How to Do a Flying One & a Half

The flying one and a half is a dive that exhibits beauty, control, and elegance. Many years ago, a flying one and a half appeared commonly in competition. Today, however, the dive is not used very often. In some ways, it is a lost art. However, knowing how to perform a 113 (flying one and a half) is still of value. Below are four steps that will teach you how to do this dive with ease.

1. Drills to Practice

There are a few ways to learn this skill. One of the best ways is on the trampoline. Here are two skills you can try.

Stomach Drop

On the trampoline, bounce a few times in the middle of the bed and follow these steps.

1. Circle your arms behind your body and land on your feet with your arms together above your head.
2. With a good bounce, lift your chest into the air, keeping your back flat and your legs rising slowly.
3. Once off the mat, place your arms to the side of your body forming a “T” position.
4. Keep your legs low to the mat, slowly rising them to a parallel position to the trampoline bed. Do not lift your legs too hard as that can result in a bad landing on the trampoline.
5. As your body is falling towards the mat, bend your arms at the elbow. Keep your palms faced towards the mat, and prepare to land on your stomach.
6. Practice this skill several times, until you and your coach feel comfortable with the move.

Once you and your coach feel you’re ready, go ahead and try the next step: Flying somersault on to your back.

Fly to Back

After the stomach drop, you will move on to the flying somersault onto your back. To do this move, you will need to make sure that you have perfected the form of the stomach drop above. Once you have, you are ready to perform this fun trampoline skill:

1. Bounce in the middle of the trampoline bed to get enough height and momentum to execute the somersault.
2. Start the move in the same way you did for the stomach drop.
3. As you rise off the mat, forcefully check your arms to the side of your body forming a “T” position.
4. Simultaneously, as you rise off the mat, strongly kick your legs into the air behind you.
5. At the peak of the trick, your entire body should be parallel to the trampoline bed. Your body should be in a layout position, with your arms to the side of your body in a “T” formation.
6. As your body begins to fall towards the mat, your legs should be rising into a handstand position.
7. As you are falling, bend your body at the waist and prepare to land on the trampoline on the middle of your back.
8. Land on your back in an open pike position: Your head and back should be on the trampoline bed, with your feet pointed to the sky, and your body bent at the waist.
9. Perform this move several times until you and your coach are confident in your ability.

This drill simulates the exact body mechanics needed to perform the flying one and a half.

2. Swan Dive

When you get into the water, the best way to start the flying one and a half is by executing a graceful swan dive. A swan dive is a forward dive layout. Layout position means no bend to any part of the body: Legs, arms, and torso are straight without any bend.

To perform a good swan dive, follow these steps:

1. Initiate your forward approach and hurdle. 
2. At the end of your hurdle, your feet should be at the end of the springboard, your arms above your head, and your legs bent with the board pushed down to its maximum arc potential.
3. As you rise off the board, press your arms to the side of your body (T position), and kick your legs up behind you to initiate rotation off the board.
4. Keep your body in a layout position (no bend to the body) and keep your head and chest pressing up into the air.
5. Gravity will rotate your body into the handstand (or dive) position.
6. As you are falling into that position, raise your arms above your head, grab your hands (flat-hand) and prepare to dive into the water.

Try to perform this dive so your body is washing over on the entry. When you have done this, you will be ready to try the flying somersault.

3. Flying Somersault

Once you have performed several swan dives, and you have enough rotation in your dive that you are able to wash over on the entry, it is time to initiate the somersault. Here is how:

• Initiate the swan dive as describe above.
• When you exit the board, check your arms to the side of your body, and kick your legs up behind you with more force than you did on the swan dive. This strong movement will initiate more rotation in the air.
• Keep your body in the layout position for at least a quarter of the rotation.
• As your body is starting its decent downward, bend at the waist, and move your arms and legs into a tuck or pike position.
• Land in the water on your feet.

Flying somersaults are a step between the dive and the one and a half. If you are able to over-rotate on the somersault, you can move onto the one and a half.

4. Flying One & a Half

After you feel confident with your flying somersault, move onto the one and a half. Start the same way as you did on the somersault, but push off with a little more gusto as you are rotating a half more somersault. Here is how to do it:

• Initiate the somersault as described above.
• Strongly kick your legs into the air, and forcefully check your arms to the sides of your body, to initiate rotation.
• Keep your body in the layout position for at least a half of a somersault.
• As your body is beginning it’s decent, bend at the waist, and move your arms and legs into a tuck or pike position.
• Hold onto this position until you have completed the one and a half somersaults.
• Come out of the position and prepare to land in the water head first, making sure to grab your hands in the flat-hand grab.

Remember to keep your eyes open in the dive. When your eyes are open, you can easily see your spot and better perform a dive.

A Dive of Beauty

The flying one and a half is truly a beautiful dive. Once you learn it, you can easily adjust it and move it up to the various levels of springboard and platform. Although it is not often used in competition, it is a dive that will reinforce control and beauty in your diving skills. These skills transfer easily and readily into more complicated dives.

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