Game version
Shape cards: pick a card (tuck, pike or straight) and show the shape on the deck with your coach watching. The pair collects five tidy shapes.
Tuck and Pike Shapes
Learn the two main shapes divers hold in the air by making them on the floor.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Sit on a mat and pull your knees to your chest, hands on your shins: that is a tuck.
Core: Steady. Beat your own tightest shape.
- Ages
- 7 and up
- Time
- 8 min
- Space
- Pool
- Bring
- Mat
- Level · skill
- Beginner · Spin & Flight
The steps
How it works
- Sit on a mat and pull your knees to your chest, hands on your shins: that is a tuck.
- Straighten your legs, keep them together, and reach for your toes: that is a pike.
- Switch between them when a partner calls the shape.
- Do 20 calls.
Coaching point
Small tuck, long pike.
Safety: Use a mat or soft floor with space all around you. Stop if anything hurts.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (slow), Core (steady), More (a quick, tight shape). Beat your own tightest shape.
Story
You are an acrobat shaping the air.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own tightest shape. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
Print it now, or save it free
Free for families and teams
Save this drill to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free diving week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.