This pole increases the rotational inertia of the artist, which allows more time to move his or her center of mass back to the desired position directly over the wire. This effect can be magnified by making the pole as long as possible and by weighting its ends. The pole also helps balance the funambulist by lowering the center of gravity. High-wire artists use drooping, rather than rigid, balance poles. In this case, the performer would require no more sense of balance than a person hanging from the wire.
Acrobats train for years and use mechanics to safely develop routines.
Juggling, equilibristics, vaulting. Drama Book Specialists. The New York Times, p. B1. The making of a circus artist. Little, Brown and Company.