The Dives and Application Continued...Back Dives
When a diver goes to jump off of the board backwards, he begins by swinging his arms down with a deep knee bend. Just as in the hurdle, this presses the board down. When the diver lets the diving board recoil, he does two things at the same time: He swings his arms back up and jumps up. The board assists the diver just as in the hurdle and he has the ability to put this new energy to use.
To do a back dive, the diver pushes his hips up as he leaves the board. Once airborne, he leans back and pulls his hips upward even more, generating just enough rotation to go into the water headfirst (Figure D).
Figure
D
To do a back dive with a somersault, the diver pulls his hips upward while leaving the board. As the rotation begins, he swings his arms around and grabs his knees to make himself smaller. Again, just as is accomplished with the front dive with a somersault, the moment of inertia is made smaller and the angular speed increases to make enough spin that is needed to complete the somersault (Figure E).
Figure
E