Reverse Dives: The Complete Guide

Reverses are the group that scares people, and for good reason.

You're running forward down the board, jumping up, and then rotating back toward the thing you just left. 

That tension is what makes reverses different from every other group. 

This page collects everything I've made on reverse dives, ordered the way you'd actually learn them.

Start Here

Before any specific dive, these two cover the mechanics that every reverse shares. If your reverse takeoff is wrong, it's wrong on all of them, and fixing it here saves you years.

  • The Reverse Takeoff Explained
    A frame by frame animation breakdown of the whole takeoff: hollow hips, arm swing timing, the C position, why the knees fall forward, and how the kickout decision gets made. This applies to every reverse dive you'll ever do.
  • 6 Reverse Dive Mistakes You Need to Fix
    The six problems I see most, ordered from beginner to advanced. Going through the knees, archy takeoffs, cutting off the arm circle, head position, rushing the kickout, and entry alignment.

The Voluntaries

These are your foundation. Every habit you build here shows up magnified on the optionals, so it's worth spending far more time on them than feels necessary.

  • Reverse Dive Tuck (301C)
    strong kickouts, proper fundamentals on takeoffs. this is a very important video and dive to understand. Eventually, you'll be able to do this dive in your sleep
  • Reverse Dive Pike (301B)
    Weight distribution, core position, and separating the slide out from the grab. This one covers the full range from beginner to Olympic level.

 

  • Reverse Dive Straight (301A)
    Most divers don't compete this one, which is exactly why it's underrated. It's the cleanest place to learn what actually moves you away from the board safely, and why relaxation speeds this dive up instead of slowing it down.
  • Reverse Flip Tuck (302C)
    The stepping stone. Spotting, the kickout sequence, and the habits that carry straight into everything harder.

The Optionals

Now for the fun stuff! These take years to get good at. So hopefully these articles and videos can give you a head start!

  • Reverse 1½ Tuck (303C)
    The gateway dive. Head position on the takeoff, using arm momentum instead of muscle, and the patience that creates a tighter connection.
  • Reverse 1½ Pike (303B)
    Looking into the pike, popping the toes before driving the legs, and the math on why you kick later on reverses than on backs.
  • Reverse 2½ Tuck (305C)
    The first 3.0 difficulty dive on one meter. What your leadups need to look like, the "throw" on reverses, and why relaxing makes this dive easier.

Reverse Twisting

  • Reverse Twisting Basics
    Why reverse twisters feel different from back twisters, why reverse flip straight is the foundation, and the four mistakes that stop divers from scaling to harder twisters.

Entries

Three Things That Are True of Every Reverse

Stay on the board longer than feels safe. Almost every reverse problem traces back to leaving early. Going through the knees, sliding out too far, having no height to work with. It feels like you're going to hit. There's more room than you think.

Arms swing on momentum, not muscle. Engage hard from 12 to 6 o'clock, then relax the shoulders completely and let momentum carry the arms back up. If you stay engaged the whole way through, your shoulders take over and pull you away from the board.

Hips out, not belly out. The hips are what move you safely away from the board. If your belly leads, your core isn't engaged and you're in a weak position before you've even left.

Related

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