1. Drills
  2. Gymnastics
  3. Flexibility

Active Split Holds

Use your own muscles to hold and lift in your split so your flexibility is strong.

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

Set up

Warm up first with lunges and leg swings.

Core: Mild tension. Never push into pain.

Ages
14 and up
Time
12 min
Players
Just you
Space
Gym or court
Bring
Mat, yoga blocks
Level · skill
Advanced · Flexibility

The steps

How it works

  1. Warm up first with lunges and leg swings.
  2. Slide into your split as far as is comfortable, hands on blocks.
  3. Squeeze your legs as if pulling them together and hold 5 seconds.
  4. Relax, breathe, and repeat 4 times per leg.

Coaching point

Strong legs, square hips.

Safety: Stretch to a gentle pull, never pain. Nobody pushes you down; you go only as far as you can on your own.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Stretch and tell: hold each stretch while your partner reads a fun fact or tells a short story. Swap, and breathe slowly.

Challenge

Gentle levels: Less (reach a little), Core (mild tension), More (add a slow breath out). Never push into pain.

Story

You are a cat waking from a nap, stretching long and slow.

My best

Beat your own count

Never push into pain. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

Print it now, or save it free

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