How to do a Pike Gymnastics Stretch

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Mandy Butler on behalf of Expert Village. I'm going to take you through a gymnastics class stretch and warm-up. Now, for the straddle stretch, I'm going to keep my legs nice and straight, my knees are locked, I'm going to bring my knees together in a pike stretch. Now, I tell my little ones this is "getting in your boat" so they understand the difference between their "rainbow" legs and when they're in their "boat." But, if you're dealing with older children, it's just a pike stretch. They'll understand what you mean. Also, be careful to use proper terminology for your little ones while you still make it fun. So, we're in our pike stretch. My legs are straight. My toes are pointed. My eyes are toward my knees. I'm going to reach toward my feet. A lot of athletes will try to bend their knees so they look like they're reaching farther. They're not getting a stretch at all. The point of this stretch is to keep your knees nice and locked and reach as far as you can. If you can only reach to here, that's fine. You're still stretching the backs of your legs. So, I'm going to reach forward, eyes down. I should not see anyone's eyes when they're stretching in a pike stretch. They should be looking down. So, this is a pike stretch. You can repeat it with your toes flexed and try to lift heels off the ground so you really stretch your calf muscles. This is a pike stretch."