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.