Forward Dives: The Complete Guide

Forward facing dives are where everyone starts after learning how to hurdle.

Together the hurdle and forward category make up the foundation of a beginners journey through diving.

But it never does stop, and a professional diver will continue to work on their hurdle and forward dives until the day they retire from the sport.

This page collects everything I've made on forward dives to hopefully give you an advantage as you progress through the sport.

Start Here: The Hurdle

The hurdle is your forward takeoff. Get it right and every dive in this group gets easier.

How to Master the Front Hurdle
The full overview. What a great hurdle looks like, what it means to be too far back or forward, and why posture and foot placement matter more than you think.
Front Hurdle Part 1
The arms-up drill that exposes your weak spots, why you have to push the board down before it can lift you, and how to make your arms swing on momentum instead of muscle.
Front Hurdle Part 2: Back vs. Forward
How to fix balance issues in the approach.
Front Hurdle Part 3: What Great Looks Like
Elite execution broken down, plus some tips that give you most of your hurdle progress.

These are your foundation. Everything you build here shows up magnified later, so give them attention and pay attention to the details.

Front Dive Tuck (101C)
Why you should think of it as a front jump, finishing the arm circle to 12 o'clock, and separating the legs-first kick from the arm grab.
Front Dive Pike (101B)
Staying tall on the board, sweeping the arms wide instead of underneath, and driving the hips above the chest.
Front Dive Straight (101A)
The three beginner mistakes, plus a breakdown on Greg Louganis' arm circles and the pop off the board.
Your First Front Flip
The four parts that make it work: the takeoff, the throw, the tuck, and the kickout.
Front 1½ Tuck (103C)
Full progression from beginner mistakes to expert kickout drills.
Front 1½ Pike (103B)
Killing the forward lean, holding a tight pike, and closing laterally instead of underneath.

Now the fun part. These are the dives people show up to watch, and they take years to make look easy.

Front Double Tuck (104C)
Usually your first blind entry. A tall start, narrow arms on the throw, a tight tuck, and how to spot the comeout and adjust.
Front Double Pike (104B)
Front 2½ Tuck (105C)
Where connection starts to decide everything. What your coach means when they say your connection is slow, and how to fix it.
Front 2½ Pike (105B)
One of the most important pike optionals on 1-meter. The 90/90 cue, and why flexibility is a cheat code here.

Front Flip Full Twist (5132D)
Where your twisting career begins. Fixing direction off the board, understanding the progression, and finishing the square.
Full Out (5152B)
Why 104B is a different dive, how to add the twist safely, and timing the pike-to-twist and the dig.

How to Get a Better Diving Entry
Punching for the water, getting airtight around your head, when and how to swim, and POESTSOL, the acronym that fixes most bad pike saves.

Hop Hurdle vs. Traditional Hurdle — which hurdle style is right for you, and when to switch

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