PoleVaultPower.com

Im sorry if this has been asked before, I couldnt find anything in the search, but anywa when its cold out (pretty much every meet so far) my hands get all dry, so theres no friction making it REALLY hard to hang on to the pole. My hands have slipped and iv gotten whacked in the ribs by my pole pretty good several times so far, and its getting quite annoying..Is there anything I can use to get myself a better grip, at least make my hands a little bit more sticky? Any suggestions would be great, thanks!

I love hand chalk personally, however, the sticky adhesive spray your athletic trainer uses works well, I just get tired of the sticky feeling personally. Ask him for a can or you can pick one up at wallgreens probably. I'll let you use ours at River Rats ;.

We have this blue spray bottle (it looks like an aerosol hair spray can) but it comes out blue and it is just sticky stuff. Im not sure what it is called or if it even works, I've never used it. But i will get more info about it today.

pine tar (yuck!) or tape prep if you want something sticky. i like to use chalk because my hands get all sweaty and clammy.

My coach folded the tape in half when he was taping my pole once, w/ the sticky side out...I don't konw exactly how legal that would be, but it felt AWESOME...i think there's double sided tape you can use, too.

I usually just use the sticky spray from the trainer's room, though.

you could try reverse taping...i htink thats legal...and my cocah has this stuff called firm grip, its yellow and goopey looking but it works :-)

my coach got us a rosin bag and pine tar, but no one ever uses the pine tar.

You could also weight train with free weights, start rock climbing, or do other forearm exercises to strengthen your grip.

I carry "firm grip" spray made by Cramer for my high school vaulters. We only use it when it's raining. Otherwise, it is addictive - not the fumes but the sticky sensation.

Here are a couple of places that have it.

http://www.medcomedical.com/Medical/Pro ... f_Id=12050

http://www.jjsportsballs.com/Cramer-Miscellaneous.html

I KNOW HONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....................or maybe not.... .....nevermind.......

izzystikchik wrote:I KNOW HONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....................or maybe not.... .....nevermind.......

Atleast you'd always have a yummy snack right there if you were hungry between vaults.....

If your pole has athletic tape on it, you can take some zippo lighter fluid and work it into the tape. The glue will work through the cloth on the tape and when the liquid pard of the fluid evaporates away it's stickier than all get out. It also doesn't leave goo all over your hands. Do it at practice first because it takes a little bit for it to "come in". Once it does though YOU STICK! It doesn't wreck the pole either. I discovered this after many many cans of Tuff Skin which I liked better than firm grip. Tuff Skin was basically designed to rebuild calluses on feet, but it sure was sticky and it wouldn't sweat away like firm grip will. Trouble with it was though that by the end of the year the palms of my hands looked more like paws than hands. BIG calluses. Anyway, try the lighter fluid deal. Just squirt a little on the tape where you hold then,work it in a bit and in a minute or 5 it'll be ready. Crutch or no crutch, ya gotta hang on to the pole. Later............Mike