Like LBR said, split finger or 3-under, aside from tournament rules, is entirely a matter of personal preference. I shot split finger for years, but recently switched to 3-under because it's easier on my arthritic fingers to shoot that way. 3-under generally makes a bow a little noisier to shoot, mainly because most bows are tillered for shooting split finger. You can order a bow tillered especially for 3-under.
Never shoot any bow with a locked elbow, unless you just like pain.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle> I shoot recurves with a straight arm, but elbow unlocked, and high wrist. I shoot longbows with a slight bend in the elbow and low wrist. My draw length with longbows is nearly 1 1/2" shorter than my draw length with recurves and 3" less than I draw on compounds. Guys that try to 'manufacture' a bent elbow for shooting are messing up. The low wrist grip pretty much forces the correct amount of bend in the elbow.
Edited by - Arthur P on 12/15/2002 09:50:58