Divers use performance-scientists in order to be the best competitors they can be. This means (in addition to working with an excellent technical coach) they aim to maximise their possible number of training days, enhance the quality of training and competition and develop their emotional skills to increase the chance of them being able to produce their best performance when it counts the most.
Divers enhance their week’s work with their coach by accessing a range of service in sports-medicine (provided by a doctor, physiotherapist and soft-tissue therapist), strength and conditioning (including acrobatic preparation), psychology, nutrition, biomechanics and performance lifestyle.
Strength and Conditioning
Strength is very important for a diver – but raw force production is of limited use. Diving is an acrobatic and aesthetic sport; an athlete needs to be strong enough to produce rotation (harder for a heavier, bulkier body) and do it beautifully.
Nutrition
Fuelling and recovery – a diver expends a great deal of energy during training, and puts stress on the structures in the body. Effective fuelling and recovery allows the diver to be properly energised through training, and to recover optimally before the next training load.
Injury Prevention
Diving is a repetitive acrobatic sport and athletes need to be able to produce force to make enough height and rotation to produce up to four-and-a-half somersaults or twists. They also need to remain healthy from day to day to maximise the volume and impact of their training.
Across British Swimming, and within each discipline specifically, groups comprising sports science and sports medicine experts have looked in detail at the subject of weight management, and have subsequently developed a British Swimming position statement on this topic. This is a performance area that is individualised to the athlete, with valuable input from the athlete themselves being central to the process.
Separately to the British Swimming-specific policy, the Swim England position statement on weighing athletes, released in December 2021, is fully supported by British Swimming. British Swimming collaborated with Swim England, our other Home Nation partners and key specialists on this specific piece of work.