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Picture the Dive First

Picture a simple dive slowly and correctly in your mind before you do it at practice.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Close your eyes and picture standing at the end of the board.

Core: Three. Beat your own calm.

Ages
7 and up
Time
6 min
Players
Just you
Space
Small room
Bring
Nothing to bring
Level · skill
Beginner · Focus & Courage

The steps

How it works

  1. Close your eyes and picture standing at the end of the board.
  2. Watch yourself do a feet-first jump in slow motion.
  3. See the straight line and the quiet entry.
  4. Picture it 5 times, always ending well.

Coaching point

See it right, slow and clear.

Safety: Your coach decides when a dive is ready. Saying "not yet" is always fine, and no one should push you.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Picture-it pairs: on the deck, tell your partner what your perfect dive looks like, then swap. Breathe slowly together first.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (one deep breath), Core (three), More (picture a full dive). Beat your own calm.

Story

You are a movie director picturing your best dive.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own calm. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

Free for families and teams

Save this drill to your child or team, free

Sign up and the free diving week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.

14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free

Does your child's coach know about this?

An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.