Long term retention of safe diving skills

J Sci Med Sport. 2003 Sep;6(3):348-54. doi: 10.1016/s1440-2440(03)80029-4.

Abstract

This short report describes a 20-month follow-up of safe diving skills, extending the 8-month retention period previously published in this journal. Thirty-four recreational swimmers with poor diving skills were evaluated before and immediately after a diving skills intervention program. Twenty-two returned for the eight-month follow-up evaluation and 16 returned 20 months post. As with the earlier study, Treadwater, Deck, Block and Running dives were video-recorded, and maximum depth, distance, velocity, entry angle and flight distance were compared. Underwater hand and arm positions were examined. Pre-intervention, a breaststroke arm action before maximum depth occurred in 18% of all dives and 38% of Treadwater dives. This was eliminated post-intervention, improving head protection. The Treadwater dive elicited the greatest mean maximum depth, and ANOVA showed depth for this entry decreased (improved) following intervention and remained shallower at the eight-month and 20-month post follow-ups. The Block dive also became shallower following intervention while the Deck dive remained unchanged. As seven 10-minute skills sessions resulted in shallower dives with safer hand and arm positions, and these skills were retained over a 600 day non-practice period, it is reliable to consider that the inclusion of safe diving skills in learn-to-swim programs can provide a diving spinal cord injury prevention strategy.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Arm / physiology
  • Athletic Injuries / prevention & control*
  • Diving / education
  • Diving / physiology
  • Diving / psychology*
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Physical Education and Training / methods
  • Program Evaluation
  • Retention, Psychology*
  • Safety*
  • Time