Going over to the Dark Side

[kato]

Am contemplating learning to shoot a compound .

Currently shoot recurve somewhere betwn 1st class and bowman after one year and would like to know:-

1] Is the transition fairly straightforward or is there a huge learning curve?
2] Will it mess with my recurve form[such as it is]?

Any advice appreciated

[whisky]

I found the move fairly easy though I know some that haven't. They couldn't stop throwing their releases down the range Ask Mike D - he's doing it (the transfer not the throwing).

My view though is that you cnat shoot both competitively. Concentrate on one or other

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by whisky

I found the move fairly easy though I know some that haven't. They couldn't stop throwing their releases down the range Ask Mike D - he's doing it (the transfer not the throwing).

My view though is that you cnat shoot both competitively. Concentrate on one or other

I've done it...

I had planned shooting both until the indoor season and then making the change final. However I was finding swapping back and forth difficult so I just made the switch. I'll be shooting my first FITA with compound a week on Saturday (after shooting compound for about a month).

I too was upper end of 1st class with recurve, I feel I can easily score the extra 100 points to still be at the upper end of first and that 1200+ is already possible.

I didn't have any problems changing to a release aid, though I did use a wrist one for the first couple of weeks. I spent the first couple of weeks shooting at about 5M at a blank boss, to get the release motion ingrained. Then I got a peep sight fitted got rough sight marks for 20M and 40M put them into a spreadsheet and shot the field course (Stamp round 560 max). I beat my previous recurve PB by about 25 points. Two weeks later I'm beating that recurve pb by about 80 points.

My bow is at 45lb and I can get marks for 90M using 28" 3L-18s (the mark is a bit tight so a headwind might mean I have to aim high or nudge up the peep).

Only disadvantage with the compound I've found is the amount of refletching and nock replacing I have to do

Just go for it

[geoffretired]

Changing is not that difficult. Changing and getting on the right track from the start is not quite so easy. I would make sure you get help. Draw length is one area where things can go pear shaped. If you go unlimited, release aid operation can lead to problems if not addressed properly from the start. There is a good deal of information on this forum about those issues. If it helps, fine. If there are parts that are unclear, ask. Is there someone who can watch you shoot if you make the change?

[Adam]

There are people who shoot both compound and recurve and do so successfully - Marcus26's wife is one notable example - but you'll find the initial transition easier if you stick the recurve in the bottom of the wardrobe for a while.

You'll also find that shooting compound will teach you a much greater understanding of back tension (which will help your recurve shooting should you ever swap back) and compound certainly teaches you how to aim properly.

If you're serious about changing, the best advice anyone can give you is "get the best advice". Even more so than with recurve, it's possible to waste a load of money on the wrong equipment and getting the basics right (e.g. getting the right draw length; correct use of a release aid; good stabilization etc) will pay huge dividends in terms of enjoyment and satisfaction.

Adam

[Max]

Go for it Kato - take all the very good advice you have already been given and consider this.

Compound is a different discipline to recurve and has its own challenges. However, you can train your body to adopt better general form (which will translate back to recurve) using a compound in the same way that a light trainer bow works. The light holding weight makes it easier to train your bow shoulder to drop into the correct position. You will also learn a lot about back tension because you will not be fighting a heavy recurve.

Take a year out from Recurve and feel the difference. If you go back, you will have the chance to have forgotten a lot of bad habits, will have gained a few good ones and only need to practice a little while to get your muscle tone back. That's what I call a win-win situation.

[kato]

Originally Posted by Adam

There are people who shoot both compound and recurve and do so successfully - Marcus26's wife is one notable example - but you'll find the initial transition easier if you stick the recurve in the bottom of the wardrobe for a while.

You'll also find that shooting compound will teach you a much greater understanding of back tension (which will help your recurve shooting should you ever swap back) and compound certainly teaches you how to aim properly.

If you're serious about changing, the best advice anyone can give you is "get the best advice". Even more so than with recurve, it's possible to waste a load of money on the wrong equipment and getting the basics right (e.g. getting the right draw length; correct use of a release aid; good stabilization etc) will pay huge dividends in terms of enjoyment and satisfaction.

