difficult dive and requires plenty of nerve and practise.

The "jack-knife dive" is made from the back-diving position by springing
up in the air, doubling the body up from the waist, and throwing the
legs up behind, trying to enter the water as clean as possible facing
the springboard.

The "dolphin dive" is the straight front dive, only the body must be
turned sharply in the air from front to back. The easiest way is to
practise this from a springboard about six feet above water.

The back somersault from the springboard requires the swimmer to double
up while in the air; the arms should be lowered from the shoulder and
bent up from the elbow, and the knees drawn up, so as to make the body
ball-shaped, when the turn-over can be made easier.

The front somersault is exactly the same, only with the face forward
instead of backward.

[Illustration: THE DOLPHIN DIVE]

For the Australian splash one stands in the regular diving position,
springing well out and doubling the body in the air, with the hands
clasping the knees. One must keep the head well forward with the toes
pointing down.

[Illustration: THE AUSTRALIAN SPLASH]

The "neck dive" must be done from a springboard well above the water.
Grip the front of the board with the hands, with the head well over the
edge, throwing the legs in the air, turning the body over, and back
somersaulting into the water, feet first.

When a swimmer has improved and added speed to his racing stroke, he
should practise shallow racing dives and how to turn sharply in a tank.
This is very important, as many a race has been lost through the
inability of the racer to turn sharply when reaching the end of a tank.
To practise this, swim slowly to the end of the tank, gage your strokes,
so that the right hand grasps the bar which is usually placed around the
tank a little above the water. Throw the left arm over the right arm
against the marble side of the bath under water; at the same time double
the body up, switch around, gathering yourself well together, and shoot
forward with the arms extended. Ten to twenty feet can be covered on a
good push-off. The method usually followed by swimmers in America is to
double up and turn to the left when they are within a foot of the end of
the bath without touching with the hands, but pushing off with the feet.
In races in England this turn is not allowed, as the racer must touch
the end of the bath with his hands.

[Illustration: THE NECK