i was wondering if it was a common problem for the string to come up and slap just behind my wrist when i shoot. it is pretty swollen. my firs time with a recurve bow and dont know very much. i figured if my arm was two straight it would hit my forearm. any suggestions?

Very common for a really low grip and straight arm. I never have my recurve hit, but sometimes my longbow with 7" BH.

Check your brace height, some recurves requre 8" or better check the bowyers specs.
I just got wacked today by a long bow that requires 7 inches minimum and I had 5" but was just testing the LBS on it as I was tillering the bow.

Hyper extending your bow arm, low brace hieght or trying to over draw the bow.

I have it happen with my longbow every once in a while, usually when I get tired and sloppy. I wear an armguard/bracer which also helps keep my clothing out of the string.

Howard used to say that if the string doesn't bite your wrist, it braced too high. Of course he was speaking of longbows.

Of course Howard was wanting max performance from his bow too...every little bit you increase that BH you loose power on your stroke. I prefer a higher poundage bow with a nice quiet brace height....It's a more forgiving bow that way too. Kirk

thanks for the tips guys ill check it out

my long bow will slap my lower forearm when i can't it more than usual. try straightening the bow and not canting as much.

Instead, of gripping the bow with your whole hand try doing it with the webbing between your thumb and index finger. Then down through till it reaches the bottom corner of your hand. Then turn your elbow out out. This should help with it hitting your wrist. I like shooting this way. It is a more modern technique, but I shoot best with it.