SPLASHDIVING is All About Making a Splash
A cannonball splash is the easiest (and most fun) way to dive, but did you know it’s a legitimate sport as well? It’s officially called ‘splashdiving’, but fans lovingly refer to it as ‘arse bombing’!
While regular divers are judged on how smoothly they land in the water, in splashdiving it’s the exact opposite that counts – points are awarded for the size of the splash created on impact. That sounds painful, but leading competitors say it doesn’t really hurt as much as you’d think. “The pain is minimal,” according to the reigning arse-bombing world champion Rainhard Riede from Bavaria. And in the words of arse-bomber Lukas Eglseder, “You get used to it.”
Splashdiving has its own set of rules, and believe it or not, competitors can choose from 13 different styles of diving. The classic ‘arse bomb’ involves landing bum first with the knees tucked into the stomach. Other techniques include ‘the cat’, ‘the chair’, and ‘the plank’. Contestants are required to announce their moves in advance, and are given four chances to make a big impression.
The first dive is all about the splash, as divers aren’t allowed to perform acrobatic moves. The remaining dives give them a chance to show off with somersaults, twists, and various positions. They’re judged on takeoff, execution, and landing. Freestyle elements such as handstands, palm flips, or grabs are given a different score – from one to ten – by each judge. The highest overall scorer wins.
Was genau ist SPLASHDIVING™?
(engl. SPLASH = Spritzer, DIVING = Springen) ist die neue Breitensportart im FREESTYLE Charakter, die in Deutschland gegründet wurde.
Sie hat – im Gegensatz zum Kunst- und Turmspringen – das Ziel, beim Eintauchen möglichst viel Wasser möglichst geräuschvoll zu verdrängen.
Anfangs ging man unter dem Namen „Arschbombe“ in die Öffentlichkeit, jedoch gibt es neben der Arschbombe weitere Landepositionen und ein ganzes Wettkampf- und Entertainment- Gewerk, das weltweit unter dem Namen Splashdiving besser verstanden wurde.
Die erste Arschbomben WM gab es 2004. Zwei Jahre danach wurde die erste Splashdiving-Weltmeisterschaft präsentiert.
