Sport. Style. Summer.
This is
Splashdiving.
Freestyle diving where the splash is the finale. Acrobatics, named landing positions and a style that belongs to you.
Read on ↓
01 / SPLASHDIVING
Not loud by accident.
A moment in the air. A body that knows what it is doing. Then the water opens. What looks like pure summer from the poolside brings together body control, creativity and an intentional landing.
Bavarian broadcaster BR describes Splashdiving as an evolution of the cannonball, with judging that includes the dive and the height and spread of the splash, alongside body tension and individual freestyle expression. (BR · freizeit)
02 / SPLASHDIVING
A shared language: the Jump Chart.
Freestyle does not mean random. The Jump Chart gives landing positions names and gives the sport a shared reference. BR identifies 13 forms, including Cannonball, Anchor and Board. (BR · the diving forms)
Peter Neumann’s teaching article describes take-off, movement in the air and splashdown as connected judging phases. The applicable competition format and its approved rules determine the actual requirements. (Peter Neumann · 2009)
03 / SPLASHDIVING
A place in sports education.
Bielefeld University’s sports-science website hosts Susanne Kleinalstede’s handout “Das Wasser bewegen – Splashdiving im Schulsport”, which connects creative dives with appropriate difficulty, teamwork and a defined safety framework. (Bielefeld University · handout)
In 2009, Peter Neumann, a professor at Heidelberg University of Education, discussed the activity’s connection to young people’s lives, its motivation and its coordination demands in “Lehrhilfen für den Sportunterricht”, presenting it as an alternative alongside, not a replacement for, conventional diving. (Lehrhilfen · 2009)
Süddeutsche Zeitung attributes a classification as a sport to Bayreuth professor Wolfgang Buskies; that does not establish a university-wide resolution. (Süddeutsche Zeitung · Freising)
04 / SPLASHDIVING
The ease is earned.
The media story is not only about big splashes. In his 2015 taz interview, Christian “Elvis” Guth talks about four training sessions a week and how a small movement can change an entire dive. (taz · interview with Christian Guth) Repetition sits behind that brief performance.
In the BR feature, Phillip Kinkel compares Splashdiving to street art: room for an individual idea, made visible through movement. (BR · freizeit) That combination is its appeal. Sporting ambition without making everyone look the same.
05 / SPLASHDIVING
Our origins need no filter.
Pecklamen Cup in 2003. Arschbombe. The World Championship in 2004. And the first national team carrying that summer spirit further. Oliver Hillebrecht’s format grew into Splashdiving. In taz, Christian Guth recalls its Bayreuth beginnings and the name’s development from 2006. (taz · the early years)
Our original photographs from 2005 show those people long before they became a digital archive. Not invented nostalgia. People who were really there.
06 / SPLASHDIVING
Your style needs the right conditions.
An impressive archive picture is not an instruction. Train only at approved facilities with qualified guidance and conditions that match your ability.
Unknown water, closed facilities and peer pressure are not part of the promise. A good dive starts with being able to say no.
