Overcoming fear of new dives

Question
I am a 15yr old and dive for a club. I have been having to "beef up" my dive list and have been having many issues overcoming learning the new dives. Many of these new dives are on platform (5 meter) and 3 meter.  I'm not sure why I am so frightened to learn these new dives. We have a dry board with belts so I am able to practice my springboard dives there. But voluntary dives off 5meter are scaring me to death. Especially reverse dive. Front dives and inward dives don't scare me at all though.  I know I am skilled enough not to smack and my coach tells me my head isn't close so I'm not sure why I can get off the platform and do the dive. I learned my last two new dives just moments before I had to compete them and am hoping to stop that trend. If you have any tips or advice it would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hannah -

Every diver, even the best, have to deal with fear issues. One of our Olympic team members, David Boudia, admits that 10M is very scary for him. No coach knows the cure for fear. You have to deal with it yourself. I tell divers who are afraid the following statements:

1. Turn your fear into excitement. Get excited about doing a new dive to help overcome your fear. Feel the fear, let it pass through you and do the dive anyway.

2. Can you do a new dive in your head before actually doing it? If you cannot visualize your self doing the dive the right way, you will probably have a hard time doing it the first time.

3. Think about all the things that will go right in the dive and do not dwell on the negative. Also, think about how good you will feel about yourself after accomplishing something new instead of what could go wrong and how bad you will feel after not doing a new dive.There is a little voice inside your head that is convincing you not to do the new dive. You have to learn to turn this voice off. Turn your brain off and let your body do the dive.

4. Do you use the side of the pool to get ready to do a reverse dive on 5M? I have my divers perform the start of a reverse dive pike off the side of the pool where they land in a butt drop. I stand behind them so when they take off, it is not possible for their head to hit the side of the pool/gutter.

Lastly, some divers are meant to just dive springboard. There are many elite level divers who want nothing to do with platform and there is nothing wrong with that. I tell my divers that they have to want to be up there on platform and like the feeling of being up high. If they don't, I tell them that it is OK and they should just concentrate on springboard. There have been some divers who attain elite status by just diving one meter. The problem there though is that if you want to get a college scholarship, you are going to have to be great on 3 meter.

After this summer season is over, you should reflect on your past season(s) and decide which direction you are going to go in with diving. If platform is not in your plans, it is OK because most of college diving is springboard anyway. If you do decide to continue to pursue platform, remember that platform is a 10 meter sport just like springboard is a 3 meter sport.

Good luck and focus on the positive aspects of your diving.