well if you are a hoyt person then hoyt has a recurve out now called a gamemaster (aluminum tech type riser) or if you want a more traditional looking bow it would be hard to beat a Martin with bear pulling in second. I agree that to start you definatley want to drop the weight down quite a bit from what you shoot with a compound. It is an entirely different feeling drawing a trad bow. arrows by keely has a good spine chart on his site to get you started along the right spine arrows. In my experience most sporting stores will sell you way to stiff of arrows. become the arrow that Chad suggested is an excellent book to glean the basics from. One thing to remember with trad bows is higher price doesn't mean better quality. A Martin x200 would make a great starter bow if it fits what you are looking for and is reasonably priced. enough of my rambling. Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress.