williams@kirk.DEC (John Williams 223-3402) (08/15/84)
> While watching the Olympic diving competition, I was impressed > with the divers' ability to spin while doing somersaults. I used to dive in high school, perhaps I can be of assistance. The twisting phenomenon is actually caused by the combination of two things. The twist is initiated at takeoff. It appears to be negligable to the unexperienced eye. It consists of a sharp controlled movement of the upper body right at the moment of takeoff. The twist is then accomplished by bending the body slightly in the midsection and twisting the body around these two intersecting axis. The twist is then controlled by bending the body further into a tuck, or a pike position. The diver is then able to use drag to stop the spin, in a sense, flying. The diver can attain speeds of up to 40 MPH, where aerodynamics can come into effect. The next time you watch a dive, notice the arm movements off the board or platform until the time the rest of the body begins to spin. Notice how the body is bent slightly during the spin ( this also makes it easier to keep track of where you are ). Notice how fast the diver is going when going into the somersault portion of the dive. Notice how they make it look so easy. (DEC E-NET) KIRK::WILLIAMS (UUCP) {decvax, ucbvax, allegra}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-kirk!williams (ARPA) williams%kirk.DEC@decwrl.ARPA williams%kirk.DEC@Purdue-Merlin.ARPA