How to Stretch for Diving
A word that has a strong relation with diving is ‘stretching’. Flexibility is the key feature of diving, and one can get it only with proper stretching drills. A flexible body will not only make your dive look better, but also help you avoid several common injuries.
Every good coach first of all asks the diver to stretch and warm up the muscles. Once the stretching becomes a part of the routine, the diver finds his/her workout quite easy. It is not a child’s play though and it takes a lot of time to gain flexibility through stretching. Therefore, you need to be patient and persistent.
Instructions
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1
First of all, you need to warm up. It is extremely dangerous to start stretching with a cold body. This practice can cause serious injuries.
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2
Once your body is warmed, sit on a soft mat or a towel and start stretching your legs. The hamstring is probably the most used muscle in diving and it is very important to make it flexible.
It should be done carefully though. Stretch one leg, folding the second one in a triangle. Lean your body forward, making sure that you hands are touching the toes of the stretched leg. Hold the stretch at least for 10 seconds. After that, stretch the second leg and repeat this movement. You are also supposed to do stretching with both legs pushed forward. -
3
After finishing with the legs, you are required to stretch your shoulders. Push the shoulders up while keeping the arms fully straight. Try to join the palms right behind your head, making sure that there is no air pocket between the two shoulders.
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Toes are to be stretched next. After sitting down on a mat, extend one leg forward and place your hands right under your foot. While the fingers are still under the foot, try to touch the surface both with toes and heel at the same time.
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The stretching of the wrists is also very important. Stretch your arms forward, and hold the finger of one hand with the other hand, and vise versa. The palm should be facing away from you. Now push the fingers towards you to stretch the wrist.
