The Art of the Perfect Cannon Ball

Summertime is finally here and its time to get out there and have some fun. One of the fundamentals of a good pool party is the "Cannonball."

Now the funny thing about this is if you are notorious for the cannonball you must be the first to do it or it will appear you are just "following the leader." It's like the first to start to clap after a speech and it builds in to a roaring applause. Only one is credited with it.

So what makes a great cannon ball you ask? Form, it all comes down to the form!! This in turn produces the best splash and the biggest water spurt.  One thing that really adds to the action is one's girth...the rounder the better, thus cannonball.  The first step to performing a cannonball is to gain momentum.  This can be accomplished either by running towards the pool or jumping several times on a diving board if available.  The second step is to jump as high as you possibly can in the direction of the pool, up and down will end badly.  Last but not least you must tuck your legs and hands in as tightly to your body to form the most compact cannonball you can.  Then its bombs away and the splashing fun has begun.  Another great move is the Jack knife.  This is very similar to the cannonball, but instead of pulling both knees towards your center you only pull one knee and let the other leg slice through the water.  A very important tip when doing these moves is to always be on the deep end of the pool.  If you try to execute them on the shallow end you will hurt yourself!!!  If you are lacking the girth to execute a really remarkable cannonball check out this contraption I came across the other day. It not only gives you more circumference, but it also keeps you afloat so you don't end up at the bottom of the pool. *grin* If you have any great pool moves feel free to share them!! Hope you enjoyed this little insight to some sweet summertime fun. LKB