Blake Aldridge hopes a return to his roots will re-ignite his career after a disastrous season in 2009.

The Croydon-born diver, who represented Great Britain at the Beijing Olympics, competed just once last year after being injured in a bar brawl.

However, he is now living in Beckenham and is training at Crystal Palace, where he first dived at the age of five, with the help of two Chinese coaches.

"It's been really good being back at Crystal Palace," he said.

"I have gone full circle really and come back to my routes.

"Now the program I am doing is probably the best program in this country at the moment.

"There are two Chinese coaches looking after me and they have changed what I was doing.

"I do a lot more dry land work and it's really intense with lots of repetition and body conditioning.

"In this country we tend to concentrate more on quality rather than quantity but the Chinese do both.

"I was living in Southampton before and I got a little bored.

"It was a real high training there looking forward to the Olympics but then once the Olympics were over and done there wasn't really anything to look forward to.

"I needed a change to keep me motivated."

Aldridge competes in his first competition of the year this weekend in the 10m individual at the National Cup in Sheffield and is aiming for a top four finish to secure his place at the FINA Grand Prix in Moscow next month.

The 27 year-old made national headlines after the Beijing Olympics after a much-publicised fall out with diving partner Tom Daley, but he insists the experience only made him stronger.

"I look back at what went out in the papers and I don't agree with the way that happened and what was printed," he said.

"I do believe everything happens for a reason though and I still had a fantastic time at the Olympics and that was probably my best year to date as a diver.

"The fact it came crashing down there's not much you can do.

"You just have to take it on the chin and get up and fight another day.

"2009 was a very tough time but my sponsors Apogee have been good enough to stick with me and are going to stick with me to 2012 so I owe them something for believing in me.

"When someone else believes in you then you can believe in yourself."