What could explain this observation? As the holding height increases, What could explain this observation? As the holding height increases, the moment arm of the rope about his feet decreases due to the angle that his body makes with the vertical. a smaller tension in the rope is needed to produce a torque sufficient to balance the torque of the weight about his feet. his center of mass moves down to compensate, so less tension in the rope is required to maintain equilibrium. the moment arm of the weight about his feet decreases due to the angle that his body makes with the vertical.