title: Retention of safe diving skills.
abstract: This study investigated diving skill maintenance over an eight-month retention period following an intervention program. Thirty-four recreational swimmers with poor diving skills were measured before and immediately after a diving skills intervention program. Twenty-two returned for follow-up evaluation. Treadwater, Deck and Block 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 follow-up. Deck and Block dives also became shallower following intervention. As seven 10-minute skills sessions resulted in shallower dives with safer hand and arm positions, including safe diving skills in learn-to-swim programs can provide a diving spinal cord injury prevention strategy.
authors.affiliation: University of Ballarat, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Blitvich
authors.forename: G K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: McElroy
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Blanksby
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Parler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004242:Diving / Q000193:education* / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014741:Video Recording