What is a “flying” dive?

August 5, 2021 5:26 AM

In competitive diving, what is a “flying” dive and how does it differ from a “non-flying” dive? Why aren’t flying dives used in competition very often?

I was looking through the FINA rulebook about how the difficulty scores are calculated for dives and there are several references to “flying” dives. Googling the term leads to a few references about how such dives are rare in competition, but I couldn’t find a clear description or a video explaining what they actually are or why they’re rare. (Also, the Google results are full of links about skydiving and scuba diving after a flight, which aren’t helpful.)

posted by Johnny Assay to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (4 answers total)

Does this answer it? From Wikipedia.

During the flight of the dive, one of four positions is assumed:

straight – with no bend at the knees or hips (the hardest of the four)
pike – with knees straight but a tight bend at the hips (the median in difficulty of the four). The open pike is a variant where the arms are reached to the side, and the legs are brought straight out with a bend in the hips.
tuck – body folded up in a tight ball, hands holding the shins and toes pointed (the easiest of the four)
free – indicates a twisting dive, and a combination of other positions. In the transition between two positions the diver may for example bend their legs or curve at the waist, and points will not be deducted for doing so.

These positions are referred to by the letters A, B, C and D respectively.

Additionally, some dives can be started in a flying position. The body is kept straight with the arms extended to the side, and the regular dive position is assumed at about half the dive.

...

For groups 1 to 4, the number consists of three digits and a letter of the alphabet. The third digit represents the number of half-somersaults. The second digit is either 0 or 1, with 0 representing a normal somersault, and 1 signifying a "flying" variation of the basic movement (i.e. the first half somersault is performed in the straight position, and then the pike or tuck shape is assumed). No flying dive has been competed at a high level competition for many years.

posted by EndsOfInvention at 5:31 AM on August 5, 2021

Usually if a skill isn't performed, it's one of the following, too easy and doesn't score high enough, too difficult to deliver consistently, or it is harder than other skills at the same points level. I know almost nothing about diving, but the FINA points scoring handbook makes me think it is likely to be the latter as there are flying dives at all points ranges, including the 3+ points range which I believe is Olympic dive quality.
posted by plonkee at 5:48 AM on August 5, 2021

Perhaps "flying" refers to the traditional image of a diver, standing on the edge of the platform and leaping off? I was watching women's diving last night and almost none of the divers did that. The closest to that anyone did was to stand on the edge of the platform facing backwards. A ton of them actually started from a handstand on the edge of the platform.
posted by Thorzdad at 12:18 PM on August 5, 2021

The straight part is too fiddly for higher number of rotations and the angular velocity needed vs the height of the dive.

A straight 1/2 is your normal nice laid out like christ on the cross flying through the air starting by standing on your feet and ending with your head in the water, 1/2 flip. You can do it forwards, backwards, reverse, inwards(hard) but that's about it. You might be able to get a full flip or 1 1/2 flip off of a high board but you're going to have a hard time hitting it just right if you want to keep it straight and high scoring.

That's why they move on more to tuck and pike positions for the flipping. You can control the rotation *after* you leave the board to adjust the dive to that you enter the water perfectly and get good scores. And 1 1/2 or 2 or more and twists are available.

So a flying dive would be a sort of bit of flair, you do a 1 1/2 but you do the first part like a good old swan dive but you've done that 1/2 and are still way high above the water so you pull in a tuck or pike and do a full flip and end up with a 'flying 1 1/2'. You could have just done a 1 1/2 pike probably way better and prettier than that flying thing. :)

It seems to me like the flying version is like a dead-end skill-wise. Any more than 1/2 is sorta going to look weird like somebody just throwing a stick into the water.

I have a feeling it got started back in the past by someone doing a straight forward dive off a high board with enthusiasm and going oh-shi*t and tucking into a 1 1/2 and somebody going 'cool'.

Rotating rods are rather unstable. The Bizarre Behavior of Rotating Bodies - YouTube.

Pike an tuck are both more stable and more controllable.
posted by zengargoyle at 3:00 PM on August 5, 2021 [1 favorite]