The diver then enters the water headfirst facing the board. The reverse somersault, also called a full gainer, is a back somersault in which the diver begins from a front takeoff, rotates back toward the board, and enters the water feetfirst. Another dive is the inward dive, or cutaway , in which the diver stands backward on the board during take-off and spins toward the board, entering the water headfirst. The forward, backward, reverse, and inward dive groups form the basis for competitive diving, and advanced divers perform combinations or variations on these somersaulting dives. The dives increase in complexity and difficulty as the level of competition rises.
Some Olympic divers can perform up to four and one-half somersaults or twists in a dive.
For all divers, performing multiple somersaults and twists may cause the athlete to become disoriented, losing sense of where he or she is in the air. D. Entries Print section Divers have less than two seconds in the air to complete the dive. During this time they must complete their rotations and line the body up to enter the water in a nearly vertical position. During a headfirst entry divers clasp their hands overhead and interlock their thumbs. The divers also lock the elbows, elevate the shoulders to the ears, form a slightly curved body shape, and tighten the body muscles.