Have you ever watched a travel show about skiing and felt inspired to learn how to ski, but without exerting yourself too much? Or have you ever admired the graceful form of Olympic divers from afar, yet lacked the courage to try it yourself? Watching divers jumping off the 3-meter springboard might make you think that it’s a fun and exciting activity to try.
However, when you see professional divers calmly standing at the edge of a 10-meter platform, preparing to jump, you might feel intimidated and wonder how ordinary people can do it. Often, when faced with challenging activities that seem difficult, we tend to avoid or procrastinate due to fear.
For the BBOLD “Dare” Challenge, we invited Kylie, a fearless test officer who loves water sports, yoga, free diving, and surfing, but also has a fear of heights, to take on the challenge of diving off a 10-meter platform within a day.
“Why did I do it? Not because I’m poor, but because of my passion for testing work!” Kylie, as a testing officer, accepted the challenge despite her fear and lack of experience in high diving.
Could she successfully tackle the first challenge of diving off the 10-meter platform like a pro?
During the testing process, Kylie completed the stretching segment effortlessly and practiced the preparation and entry movements on the ground (0-meter). She was not intimidated and appeared relaxed. When she moved on to the 1-meter platform, she jumped for the first time without much internal struggle and landed in the water. Although the movement was awkward, she quickly adjusted her posture and tried again for the second time. After adjusting her posture, the second jump was much smoother with less splashing. She then tried another type of dive, the running dive, with confidence.
Overall, Kylie faced her fear of heights and successfully completed the challenge with her passion and determination.
Exploring the Differences Between 3-Meter and 5-Meter Diving Boards: A Look at the Challenges of High Diving
However, despite her initial confidence, Kylie’s nerves and fears were triggered when she faced the challenge of diving off the 3-meter and 5-meter platforms. When she stood at the edge of the diving board and looked down, her fear of heights overwhelmed her, causing hesitation even when the coach asked her questions.
As the diving difficulty increased with height, the impact on the body also became stronger, and the technique became more crucial to reduce splashing and minimize the impact. When Kylie first attempted to dive off the 5-meter platform, she used a running start to overcome her fear. However, after the initial jump, she realized that the running start made it more difficult to control her body’s entry posture, and her legs were not tightly pressed together, causing pain upon impact with the water. So, on her second attempt, despite feeling scared, she remained calm, and improved her posture upon entry resulting in a smoother dive.
When the coach asked Kylie whether she wanted to use a running start or just stand and jump on her next attempt, Kylie decided to stand and jump. Although she still felt nervous, she had learned from her previous experience and was able to control her body and improve her entry posture, resulting in a smoother dive.
Challenge the 10-meter platform!
Kylie successfully conquered the challenge of diving off the 5-meter platform, but just when you thought her courage had peaked, her first glimpse of the 10-meter platform brought her back down to earth. To be honest, as the author, I’m not afraid of heights, but most people, including Kylie, would be intimidated by the 10-meter platform.
Diving can seem like an easy sport to spectators, but for those standing on the diving board, it can be a complex mental battle!
One student shared, “Watching my friend nervously jump into the 5-meter deep diving pool (only after the coach’s encouragement) to now challenging the 5-meter platform together is a testament to how much we’ve learned. It’s heartwarming to be able to support each other in this journey, and now I want to dive more and more!”
Of course, with the guidance of a coach, divers can make significant progress and ensure safety. If you’re looking for a new challenge this year, why not learn more about the process at Merry Swimas, the swimming club?
Despite having just conquered the 5-meter diving board, Kylie’s fear of heights caused her to crouch down and observe the 10-meter platform at first, with her legs trembling.
Facing her fear of heights, it would have been easy for Kylie to give up and tell the production team she couldn’t do it. However, she continued to struggle internally, fighting against her fear. After going through moments of being stunned, laughing foolishly, procrastinating, and even asking her diving classmates to demonstrate, Kylie began to waver. When she saw a young boy diving calmly with a clear mind, she started to think, “Why not give this last dive a try?”
Kylie had a strong inner resolve, but her body was honest and she felt like escaping from reality.
Finally, with the encouragement of her coach and fellow classmates, Kylie took the leap of faith and jumped off the 10-meter platform alongside her coach!
The normal diving course process!
Although the acrophobic playtester, Kylie, was challenged to complete the “10-meter high diving” challenge within a day, overcoming a height of 10 meters requires not only courage but also talent. Fortunately, as a former gymnastics teacher, she had better flexibility and resilience than others, making her learning process smoother. However, the biggest hurdle was the mental barrier!
I would like to clarify that a normal diving course in a swimming club does not require you to challenge the 10-meter platform within a day. Please don’t worry about that!
To begin with, in the first diving lesson, it’s best to start with dry-land diving. The warm-up includes stretching the shoulders and legs, followed by learning diving terminology. In the second stage, you will start to learn how to jump, such as the ABC posture, which includes the A straight jump, B tuck jump, and C pike jump. As for when to jump off the platform, it depends on the student’s courage, and the progress will be adjusted accordingly.
Moreover, due to time constraints, there are many diving movements and techniques that need to be learned, such as the twist dive, full gainer, butterfly dive, armstand [handstand] dive, and other difficult movements, which require more time and practice to complete gradually.
Additionally, with a small class size of only four people, the coach will adjust the class content according to the student’s progress, so nobody has to worry about the course pace being too fast!
Participants must also know how to swim and tread water continuously in deep water for one minute. The lessons will be conducted in a 5-meter diving pool, and coaches will teach children and adults separately to meet the learning needs of each student.
Diving can seem like an easy sport to spectators, but for those standing on the diving board, it can be a complex mental battle!
One student shared, “Watching my friend nervously jump into the 5-meter deep diving pool (only after the coach’s encouragement) to now challenge the 5-meter platform together is a testament to how much we’ve learned. It’s heartwarming to be able to support each other in this journey, and now I want to dive more and more!”
Of course, with the guidance of a coach, divers can make significant progress and ensure safety. If you’re looking for a new challenge this year, why not learn more about the process at Merry Swimas, the swimming club!
Source: Merry Swimas