New to the Sport
of Diving?
Whether you just signed up to coach, your kid just joined a team, or you stepped onto a springboard for the first time, this page gives you a plain-language foundation for understanding what competitive diving actually is.
Welcome to the world of springboard and platform diving. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with scuba diving. You won't find fins, snorkels, or oxygen tanks here. While it shares qualities with swimming and gymnastics, diving stands on its own as a sport that combines strength, technique, precision, and artistry. Whether you're new to the sport or looking to learn more, you're in the right place. Dive in, and discover why this sport is the coolest one around.
What Is Competitive Diving?
The basics of what the sport is and what makes it different from everything else
Diving is a judged sport where athletes perform acrobatic movements off a flexible board or stationary platform surface before entering the water, commonly head-first. Divers are scored not on speed or distance, but rather, on how well they execute the dive from start to finish.
How is it different from swimming and gymnastics?
Diving and swimming are two completely separate sports that often share the same facility and, at the scholastic level, the same team. A swimmer races. A diver performs. The skills, training, and scoring have almost nothing in common. You do not need to be a strong swimmer to be a good diver; you just need to be able to get from the middle of the pool to the wall.
Diving and gymnastics are much more similar. Both require body control, air awareness, strength, and flexibility. Many great divers started as gymnasts and the skills transfer well. The key differences: in diving your takeoff comes from a moving springboard rather than a floor or vault, you finish headfirst or feetfirst into water rather than landing on your feet, and a clean water entry with minimal splash is just as important to your score as the acrobatics in the air.
The Board, the Platform, and the Heights
Where divers jump from and how the different heights work across all levels of competition
Diving happens from two different types of apparatus: the springboard, which is flexible and gives the diver extra height and air time, and the platform, which is a rigid fixed structure. The 1-meter springboard is where most athletes start and is used across club, scholastic, and collegiate competition. Higher levels of competition add additional heights.
Competitive Heights
What Happens on the Springboard
The Four Body Positions
Every dive is performed in one of these four positions while in the air
When you see a dive number, the last letter tells you the body position the diver uses in the air. These positions affect how fast the diver rotates: tuck is fastest, straight (layout) is slowest. The choice of position also affects how difficult the dive is rated.
The Six Dive Categories
All dives fall into one of six groups based on direction and takeoff type
There are six dive groups in competitive diving, five of which are used in springboard competition. The sixth group, armstand, is used on platform only. When you see a dive number like "101C" or "203B," the first digit tells you which group it belongs to. The middle digits tell you how many half-somersaults, and the letter at the end is the body position.
How Scoring Works
What judges watch for and how a final score is calculated
Each dive is scored by three judges (sometimes five or seven at larger meets). Each judge awards a score between 0 and 10 in half-point increments. The high and low scores are dropped, the remaining scores are added, and that total is multiplied by the dive's Degree of Difficulty to produce the final score for that dive. All dive scores are summed for the diver's total.
The Scoring Formula
What Judges Actually Watch
Degree of Difficulty Explained
Every dive has a fixed Degree of Difficulty (DD) set by the governing body based on how hard the dive is to execute. A simple forward dive might be DD 1.2, while a forward 2.5 somersault in pike might be DD 2.4. The diver does not get to choose their DD. A harder dive done reasonably well can often outscore an easy dive done exceptionally, which is why coaches gradually work athletes toward more difficult dives as they are ready.
Competition: How It Works
How meets are structured across club, scholastic, and collegiate levels
At every level of competition, the basic structure is the same: each diver performs a set number of dives in a pre-determined order, judges score each dive, and the scores are totaled, using the formula shown above. The number of dives required, the rules around which categories must be represented, and how scores contribute to a team total vary by level and format.
Competition Across Levels
Age group and open competition
USA Diving and AAU club meets use a points-based system organized by age group. Dive requirements vary by age group and skill level. Club competition often runs year-round and includes local, regional, and national championship levels.
Dual meets (6 dives) and championships (11 dives)
At the middle/high school level, diving is usually combined with a swimming team. Regular season dual meets require 6 dives; championship meets require 11. Individual scores contribute to the overall team total alongside swimming events.
NCAA and NAIA competitions have different requirements for number of dives based on divison, dive height, gender, and the type of meet. Division I recently introduced a team diving event. Divers will usually compete on both 1m and 3m in the same meet. Platform events are only available at select NCAA Division I meets.
The Dive Sheet (Dive List)
Before every competition, each diver submits a dive sheet listing exactly which dives they will perform and in what order. Judges use this list to verify that the correct dive was performed. If a diver performs a different dive than listed, they receive a zero for that dive. Dive lists must meet competition requirements for which categories are represented. The coach is responsible for building correct lists and submitting them before the deadline.
Where to Go From Here
Next steps depending on who you are and what you need most right now
Your next priority after learning the basics
Look into coach education through USA Diving or your governing body. If you are coaching a scholastic team, your state athletic association or regional/area's "conference" may also have requirements. Either way, focus first on safety progressions and a simple practice structure. You do not need to know every dive to start coaching effectively.
What to focus on as a diving parent
Progress in diving is not always linear. Your athlete's confidence is directly connected to the support or pressure they feel from you. Celebrate effort, consistency, and bravery, not just scores. Trust the coach and the process. Scores will follow.
What to focus on in your first season
Do not rush toward difficult dives. Every elite diver built their career on a foundation of simple dives done with great technique. Your early time is about learning the board, building body awareness in the air, and gaining confidence. Degree of difficulty comes later.
Common Diving Terms
Words you will hear at practice and competitions, explained plainly
Ready to go deeper?
Now that you have the basics, explore the full resource library or find your nearest diving club to get started in person.