Making the leap....

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Apr 3, 2014
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Yes, another one. Well I am in the process of making the switch from shooting compounds for 30 years to a recurve. I have a Satori 21" riser and some 35 lb long limbs on their way. I am figuring the 35 lb limbs will be about 45-50 lbs at my draw length (I have a 33" draw with the compound). Planning on getting a set of 50 lb limbs after several months of shooting to dial in my form without being over bowed.

Hoping to get enough shooting in that I am confident enough to chase elk with it in the fall.

Really excited to start this journey. It's been a while since I have been excited to shoot.

Any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated!!

-dan
 

slvrslngr

WKR
Joined
Apr 27, 2012
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Pointer-your draw length wont be 33" with the recurve, you'll likely loose an inch or two.

Advice-figure out what works for you, don't be afraid to change things up, don't rely on spine charts to determine what shaft to shoot, and do practice, practice, practice.

Trad is a long term proposition, you're going to have good days and days where you'll wonder WTF am I doing? Stick with it and have fun, even when things aren't going your way. Welcome to the tribe of the struggle stick!
 

bhylton

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i think your on the right track with 35# limbs to start. get some good instruction if you can and shoot, shoot, shoot. i started my trad journey Feb-2016 and after tons of practice was able to take a bull that fall so you should have plenty of time :)
 
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NJDiverDan
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Apr 3, 2014
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Rigby, Idaho
Thanks for the comments. I am going to hit up the local archery shops and see if I can find someone to help me out. No real Trad Shop around but there are several people who shoot it.

Should have everything in my hands on Monday! Setting up my targets in my shop this weekend so I can shoot all winter.

Thanks again,
-dan
 
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
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Shooting your compound (well) depended on good form. A recurve is 100% the same. It's critical to success that you have good and repeatable form shot after shot. You already know the basics of good form, so you can get started. Don't underestimate the value of simply pulling and holding the bow at anchor...maybe in front of a mirror or video camera so you can analyze what you're doing. Actually shooting arrows is probably counter-productive until you have the draw/anchor sequence mastered. I know, I know....we all are going to run and shoot arrows almost instantly. But if I was coaching a new archer I wouldn't let him shoot a single arrow until he could draw and anchor without struggle. If it took weeks...that's what it would take. Time invested correctly now will pay huge dividends all the rest of your archery days.

I strongly advise you to NOT make the mistakes I did. I was told shooting a stickbow was akin to some type of zen or martial art. "Forget everything you've learned and know about shooting a compound. Just go with it and let your body/mind find the sweet spot. Don't worry about anchoring. Let your hair-covered computer run the show." Etc.... I basically learned on my own and made disastrous mistakes which I corrected much later. I would have been so much better off to pay NO attention to the arrow and ALL the attention to my form and handling of the bow.

Here's hoping you enjoy the heck out of your new endeavor and it turns into a true passion!
 

Beendare

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^ that form in front of a mirror is a good tip.

Every form error is magnified with a stick bow. For example;your grip. If the pressure in your grip isn't focused perfectly on the target...you could possibly be doing everything else right...but still scattering arrows. Sure its the same with a compound....but the additional pressure in your palm is magnified.

Same goes for every part of your form with a stick. I'm not trying to make it more complicated than it is...its simple. But that simplicity is more difficult to attain with a stick bow. What you will find is good alignment is crucial. Over on TradGang they used to have a "Form clock" that really helped me.

The magnified comment goes to bad habits too. I've seen guys that have unorthodox form and they shoot pretty good....for awhile. Then that form error comes back to bite them.

^^^ All of this is the reason for shooting very light #'s to begin. Its not a macho thing....I can pull XXX....its about developing perfect muscle memory with perfect alignment.

You just cannot correlate compound weights with stick bow. A 70# compound holds 14#. Maybe think of it this way....a 50# compound is the same as a 250# compound at full draw.

Sure you can learn on a 45-50# stick bow, I did. If I had a do over I would shoot 30# or so and after 1,000 shots with good form move up in weight. I developed a lot of bad habits that actually hurt my progression as a stick shooter.
 
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NJDiverDan
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Rigby, Idaho
Thanks again for all the advice. I will see how the draw feels with the 35 lb limbs and if needed pick up some cheap 25 or 30s to start with. Totally agree with the form comments.

This is going to be fun..
 
Joined
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You will enjoy it a lot! I shoot a recurve and that is all I have ever shot. Thinking about getting a reflex-deflex long-bow though after I got one for my son for graduating college this spring. I purchased him a Toelke longbow and man was that thing fun to shoot. It was a 52# at 30".

Best of luck on your adventure!
 

bobinmi

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makes me happy to see someone starting out on the right path. There are a lot of guys who jump into it with a 55-60 lb bow, shoot it for a season, wonder why they aren't getting any better and move back to the compound. I would recommend listening to "the push" podcast and watching some of their videos. If you sit down and watch their original 2hr film you will learn a lot of things that took me a decade to figure out. I'm also a proponent of an aiming system instead of "instinctive" but to each their own.
 