Adam

thanks guys...yes, the main motivation is to gain a different/better perspective on back tension and aiming [without shooting a wimpy bow and coping with loss of velocity and using low flying aircraft as aiming points]...I had hoped that using both would provide greater insight into archery in general, to the benefit of both...is this hoping for too much...is the pull of the Dark Side too strong...has anyone ever returned?

[Jerry Tee]

Welcome to the dark side. The next question you must ask your self is 'How far in to the dark do you want to go?' Because this will affect the choice of bow. If you want to keep you recurve form I strongly suggest that you start you journey into the dark by shooting limited compound.
There are two types of bow that you can shoot with a tab. Firstly there are the 'hard cam bows' that have a 'back wall' , a very positive draw lenght stop. They require a different technique than a recurve. It is best to pull in to the back wall,building up a load on the fingers and loose with a positive backwards movement of the drawing hand.You do NOT want to have you fingers even slightly on the string when the bow starts to ramp up to peak draw weight.Also I would recomend a two finger loose drop the bottom finger off at ful draw.
The second type is the soft cam compound These are genreally older bows and may not have a back wall as such and there is not the pronounced drop of draw weight as full draw is reached. This type of bow can be shot with a recurve style with one exception and that is the nose will not go on the string due to the greater string angle. I have an Oneida H500 that I gave to a recurve archer who had never shot compounds before in his life. with the first six arrows he shot a four inch group at sixty yards. The bow is fitted with a clicker flipper rest and button. Because compounds are meant to be shot with a high anchor if you use an under the chin anchor they are capable of getting good sight marks. That Oneida is set at a peak draw of 45lbs but there is enough cast to give me a sight mark for 120 yds( they would not let me use a clout stance so I had to aim at the flag ,I hit it twice at 120 yds) If you don't want to stray too far from recurve style then this is the type of bow you should shoot.

[kato]

Originally Posted by Jerry Tee

Welcome to the dark side. The next question you must ask your self is 'How far in to the dark do you want to go?' Because this will affect the choice of bow. If you want to keep you recurve form I strongly suggest that you start you journey into the dark by shooting limited compound.
There are two types of bow that you can shoot with a tab. Firstly there are the 'hard cam bows' that have a 'back wall' , a very positive draw lenght stop. They require a different technique than a recurve. It is best to pull in to the back wall,building up a load on the fingers and loose with a positive backwards movement of the drawing hand.You do NOT want to have you fingers even slightly on the string when the bow starts to ramp up to peak draw weight.Also I would recomend a two finger loose drop the bottom finger off at ful draw.
The second type is the soft cam compound These are genreally older bows and may not have a back wall as such and there is not the pronounced drop of draw weight as full draw is reached. This type of bow can be shot with a recurve style with one exception and that is the nose will not go on the string due to the greater string angle. I have an Oneida H500 that I gave to a recurve archer who had never shot compounds before in his life. with the first six arrows he shot a four inch group at sixty yards. The bow is fitted with a clicker flipper rest and button. Because compounds are meant to be shot with a high anchor if you use an under the chin anchor they are capable of getting good sight marks. That Oneida is set at a peak draw of 45lbs but there is enough cast to give me a sight mark for 120 yds( they would not let me use a clout stance so I had to aim at the flag ,I hit it twice at 120 yds) If you don't want to stray too far from recurve style then this is the type of bow you should shoot.

I just love the idea of aiming for the flag at Clout...how cool is that?

I think though that Compound 'lite' might not provide the same learning benefits re back tension and alignment I'm hoping for?

Grateful for you input and offer of help... will pm w more questions

thanks

[Jerry Tee]

According to the members of my club I have gone to the grey instead the dark. I think it was a joke started by one of the witty recurve archers but it stuck and it fits.I originally started out with the intension of shooting unlimited compound. My reasoning was that if I started with a finger bow and equipment that I was familiar with(flipper rest button and tab) I could set up and shoot the bow while I looked around at scopes, release aids,Peep sights and arrow launchers, and found out a bit more about the different anchor point, tuning and setting up an unlimited compound bow. Then when I had gained enough knowledge all I had to do was fit the bits that would turn the finger bow into an Unlimited compound. I still think its a good way to go and I may yet go full compound. It's just that I enjoy shoot off fingers too much to change at the moment. A 40" A to A bow should be able to do both.
PS Fill in your Bio and set up you might be close enough to have a look at my gear.