Why people doing tight rope things always have long poles

Question

Why people doing tight rope things always have long poles

In: Other

Answer 1

So you know how when you start to loose your balance and can’t move your feet you tend to windmill your arms?

The pole acts in place of arms for this. Since the pole is long it has a lot more rotational inertia than your short arms, meaning that to maintain balance the tightrope walker can make much more precise and less extreme movements.

Answer 2

Because the ends of the poles are so far away, it takes them longer to fall into a position that will drag you off the rope.

And so you have longer time to correct your balance!