throw actually becomes. Wait for the squat, ride all the way to the top, fully extend — then pop from the elbows as you leave the board. It feels counterintuitive but it works every time.

2. Drive Up, Not Away

A massive difference between beginner and expert inward dives is the angle off the board. Most beginners push their hips back and away from the board, ending up at a shallow angle — or even falling backward immediately. Even intermediate divers tend to leave at about 45 degrees, pushing hips out instead of up.

At the Olympic level, the best inward divers are leaving the board at 60 to 70 degrees of hip angle — driving almost straight up. Their hips stay over their ankles really well through the squat and arm circle. Their shoulders stay in line or slightly over their hips. 

Diver Guy's Tip: Keep your eyes and gaze up across the board toward the back wall or somewhere on the board as you take off. Divers who look down to the water early are the ones who miss out on height. Stay tall, drive up, then find the water.

3. Finish Your Position at the Top of Your Jump

Expert divers do the opposite. They hit their maximum pike at the peak of the dive, finish the position there, and then straighten out for the majority of the drop time. That gives them much more time to squeeze tight and get long before the entry.

Diver Guy's Tip: Think about showing your pike at the top, not at the bottom. If you're rushing out of the pike on the way down, you're leaving drop time on the table and making your entry harder than it needs to be. Sometimes it helps to think about getting into the pike by your hips coming up above your head more than your head going down to your shins...Make sense?

Watch the Full Breakdown

In this video I walk through six divers from very beginner to Olympic level — breaking down every mistake and every improvement along the way. I also briefly cover what a pike save is actually supposed to look like underneath the surface, which most people have never seen explained before. 

But if you want a detailed understanding of the pike-save I recommend watching this video

A few things worth watching closely in the 401B video:

• The angle difference off the board between beginner and Olympic level is dramatic — once you see it you can't unsee it
• Watch the arm timing across all six divers and how much taller the advanced athletes get off the board
• The underwater pike save footage is something I haven't seen explained anywhere else — pay attention to what the arms are actually doing

The Pike Save: What's Actually Happening Underwater

Most divers have no idea what a pike save is supposed to look like below the surface. Here's what's happening: as you enter the water, your arms need to explode laterally to the sides immediately. You're squeezing your triceps to keep your arms straight, flat palms, head completely squeezed between your arms with no space — and the moment you hit, you push everything out to the side.

All the air you're carrying into the water with you gets pushed out sideways instead of coming back up through the middle. That's why a clean swim and pike save means less splash — you're spreading the air out rather than letting it all come up at once from the main hole you make.

Final Takeaways: Inward Dive Pike Done Right

• Bend the knees first — then circle the arms, not the other way around
• Get your arms all the way to 12 o'clock, fully extended, before throwing
• Drive hips up at 60–70 degrees, hips over ankles until last possible moment
• Keep eyes up across the board on takeoff, not looking down for the water
• Hit your deepest pike at the peak, then use the drop time to squeeze long
• Pike save: explode arms laterally the moment you enter, squeeze triceps, spread the air out

If you're working on your inward dive pike and want personal feedback, I offer virtual coaching for all skill levels. Send in your video and I'll send back drills, voiceover notes, and technique corrections.

👉 Click here to learn more about virtual coaching

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Got questions? Drop them in the comments or DM me — I answer every one.

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