WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE TO WIN
In the recent Olympic Games, the American
divers managed to garner only two medals both of which were
bronze. This proved to be the worst showing that the United
States has made in Olympic Games since 1912 which was the
last time that at least one gold medal and more than two medals
wasnt won by our divers. This kind of performance is
hard to believe when the sport of diving in our country is
now controlled by its own organization (diving was under the
control of the swimming organization for around sixty years),
has adequate diving facilities, a strong age group diving
program, plenty of money to develop good divers through excellent
educational and developmental programs, adequate coaching,
etc. In other words, our diving program in America is very
sound at all levels and we seem to have all of the means to
develop top divers, but still we have faltered in not only
the Olympics but also in all of the World Championships
staged since 1992. What has happened to cause such performances
when we have everything needed to uphold the tradition of
being supreme in the world of diving has been a mystery.
THE PROBLEMS
In looking back at
our sport for the past few years, we find that one of the
big problems affecting the performance of our divers involves
time. When comparing our diving programs with
other countries that have superior divers, we find that they
all have time to develop their divers to a top level. This
is especially true with divers from Russia and China. Their
divers can practice six to eight hours a day, six to seven
days a week because they are employed and subsidized by their
governments. The families of the better divers are also supported
by their governments, which offer a great incentive for the
divers to perform well. This is not possible for divers in
the United States since our government does not finance our
divers. Most of the American divers go to school or have jobs
that take around eight hours of their time each day. They
also engage in social and domestic activities, which leave
little more than two or three hours a day for training. Also,
our philosophy for participating in the sport differs from
most
other countries for our divers compete for the fun of the
sport and as a form of recreation while they compete to survive
and to obtain better living standards.
Observing further, we find that to
be a top diver, one needs to learn and perfect dives that
are extremely difficult, which require a lot of time if to
be performed successfully and with consistency. This kind
of preparation requires training programs that provide exercises
for flexibility, body conditioning, and strength; the use
of the trampoline, port-o-pit, mats, videos etc. Most American
divers must also learn to perform dives from the one, three,
and ten-meter levels; practice lead-up dives in preparation
for the execution of difficult dives; and perform line-ups
in order to develop rip entries. More time is needed for those
who wish to participate in a new diving event, synchronized
diving. Thus, when one observes how much time it takes to
cover all of these activities in order to be a top performer,
it becomes quite clear why we in this country are having difficulty
competing with our advisories. Further more, when our college
divers are not permitted to practice more than twenty hours
a week, and divers in other American programs who practice
not much more than that time, are compared with divers from
opposing countries who practice around forty hours a week,
it becomes obvious why we are having a tough time competing
with them.
Another problem pertaining to time involves
the number of dives performed in practice and the number of
diving events. Years ago, divers competed on the one meter,
three meter, and some on the ten meter platform in the summer.
During this period, nearly all American divers competed on
the one-meter board, which included all high school divers,
while the rest of the world did not compete at this level.
The American divers who went to college usually dived from
the one meter and three meter springboards because most were
on scholarship, which normally required such participation.
In recent years, the tower event was added to the college
program so college divers now may dive in three events all
year long. Those divers who are not in college often compete
in as many as four events for synchronized diving has been
added to the program. In the past, with the absence of one-meter
competition in other countries, foreign divers competed in
only one or two events, which meant they had more time to
focus on their dives than the Americans who were diving in
more than two events. A major change has been made by many
foreign divers which is giving great concern to the American
divers and this in particular involves the Chinese divers.
Like the Russians and Germans, the Chinese are beginning to
specialize by diving in only one event with an occasional
exception where a diver is good enough to dive in two events.
It is recognized that diving in more
than one event takes up a lot of time for practice, which
most divers dont have if they are to use all of the
training activities that are necessary to become a top diver.
The time needed to train for more than one event has now placed
the American divers in a precarious position when competing
against foreign divers. It is easy to see that if divers from
other countries practice forty hours a week and dive in one
event while the American divers practice only twenty hours
a week and compete in two or more events, then our problem
with competing at there level is monumental. It may be noted
that in training for the recent Olympics many of our divers
did concentrate on competing in one event. This was particularly
noticeable in the mens three meter event for we had
divers such as Bradshaw, Ferguson Lenzi, Downey, and Panero
to mention a few who focused on one event. The two divers
who dived tower in the Olympics also trained for the three-meter
event, which may have affected their tower outcome.
Another
area where American divers faltered between 1992 and 1996
was in performing dives with lower degrees of difficulty then
those performed by their opponents. This was particularly
noticeable in the 1994 World Championships held in Rome and
also on the ten-meter platform for women at the Olympics in
Atlanta. In Rome, the American women divers performed their
dives without limit from the three-meter board in the tuck
position where the better divers from other countries executed
many of their optional dives in the pike position. The winner
from China performed all of her difficult dives in the pike
position, which also included the forward 3½ somersaults while
the American divers executed forward 2½ somersaults, pike.
A similar situation occurred on the mens ten meter platform
in the same meet when our top American diver performed inward
and backward 2½ somersaults, pike while all of the other finalists
performed inward, back, and reverse 3½ somersaults, tuck.
The difference in the degrees of difficulty left our divers
in a position where it was virtually impossible for them to
medal no matter how well they performed their dives. The problem
here was that the Americans were not cognizant of the kind
of difficult dives needed to be competitive and therefore,
spent the first two years after the 1992 Olympics doing little
to increase the difficulty of their dives. Certainly, if the
divers had practiced lead-up dives in preparation for more
difficult dives during that period, some of them would have
been able to master the dives well enough to compete at the
top level.
