Brian_L

Yep, some good advice listed above. Granted, the recurve might be a little easier when making the transition from compound to traditional but I' ll go out on a limb and say go with the design you' re most drawn to. One thing to consider with a lot of the modern reflex/deflex longbows is that they' re very competitive with recurves in ease of shooting and performance. You also have numerous choices in grip design, some which are very similar to a recurve grip. Here' s the 2 biggest tips I can lend to you: 1) Find some traditional archers in your area, either through a local shoot, club, range, etc., and shoot as many different bow designs as possible. You' ll find most archers are more then willing to let you try their bows and also point a beginner in the right direction. 2) Don' t go higher then 50# in weight, 45# is probably better. When I switched over to traditional, I went with 55# (and the bowyer had to talk me into that weight) and in hindsight, wished I would have gone with 50#. I' ve been a weight lifter for over 10 years so trust me when I say going with a lighter weight bow does not mean you' re not strong. You' re trying to train your muscles to adapt to a new motion. And as already mentioned, 45# is plenty for the majority of North American game. One last thing; once you get your bow, try to find someone to assist you with basic form. Your goal should be to establish a solid foundation; drawing with the back muscles, solid anchor, follow through, and a steady bow arm. Once you' ve got a foundation, you can generate your particular style of shooting. Good luck and have fun!!!