WAG Diving and Gymnastics?

[hawaii_gymnast]

One of my athletes has recently started doing diving on top of her gymnastics, I have noticed a couple new issurd arising in her technique. Not sure if due to diving or just coincidence.
Have any parents or athletes had gymnastics and diving work at the same time?
Coaches do you think it is safe? What would you do in this situation?

 

[poodlemomma]

I have no input on this. But will be following. I have thought diving would be a good transition from gymnastics if my daughter ever decided to switch over to a different sport.

 

[Popcorn]

In gymnastics you land on your feet. In diving you land on your head. I am scared my kids would get it backwards.

 

[bogwoppit]

Ask @dunno There was some discussion about gymnastics and diving not being a very good idea at the same time. BUt concensus was going into diving after finishing with gym was a great idea.

It was definitely the head and feet issue that was a big part of the problem.

 

[raenndrops]

I agree to the transition AFTER gymnastics being a good thing. Phoebe Mills made the transition after retiring from gymnastics and was even good enough at diving to join her college diving team (and won the Big East Conference 10m platform 3 years in a row). She once made a comment about the whole foot / head issue when she started diving.

 

[hawaii_gymnast]

Yes I would have no problem with the transition to diving after gymnastics, but because she is doing it at the same time I am having some concerns.
Not sure if I should be saying anything about it though, or do I just let it be?

 

[hearts_and_stars]

DD does a diving camp every summer and we've had no issues with the head/feet problem. Of course, she is not competitive diving--she uses it to fix her form for tumbling passes. That may be the difference because her coach says she has seen tremendous improvement in the consistency of her form. I'm not sure how much of this is due to the 6 weeks of diving 2 days a week in the summer and how much of it is due to growing up and general maturity.

 

[4inches]

My friend joined dive after a back injury and gym transferred well for her.
I joined my school's dive as a PE credit and it didn't work well, the hurdle is different (which I mixed up in gym/dive).
The only "shapes" that you use for dive are tuck, handstand, pike.
Going in head first was at first a problem, but not by the end. Thankfully, I did not mix this up with gym.
When going in feet first I kept trying to stick the landing by bring my hands down.
Also water hurts a lot and you will get a ton of bruises.
At then end I liked the experience but never went back to it.

 

[Uppity]

It doesn't transfer as well as people think it does.

The basic problem, as has been mentioned, is that one teaches head first, one feet first. Twisting technique, arm technique, take off and hurdle steps are different. You need to travel away from the board, which is not ideal in gymnastics (and why trampolinists don't transfer as easily as you'd think- they've trained to return to the cross.

At low levels you can get away with it, and it can be useful for cross training, so you're not putting low level gymnast/divers through high hours in a specific sport. I'd say really it's only advisable to continue with both until more than one somersault is being taught, and before any twisting somersaults. So once you're doing 1.5 + in diving, or 1+ in gymnastics, or flipping vaults.

Gymnasts don't transfer as easily as expected once they retire either- the muscle memory for putting feet/arms out can be too strong. Also it can be difficult to overcome the desire to arch when going backwards! The "rip" technique to enter the water is hard to learn.

Amy Chow I believe is one tried to make the US team after gym, but never made it. Most gymnasts who transfer successfully do so before the age of 11.

 

[aerials]

I don't know but someone from my high school made the transition and went to the Athens Olympic games for diving. It worked out well for him!

 

[Clover]

A bit off topic but funny nonetheless - My gymnast can do all sorts of flips off the diving board including doubles as long as she lands feet first. However, she can't even do a simple dive (head first). She says it totally freaks her out.

 

[Quadqueen]

If you're noticing a change to her technique, yes, I would probably mention it.

I think it might also depend on what level they are and how complex their diving is. I have a friend whose daughter did L4 last year and she also did a summer dive team and she said her daughter didn't have a problem. But, she is not learning twisting yet, etc.

 

[SuperGirlmlm]

I was a diver (I recently had to quit), but I never had any problems. If anything my diving was polluted with gymnast habits.

 

[gymmomtoo]

I was a diver (I recently had to quit), but I never had any problems. If anything my diving was polluted with gymnast habits.

This is what my daughter says--she was a level 10 gymnast (now does high school) and started diving last spring--she says gymnastics does NOT help diving--except for knowing to have tight body, straight lines, etc.

 

[JBS]

Totally different sports.

 

[superflipgirl]

It's not true that EVERY dive you do in diving lands head first....that's usually at the elite level. I used to dive competitively and there were PLENTY of dives that landed feet first.

 

[LilHawkMom]

My son did diving (not now because the practice times don't work anymore). His dive coach used to teach gymnastics and understood the differences and kept that in mind with everything he did with him. He didn't want to mess up his gymnastics since that is his first passion. He only did feet first dives. He was in the youngest age group so he was able to can get away with feet first dives and still place well at meets. He went went to nationals that year and did very well.