1. Drills
  2. Gymnastics
  3. Flexibility

Pancake Fold with a Strap

Fold forward in a straddle using your own strap, for straddle presses and jumps.

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

Set up

Sit in a wide straddle with knees facing up.

Core: Mild tension. Never push into pain.

Ages
14 and up
Time
10 min
Players
Just you
Space
Small room
Bring
Mat, strap or towel
Level · skill
Advanced · Flexibility

The steps

How it works

  1. Sit in a wide straddle with knees facing up.
  2. Loop a strap around a foot or hold a towel ahead of you.
  3. Walk your chest forward with a flat back until you feel a gentle pull.
  4. Hold 20 seconds. Do 4.

Coaching point

Hips forward, flat back.

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

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