How does Valley Dive promote quality and achievement in Diving?

Diving is a long road, and Athletes will experience ups and downs and many challenges along the way,  as is normal with any sport or activity. This program stresses community diving integration, goal setting, and mental toughness, which translates into better performances, both in the pool, and out of the pool.  Because Diving is 80% mental preparedness, early adoption of healthy approaches to overcoming fear, physical work, and diving with a positive purpose not only empowers athletes, but prepares them for positive and negative outcomes in life.

 

As a general rule: Athletes cannot Advance & we will not let you Compete Until Basics are VERY Good!

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Each coach has specific talents in specific areas.  Do not be surprised if a Coach gives a correction, or asks an Athlete to try something a little different, or asks to go back to a basic technique that is affecting a dive.

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All divers, even the very best, sometimes regress, or alter their technique to compensate for difficult days, illness, injury, weather, resumption after a vacation, etc.

 

Thus, we often must go back to basics to re-enforce athlete technique.

 

Our coaches rotate (meaning your child will experience different coaches at practice), and we expect benefit from exposure to different explanations to the Athlete on how to correct different aspects of dives. This approach will strengthen an Athlete's overall diving, and provide a more solid groundwork for advancement.  

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While it is perfectly normal to bond with a specific coach (especially at an early age), our system provides a good relationship with all athletes and coaches, and will reduce perceptions of jealously, special treatment, politics, frustration, favoritism, which helps to keep a program fresh, rather than a repetitive, myopic, "star" or "donor" or "child of coach"  that inevitably breeds an unhealthy environment for all.  It is necessary, and advantageous, for divers to move to different coaches at different times, for specific tasks, with a goal to improve technique, performance, mental toughness, and growth in the sport.  HOWEVER,  It can become problematic for the coach/athlete relationship to build dependency; chronic habits, inflexibility, emotional bonds, (leading to reduced social interaction), as sometimes occurs with isolated coach to athlete programs.  

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Diving is a social sport, and a happy sport. Your Athletes deserve to rely on their peers, and the broader diving family, as they progress through the long-term path of Diving. This is important. 

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*Club Restrictions - Your Club and your Team are organized by people, with experience, who are giving back to this living, niche sport in order to provide the next generation a healthy environment.  The nature of the sport includes limited availability to pools, visible cost structures, time commitment by athletes, families and coaches, and a view of commitment with long-term results.  Valleydive is committed to offering a positive experience for the athletes, along with a reasonable sport for the athletes to be a member of.  If your family is stressed by the time and monetary commitment, we propose that your family either apply for scholarship assistance and/or participate in our various fundraising programs to help ease the cost burden.  In relationship to time commitment, athletes need to participate fully in diving workouts.  Without continuity of practice, difficulties may arise in relationships in the diving community, performance, and attitude.  Choose a level you are comfortable with, and participate accordingly.

If you stay in any sports program, you will witness families that jump from one club to another.  This is usually not advantageous.  Always best to speak to the coach.

Valleydive offers a fixed program, with a mix & match system to allow easier scheduling of workouts for your family.  We are the ONLY program that caters to the athletes schedule in California, by offering multiple workout options.  At the Level you choose to participate, there are a weekly number of workouts allowed, with the option to occasionally increase those workouts by paying an additional fee per added workout.  However, there are no make-ups, opt-in/opt-out months, monthly level changes, carry-overs, make-ups, or refunds, coach shopping. 

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