Recurves and Longbows have changed dramatically in the past 20 years. The playlist below is a collection of 5 videos describing some of the advantages and disadvantages of both the Recurve and the Longbow.
Up first in the series on the Archery Instinct youtube channel comes from Jeff Kavanagh. The man lives deep in backwoods territory and his shooting style and wealth of knowledge reflects his life in the woods. In this video, Jeff runs down some of the basic differences between shooting a recurve and a longbow.
Next in the series is a longer video of Byron Ferguson. The trick shots are slightly tame, especially at 10 paces, but his explanation of why he shoots a longbow over a Recurve is worth the watch, and is in the first few minutes of this video. On Byron's website it reads: Byron was the first American invited to Europe to demonstrate his longbow skills since the legendary Howard Hill toured the continent more than 40 years ago. When Byron performed at the National Game Fair on the grounds of Chambord Castle in France, he was the most popular attraction and earned the title "King of the Show".
Because the Recurve limb can be twisted out of shape, the makers of, Black Widow Bows, felt that it was important you know how to fix a problem if one should arise. With some simple stringing techniques, and different ways to make corrections, this video, in the AI series, walks you through it step by step. Black Widow bows are some of the nicest on the market and aren't cheap. In this video Black Widow lays out some simple rules for limb longevity. You can see more of their bows here.
Once you've decided on wether you want a Recurve over a Longbow, or vice-versa, you'll then need to make sure it's set up correctly, and that means, Brace Height. In the 4th video of the series, Grizzly Jim of Merlin Archery, in England, explains why getting the Brace Height is so important.
Finally in the 5th clip, a very stuffy British accent walks us through a tour of a 1961 Bow manufacturer in Nottinghamshire, near Sherwood forest. In this strangely charming, and very clear video, you can see how a Recurve bow is put together in layers. It is then sanded and tillered on the wall by a man with his sleeves rolled up! Watch as these frightfully white men, and one woman, test out their new archery equipment wearing their Sunday best!
Blog post written by Edward Seaton