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A lot of good advice so far. I would add that not everyone is built the same and some videos you might watch will talk about alignment and what perfect alignment looks like. I am 6'5 and I use a "C" anchor under my jaw with the string touching the tip of my nose. If I where to have "perfect" alignment where the line through my elbow and the point of the arrow was perfectly straight I would anchor at my ear and have a 35 in draw. You probably have long arms, as said above...consistent and repeatable is key. Find what works for you and use it. I have a sequence, feet, spot, grip, address, pre aim, draw, anchor, pull to conclusion. Develop a sequence, ingrain it and it will give you consistency and reputability, you can run it quickly once you ingrain it if you need to. Good luck and remember 10 good arrows is worth a lot more than 100 poor ones.
 
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I'm reminded of a friend who suddenly came down with a severe case of stickbow fever when his (then) bowhunting idol misled him into believing he could use something like The Force to become good with a recurve. And unfortunately he happened to spot a metal-riser Black Widow HS at an archery dealer. I say unfortunately because the bow was about 66# and WAY too much for learning. But learn he did...learned to short draw, to snap shoot, to target-panic, to never anchor...and to spray arrows. As a result he never did really find his way to smooth and focused shooting with control of the bow, and that's ANY bow he subsequently owned. They all owned him mentally. I often wonder what would've happened if he (or I) had started with a 30 pound weenie bow and built our form first.

One topic that's often conveniently ignored in learning to shoot a stickbow is the importance of strength. I mean real strength; enough to where you are fully mastering the bow and have confident control. You can draw...hold...wait...and let down slowly. Or you can shoot. You're not trembling like a newborn fawn on its first legs. You can slow-draw to full-draw. Quickly yanking a stickbow to something near full-draw isn't the same. Working your bow-drawing muscles often is the key to developing the strength needed to be in full control. These days my maximum bow weight is about 65#. It takes work but I can slowly draw that to 28" and solid anchor for multiple arrows. Get strong and stay strong for your best stickbow confidence.
 
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NJDiverDan
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Apr 3, 2014
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Hello again everyone. My riser came in yesterday and I got my limbs last Friday. Have not had a chance to string her up yet, but she feels good in the hand.

Kevin, thanks for the insight on the strength part. I cringe when I see people who cannot s-l-o-w-l-y draw a compound so I understand where you are coming from. I like to draw slowly with my bow arm basically not moving at all and really believe archery (even with a compound) is all about form.

Hopefully will get the bow strung tonight and maybe even loose an arrow or two...

-dan
 

Beendare

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...... I cringe when I see people who cannot s-l-o-w-l-y draw a compound so I understand where you are coming from. .....
-dan

You mean you aren't supposed to throw that compound up in the air and draw down on it? Hmmm, Maybe thats why every animal bolts every time I try to draw on them. /sarc

Its funny, I see guys on TV doing that and just laugh. There is no way hard hunted animals in OTC units will stand for that chit. A sloe draw is even more important with a stick bow as the animal is usually closer. That was the one thing I didn't like about calling elk with a stick....you couldn't draw early and hold.
 
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NJDiverDan
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Your post makes me laugh and reminds me of when I was first starting shooting bows. I was 15 or 16 and had a brand new Bear Whitetail II (just moved up from the original Whitetail) and was shooting all the time. A neighbor kid (who always felt he needed to have either better or do what everyone else did) got this brand new Darton bow. He had to throw his arm up and to the side in such a violent motion just to get the bow drawn back. I think he was my inspiration to always have a slow controlled draw.

Much more difficult with the compound is a slow controlled let down, but probably just as important.
 
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NJDiverDan
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Apr 3, 2014
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Rigby, Idaho
So I have received my bow. Satori 21" with Long 35 lb limbs. I have not put a bow scale on it but I am figuring I am pulling close to 45-50 lbs at my draw. I can comfortably draw and hold at anchor, but I am not sure I could shoot a 60 arrow round. I am thinking about getting a set of 25 lb limbs specifically to start my form correctly. Any comments on Trad Tech Black Max limbs? I am looking at either the Glass/wood or the carbon/wood limbs? Keeping my long draw length in mind, any benefit to going with carbon over glass?

Thanks,
-dan
 
Joined
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I started out my transition from a compound to a recurve with no idea what I was doing. I went from a 70lb Mathews bow to a 60lb Black Widow. It took me about a year to get it figured out and that involved a lot of shooting, reading and frustration. However, I learned a lot of what not to do. Honestly, if I were to do it all over again, I'd do it the same way.
 

Beendare

WKR
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.... Any comments on Trad Tech Black Max limbs? I am looking at either the Glass/wood or the carbon/wood limbs? Keeping my long draw length in mind, any benefit to going with carbon over glass?

Thanks,
-dan

For learning...get the cheap limb. How much are those? You can get a cheap set of SF limbs for well under $100 from ALT Services...with many more to choose from.

I do like the carbon foam limbs best...I have the SF Elite+ and for the $250 I paid they feel like my $600 WW Inno limbs
 

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