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I am inviting everyone to list grip techniques that you use or have seen being used. I have a problem that in the winter time my hands get very raw from using chalk, to the point it hurts to take pressure from the pole. My senior year in college I ised sticky tape and a BMX glove. I am really curious as to what the Europeans use, the black sticky stuff that I have seen Isi and steve hooker use???? any insight? I feel like i slip a little with chalk, and there is alot of friction. Looking for new things to try.

I will start it off
1) no tape technique, just the pole surface
2) Sticky athletic tape with adhesive spray
3) Double sided sticky tape,
4) Sticky tape with a glove
5) Sticky tape with lighter fluid?????
6) Something about gasket sealer??????/?

7) Simple chalk and tape

Good topic, Kyle
I have used some of these techniques over the years. I prefer to tape only the top hand, just bare pole with the bottom; but it doesn't bother me if there is tape or no tape on the bottom. Since getting into rock climbing, I have used only one kind of chalk: Metolius "Super Chalk." It has a drying agent that helps keep your hands from perspiring, which allows you to use FAR less chalk than with regular gym chalk. When climbing on very small edges, grip and friction are very important. I use this stuff at every meet and have let some other masters vaulters try it out, and they really liked it. You can get it either in large chunks, fine powder, or inside a cloth ball. They also make chalkbags with drawstrings for holding the chalk. Here is their website:

http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/chalk_bags-chalk.html

When I used to use regular gym chalk, it would get caked on and actually could become slippery when hands perspire into the caked-on mess.

Sticky spray is ok but is expensive and not great for the environment, and it makes a real mess of your poles/hands. I always spray it onto the tape directly, not on my hands. People who love it really love it, and no disrespect to them at all, especially since I ask them to borrow some when it's raining.

I've never used a glove. The black stuff that the Euros use looks like a real mess...but cheers to them if it works well. I guess I'm lucky to have big hands; I'm sure it's harder to get a secure grip with smaller hands...we all know the dire consequences of hands slipping off a bent pole...ouch
TS

KYLE ELLIS wrote:I am inviting everyone to list grip techniques that you use or have seen being used. I have a problem that in the winter time my hands get very raw from using chalk, to the point it hurts to take pressure from the pole. My senior year in college I ised sticky tape and a BMX glove. I am really curious as to what the Europeans use, the black sticky stuff that I have seen Isi and steve hooker use???? any insight? I feel like i slip a little with chalk, and there is alot of friction. Looking for new things to try.

I will start it off
1) no tape technique, just the pole surface
2) Sticky athletic tape with adhesive spray
3) Double sided sticky tape,
4) Sticky tape with a glove
5) Sticky tape with lighter fluid?????
6) Something about gasket sealer??????/?

7) Simple chalk and tape

I was always using regular (non-sticky) tape and home made adhesive from pine resin. Why? Everyone were using adhesive so I did too. It gave me some additional confidence and I would not imagine to compete without it.
See my "receipt" here:
http://www.polevaultpower.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16165#p116911
Please avoid using gasoline as dissolvent. I don't need a call from your lawyer if you get cancer.

I used a commercial product called "Stick'Em", which I think was made with a natural tree resin ... like Pogo's RECIPE with pine resin and a petrol product. Can you still buy Stick'Em? I also taped my grip in 2 layers ... the first layer stuck to the pole, and the 2nd layer was sticky-side out. It was only after the tape adhesive wore out that the Stick'Em was needed.

Back in the day, lighter fluid was quite common, as it reacted with the adhesive on the tape in quite a sticky way. WA-A-A-Y too sticky to suit me. I found that over the years, I used less and less Stick'Em as time went on ... as my hands got stronger, my confidence of not slipping improved, and my plant became smoother. On rainy days, I was just very careful not to let my grip get wet.

I suppose I could have just used chalk, but I just never tried it. That's probably all you really need ... if you're on the right flex pole, and if you've strengthened your grip thru highbar, ring, and rope drills (no special drills - just spending enough time in the gym to strengthen your hands and give you calluses).

And your bottom hand shouldn't need ANY tape or ANY gripping substance ... since there's no body weight or force on it!

Just make sure your bottom hand is dry, so it doesn't slip after your whip ... during your extension.

Kirk

Jared O'Connor swears by this stuff: http://tigerstick.com/ I was pretty impressed when he showed it to me.

rainbowgirl28 wrote: ... I was pretty impressed when he showed it to me.

Minimum quantity from the mfr is 500 units. Why don't you sell this stuff, RG!

Probably works on golf clubs too. Maybe hire Woods to help you promote it. I heard he's looking for new products to sponsor.

Kirk

rainbowgirl28 wrote:Jared O'Connor swears by this stuff: http://tigerstick.com/ I was pretty impressed when he showed it to me.

Where does Jared buy this product?

- master

EDIT: There are several places online.

KirkB wrote:I used a commercial product called "Stick'Em", which I think was made with a natural tree resin ... like Pogo's RECIPE with pine resin and a petrol product. Can you still buy Stick'Em? I also taped my grip in 2 layers ... the first layer stuck to the pole, and the 2nd layer was sticky-side out. It was only after the tape adhesive wore out that the Stick'Em was needed.

Back in the day, lighter fluid was quite common, as it reacted with the adhesive on the tape in quite a sticky way. WA-A-A-Y too sticky to suit me. I found that over the years, I used less and less Stick'Em as time went on ... as my hands got stronger, my confidence of not slipping improved, and my plant became smoother. On rainy days, I was just very careful not to let my grip get wet.

I suppose I could have just used chalk, but I just never tried it. That's probably all you really need ... if you're on the right flex pole, and if you've strengthened your grip thru highbar, ring, and rope drills (no special drills - just spending enough time in the gym to strengthen your hands and give you calluses).

And your bottom hand shouldn't need ANY tape or ANY gripping substance ... since there's no body weight or force on it!

Just make sure your bottom hand is dry, so it doesn't slip after your whip ... during your extension.

Kirk

It has more to do with my hands getting really dry and cracking during the winter time... I never have this problem in the summer... The slippage comes from my hands already being super dry then putting chalk on them,

KirkB wrote:

rainbowgirl28 wrote: ... I was pretty impressed when he showed it to me.

Minimum quantity from the mfr is 500 units. Why don't you sell this stuff, RG!

Probably works on golf clubs too. Maybe hire Woods to help you promote it. I heard he's looking for new products to sponsor.

Kirk

I don't know what the whole sale cost is, but the retail cost per unit is over $10 which tells me I can't afford 500 units at whoesale.

One of my friends in college had a similar problem with extremely cracked hands in the wintertime...he used to cover them in vaseline or bag balm and wear rubber gloves while sleeping (ok, hold the comments here, I know how it sounds). This seemed to work better than any lotions, etc for healing his hands. Might be worth a try.
TS