Active lower body flexibility

This question is about (side/front) splits in mid air or so called toe touches, which I've seen performed on the balance beam.

Are Coach's athletes required to have the (active) flexibility in the lower body required for a toe touch? I can do the splits on the floor (passive), but doing these is a whole other story. I have the ROM, but no strength in that ROM.

So, how do I go about training for this "skill"; should I completely eliminate passive (-static) stretching and move on to active/dynamic stretching? What methods and active flex. exercises do you employ yourself?

The S&F book by Kit has yet to arrive. I've read some great essays by Coach concerning upper body flexibility, but couldn't find some on the lower body. 

Thanks for your thoughts   
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swxfSCiOubc I like this drill

 

You could use assistance from more to less, so as to you progress doing the movement with less assistance each time.

 

Good luck!

Probably you shouldn't eliminate static stretching but rather put it into maintenance mode and switch your focus to active flexibility.

 

I have always wondered about those  jumps so I googled it.  Hidden amongst the terrible wiki-how articles on how to bend over and touch your toes I found these:

 

Basic how to with tips:

 

Some drills:

http://www.varsity.com/event/1161/cheer_jumps

 

Could anybody who actually knows about this stuff say if these have good advice?