my first LB had a leather strikeplate and i used some wool felt for the arrow rest. i recently purchased some sealskin. i made a pattern out of paper to see if it looked right then cut my seal skin to match i then took a piece of leather lacing and split it and put the lace under my sealskin leaving a gap just like i have on my BW recurve. my shooting and arrow flight has greatly improved. i do feel that the gap for arrow passage is better than no gap. i think it boils down to personal pref and shooting style.