Perhaps the most controversial subject
in diving today concerns the attempt of divers to copy the
Chinese style of diving. The whole world was in awe of the
Chinese when they first came on the scene nearly two decades
ago, and everyone wanted to dive like their divers. The attempt
to copy their style and technique has moved to the point where
several countries have employed Chinese coaches to teach the
Chinese methods of diving. Though these coaches, some of which
are limited in their knowledge and experience, may have proven
to be helpful in many of our diving programs, they have not
been able to clone others to dive like the Chinese who spend
eight hours a day practicing diving skills and conditioning
exercises. When asked where they learned their diving techniques,
the top Chinese coaches stated that they learned nearly everything
from the Russians who in turn learned it from the Americans....so
now, the Americans are trying to emulate the Chinese and they
think we are crazy because they, indirectly, learned most
of what they know from the Americans.
SOME SOLUTIONS
So, the big question is How in
the world can an American diver find the time to train in
an environment that demands so much and still enjoy a normal
life? I dont believe that any of our divers want
to become fanatics by diving all day long just to prove a
point. Most youngsters participate in many enjoyable activities
outside of diving which offer various forms of cultural and
recreational experiences that contribute to natural growth.
Granted, other sports such as gymnastics and swimming are
as demanding of their athletes time as diving and also
require a great sacrifice from those who participate. But,
in this respect, time is the big factor and our
need for its use creates a huge problem.
If we accept the fact that time is a major
concern in training, we first must attempt to assess the quantity
and quality of the time at hand and dedicate every effort
to use that time where it will best improve the performance
of our divers. To take such an approach requires that we recognize
the strengths and weakness of the diving program, fix those
things that are broke, establish priorities in terms of the
importance to the divers, form short term and long term goals
and objectives that are realistic and well within capabilities
of the divers, and then try to develop a program that is workable,
which can satisfy the needs of each diver within the time
frame available.
The forming of such programs must be
suited for individuals rather than groups though some activities
may be helpful to everyone. For example, if a program is set
up to include exercises that improve the flexibility of a
diver, it is of little use to the person who is already flexible
so it would be a waste of time for that person to participate
in that particular phase. However, if that person were in
need of strength, then it would be profitable to participate
in a strength program. Similarly, a person who knows how to
rip entries need not spend any great amount of time in an area
already mastered though time should
be taken to maintain the excellence of the skill.
The diving program should
be set up so those who plan to dive at the international level
may do so with the intent of diving in only one event and
at most two events. The divers can then focus and concentrate
on dives needed for international competition. Though reducing
the number of events may be difficult for some divers to accept,
they must realize that they will have difficulty beating the
opposition if they practice for a lot of events, which increases
the number of dives in practice. Subsequently, decreasing
the number of events offers the diver an opportunity to practice
and
focus more in executing certain dives, which can affect the
success of a performance. Granted, many divers do not wish to adopt a plan that requires a reduction
in the number of events but if they are realistic, they will
understand that to beat the opposition will require good planning
and some sacrifice. Also, few divers can or are willing to
totally dedicate themselves to diving for the awards will
require granted, many divers do not wish to adopt a plan that
requires a reduction in the number of events but if they are
realistic, they will understand that to beat the opposition
will require good planning and some sacrifice. Also, few divers
can or are willing to totally dedicate themselves to diving
for the rewards are sometimes hardly worth the effort. But
if our divers concentrate on performing in one or two events
at the most, the time can then be quality time though still
not quantity time. It is also suggested that divers practice
one meter diving when this even is offered in world events
but not during the Olympic year when the one-meter event is
not scheduled. It may be noted that with the exception of
Greg Louganis and FU Mingxia, earning medals in two events
has been extremely rare in recent years. Even Xionog NI and
Demitri Saltine, two of the finest divers in the world, were
not able to medal in more than one event at the Olympics.
I personally believe that the keenness of the sport will make
it more and more difficult for divers to medal in two events
at World and Olympic championships in future years and since
divers in America have limits to the time they can practice,
such a feat will be very difficult.
With the passing of the 1996 Olympics,
it is hopeful that American divers and coaches dont
make the same mistake again concerning the kind of dives needed
to medal in future World and Olympic Championships. We have
four years to perfect the dives needed to medal and the time
for the divers to start working on them is NOW. Obviously,
the sport requires divers to be extremely strong and explosive
so a top priority in a diving program is to offer a strength
program for those who dont possess such characteristics.
As a diving coach for nearly fifty
years at all levels of competition, I believe that if the
American divers are ever to compete at the same levels as
the Russians and Chinese, we must do it the American way which
has proven over and over to be good enough over the last 75
years. I also believe that when one copies from another, then
the one copying most generally is second to one copied. It
baffles me when I see coaches and divers feel they can beat
the opponent at their own game when their time is so limited.
Certainly, we would do well to adopt some of their techniques
and styles that could help our divers but if we want to copy
the best techniques and styles to beat the opponent, then
why not start with Greg Louganis and Mark Lenzi who were the
last American divers to beat the world and neither of these
two divers ever copied anything from the Chinese and Russians.
We must realize that coaches and divers
from all over the world have copied each other for over sixty
years. Up until 1960, divers learned to dive by trial and
error and by copying the styles and techniques from those
who were better than them, which was not a problem for American
divers because they were the best in the world. This all began
to change when some coaches began to seek another source for
diving information and found it in the mechanical principles
developed through Newtons Laws of Motion. Unfortunately,
most American diving coaches have been painfully slow in recognizing
this source for information and still look for answers by
using the trial and error method or by copying others. I feel
that if we dont wake up and recognize Newtons
mechanical principles, we will never be a real threat to those
who now dominate the sport. Oh, we may produce a Louganis
or Lenzi on occasion but we will not produce diving powers
such as we have enjoyed since 1920.
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