Free drill library · Diving

At-home diving drills for 14 year olds and older

This is a free sample week of at-home diving training for 14 year olds and older: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 15 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of diving for 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Line & Form at home 13 minutes

  1. Overhead Shoulder Reach · 4 min
    Slow and straight arms.
  2. Hollow and Arch Rocks · 5 min
    Tight from hands to toes.
  3. Pike Stretch Routine · 4 min
    Flat back, long reach.

Session 2

Focus & Courage at home 13 minutes

  1. Cue Word Reset · 4 min
    Breathe, word, next.
  2. Whole List Walk-Through · 5 min
    See it right, then the next.
  3. Focus Through Noise · 4 min
    Your routine is your bubble.

Session 3

Takeoff: Push-Up and Band Row Pairs 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Push-Up and Band Row Pairs · 5 min
    Push tall, pull shoulders back. Safety: Check the band for nicks first, anchor it firmly and keep it away from your face. Only with an adult nearby.
  3. Twist Wrap on the Floor · 5 min
    Wrap tight, stay straight. Safety: Use a mat or soft floor with space all around you. Stop if anything hurts.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 diving plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Overhead Shoulder Reach

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Open your shoulders so your arms can squeeze your ears in a straight line-up.

  1. Hold a towel wide with both hands in front of you.
  2. Lift it slowly over your head and a little behind, keeping your arms straight.
  3. Bring it back; move your hands closer only when it feels easy.
  4. Do 3 sets of 8.

Coach's cue: Slow and straight arms.

Bring: mat, towel or stretch band

Safety: Stretch slowly and never bounce. Stop at a feeling of stretch, not pain.

Hollow and Arch Rocks

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Rocking in hollow and arch shapes builds the tight body that holds a line through the air.

  1. Lie on your back in a hollow shape and rock gently 10 times.
  2. Roll onto your front into a gentle arch, arms and legs just off the mat.
  3. Rock gently 10 times.
  4. Rest and do 3 rounds.

Coach's cue: Tight from hands to toes.

Bring: mat

Safety: Use a mat with space all around you and keep the arch gentle. Back pain is never normal: stop and tell your coach or parent if your lower back hurts.

Pike Stretch Routine

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

A deeper pike looks better and turns faster; build it with a gentle daily stretch.

  1. Sit with straight legs together and toes pointed.
  2. Reach forward with a flat back and hold for 30 seconds.
  3. Rest, then reach again a little further.
  4. Do 5 reaches.

Coach's cue: Flat back, long reach.

Bring: mat

Safety: Stretch slowly and never bounce. Stop at a feeling of stretch, not pain.

Cue Word Reset

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

After a dive that did not go well, use one short word to let it go and focus on the next one.

  1. Pick a word that tells you what to do, like "tall" or "press".
  2. After any dive, take one breath and say your word.
  3. Think only about that one thing on your next dive.
  4. Note how many times you reset during practice.

Coach's cue: Breathe, word, next.

Bring: notebook

Safety: Your coach decides when a dive is ready. Saying "not yet" is always fine, and no one should push you.

Whole List Walk-Through

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Picture every dive on your list in order, with your routine before each one, all in your head.

  1. Sit somewhere quiet with your list.
  2. For each dive, picture your routine, the takeoff and a clean entry.
  3. If one goes wrong in your head, rewind and see it right.
  4. Finish the list and note how calm you felt.

Coach's cue: See it right, then the next.

Bring: dive list

Safety: Your coach decides when a dive is ready. Saying "not yet" is always fine, and no one should push you.

Focus Through Noise

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Practice your pre-dive routine on the floor while your family makes normal everyday noise, so a busy pool feels easier.

  1. Stand on your mat and do your routine: breath, cue word, look.
  2. Your family chats or plays music nearby.
  3. Do your routine 8 times without rushing.
  4. Talk about which parts were easy to hold on to.

Coach's cue: Your routine is your bubble.

Bring: family member, mat

Safety: Your coach decides when a dive is ready. Saying "not yet" is always fine, and no one should push you.

Push-Up and Band Row Pairs

Ages 13 and up · 12 min

Pair a push with a pull: floor push-ups then band rows, so the front and back of the shoulders grow together.

  1. Do 8 to 10 clean floor push-ups.
  2. Anchor a band at chest height and step back.
  3. Row the band to your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades.
  4. Do 3 rounds of both, resting 60 seconds.

Coach's cue: Push tall, pull shoulders back.

Bring: resistance band, sturdy anchor

Safety: Check the band for nicks first, anchor it firmly and keep it away from your face. Only with an adult nearby.

Twist Wrap on the Floor

Ages 14 and up · 8 min

Practice the arm wrap used for twisting dives standing on the floor, with no jumping.

  1. Stand tall in a straight line.
  2. Pull one arm across your chest and the other above your head, tight to your body.
  3. Turn a quarter turn on your toes and stop straight.
  4. Do 10 each way, slowly.

Coach's cue: Wrap tight, stay straight.

Bring: mat

Safety: Use a mat or soft floor with space all around you. Stop if anything hurts.

Safety for ages 14 and up

  • Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: diving

  • A pool that meets diving-depth standards (about 12 ft under a 1 m board), and a diving coach on deck.
  • Head-first entries only in deep water your coach has checked; never at a home or hotel pool.
  • Learn head-first entries in order: sitting, kneeling, then standing, with the coach beside you.
  • Somersaults on trampoline or dry board only in a spotting belt with a coach.
  • Board height is picked by the coach, within your age group's limit.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 29 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Diving: governing bodies, safety and development (9)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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