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Hi all,

I was just wondering if anyone knows exactly what the black tape Steve Hooker used to use. Also do you know what adhesive he used with it to make his hands go black


Thanks Callum

Electrician's tape and lighter fluid?

I wouldn't go that way though. Especially in rain, it's a bad combo. The lighter fluid is also very bad for the skin on your hands - it dries them out, and it can actually be *too* sticky.

In the Rio Olympics, it looked like Piotr Lisek might have used this.

Most vaulters today just use chalk (same as what gymnasts use). You might think that's not "sticky" enough, but actually, it's all you need - especially if your takeoff is smooth. (But yes, the vaulters in Rio struggled to keep the chalk on their hands dry after that downpour. If the chalk gets wet, you need to wash and dry your hands, they reapply.)

There's also some good commercial "sticky" products available - that don't use electrician's tape or lighter fluid.

Kirk

I do not know what Hooker uses. I used to use the Tako Friction tape but they do not use it any more. I did that with lighter fluid and it worked amazingly well in cooler meets. Once it got hot and I started to sweat there was no more grip. To fix this problem I traded in my lighter fluid for Cramer Colorless Tuf-Skin. This stuff works great with all types of friction tape. Any double sided friction tape will work. If you are looking for more sticky I would try to find the darkest stuff that doesn't show a lot of white within the tape rolls. I'm still trying to find a good replacement for the Tako Tape. I hope this helps. Good luck vaulting and be safe.

3M makes a grip tape that is essentially the same as the Tako tape. I've used both. It's called "3M Gripping Material". It comes in grey and clear and is available on Amazon. My preferred grip tape is Gamma Grip gauze tape for tennis racquets. It is tacky, rough and relatively inexpensive. I used Tuf Skin spray as a high school vaulter in the 1960's without any tape on the pole. It is very sticky but also very difficult to clean off the poles. Good luck.