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Considering switch from Compound to O.R.....Please help

4K views 54 replies 22 participants last post by  Mr. Roboto 
#1 ·
Hello Everyone,
I have been shooting Compound for a few years now. I am a fairly accomplished compound archer that is considering a switch to O.R. set up. I (admittedly) know very little about OR. The purpose of my post is to gain some insight:
1. For those of you that have transitioned, how was the experience and would you do it again
2. What should I expect
3. What are some of the drawbacks that you have experienced?
4. What are some of the positives of making the switch?
5. Any tips on what to consider before making the switch (not looking for equipment tips.....more along the lines of things you discovered after making the switch that you never considered)
6. What is a realistic timeframe to be "competitive" after making the switch. By competitive....I don't mean competing with Frangilli/Ellison. I mean being within 85%-90% of WR scores?

I am willing to listen to anyone who has made this transition before. Good or bad, give me your feedback.
As you can appreciate it would require a serious amount of time, funds and commitment. If I make the switch I would love to draw on the knowledge of others so I am as informed as can be.:confused:

Thanks in advance to those who take the time to respond.
 
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#4 ·
Don't be a man, be a mouse.

Start with low poundage. < 30lbs. Getting the nuanced differences in recurve form from compound is so much easier to do when you start with a weight you can already dominate. When you feel it's time to increase the DW, go s.l.o.w. Going up too fast will cause you to develop bad habits that will take much longer to unlearn than they did to learn.
 
#5 ·
Very tough questions to answer but most of what you ask depends on your personality. It could range from pretty easy to super tough, to the brink of giving it up. Forget about a realistic time frame to become competitive, there are far more important things (like form) you have to master before even thinking of competing (and do good that is). You have to master mental control over your body to succeed.

What kind of compound do you shoot, fingers? release?

Lastly, find a recurve specific coach, they see you and get to know you personally and can make a much more definitive judgement in real time.
 
#8 ·
Very tough questions to answer but most of what you ask depends on your personality.
What kind of compound do you shoot, fingers? release?
I know a lot of it subjective but thats why I am relying on the likes of you guys to tell me answers I never even thought to ask questions to.
I currently shoot release.

Thanks to all for your input!!!!! Keep it coming!
 
#6 ·
If your personality is about the x-count, then stay with the compound. If you go the Oly route, the red ring is a common ring to be in. Even the top shooters yank one out to the blue ring during championship rounds.

But if you are interested in a real challenge, go the barebow route. There are several barebow shooters here that already hit that 85% to 90% of the WR level the Oly people are shooting.
 
#7 ·
1. For those of you that have transitioned, how was the experience and would you do it again

It was weird to get used to at first, but overall positive. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I no longer shoot compound. Recurve is just way too much fun!

2. What should I expect


Something different, for sure. Its a different feeling and a different process. Go into it with an open mind and kick the mentality that you know what you're doing. Form is far more important than tuning, so make that the bulk of your concern and try to take some classes with a coach, at least to get you on the right path.

3. What are some of the drawbacks that you have experienced?

Longer setup/warm up/tear down at the range. Modular bow = more stuff I have to convince myself not to fiddle with, change or upgrade constantly.

4. What are some of the positives of making the switch?


Lots of fun, good workout, more challenging, more dependent on what I do and less so on what the bow does.

5. Any tips on what to consider before making the switch (not looking for equipment tips.....more along the lines of things you discovered after making the switch that you never considered)

Work with a coach, at least for a little bit, invest in the riser, not the limbs, start with something light weight. No, lighter than that. Like <30# light. Always remember to have fun. If you're not enjoying yourself, put it down and come back another day.

6. What is a realistic timeframe to be "competitive" after making the switch. By competitive....I don't mean competing with Frangilli/Ellison. I mean being within 85%-90% of WR scores?

Everyone is different. Invest in coaching and you'll keep that amount of time to a minimum.
 
#9 ·
Why OR?

Why not barebow?

I'm always fascinated by the reasons people choose OR. Just curious.
 
#22 ·
I think it depends on the individual and what they are willing to do to make the transition.

A compounder has to learn to put the physical work in, while a barebow archer may have to learn some of the technical side of OR.

It's been done well both ways, although it's far more common to see a compounder move to OR than a barebow archer. Most of the time in my experience, BB archers are looking to get away from the accessories and the need to be so precise, so they don't move in that direction.
 
#17 ·
I know your question wasn't directed at me, but I'll send my 2c.

I would thing BB would be an easier transition...then maybe OR later. Just because that damnable clicker can be a real pain if you don't have the frame of reference of other recurve styles. I didn't start with compound, though, so I'm not sure if my input is helpful. I just know that I started with longbow and then gradually worked up to OR and am very glad that I did it that way. Then, recently, I've started playing with a compound (just for fun, mind you...nobody panic). Going the opposite way of the OP I can say how vastly different they are which makes me think that moving from compound to any kind of recurve will involve, basically, starting back from square one.
 
#20 ·
1. For those of you that have transitioned, how was the experience and would you do it again

I went from Barebow to OR to Compound and then BACK to OR. So My transition experience wasn't as dramatic as yours will be. Basically, you will miss a lot and you wont know why, and your bow is going to make a LOT more noise than a compound. If you're really serious, I recommend going straight to the KSL draw cycle and don't look back. it is a steep learning curve at first but if you start with a good form system like KSL or BEST, you will not have to UN-learn a lot of stuff later on.

2. What should I expect

Expect a wider group and more outliers, you just added a BUNCH of places to make human errors in your shot.

3. What are some of the drawbacks that you have experienced?

None, unless you count lower scores as a drawback, I count it as a challenge.

4. What are some of the positives of making the switch?

You will learn more about archery than you ever thought possible. your form will dramatically improve which will help you with any consistency problems you may have been having with compound. Overall more fun experience.

5. Any tips on what to consider before making the switch (not looking for equipment tips.....more along the lines of things you discovered after making the switch that you never considered)

You aren't as strong as you think you are. Start with less weight than you were going to start with. probably about 10# less. So if you were thinking about starting in the 40s, DONT. The difference between pulling 60# and holding 15#, to pulling 40# and holding 40# is MAJOR. You can hurt yourself trying to do too much too soon.

6. What is a realistic timeframe to be "competitive" after making the switch. By competitive....I don't mean competing with Frangilli/Ellison. I mean being within 85%-90% of WR scores?

1-2 years can get you there. It all depends on you. How often you practice, how coachable you are, how much you really study the methods. Your previous experience is going to help a little but for the most part you are pretty much starting at the beginning with a new skill, so keep that in mind when you are yelling at yourself on the line cause you "should be better than this by now."
 
#23 ·
I am not, by any means, an accomplished archer however I did do exactly the transition you are contemplating.... I was a right handed compounder about 20 years ago... didn't pick up a bow again until last year and it was a left handed compound (I'm a lefty and started out wrong). Stayed with that for about a year and then decided to go OR (with a coach). I still play around with the compound because I do enjoy it, but my primary is now OR.

1. For those of you that have transitioned, how was the experience and would you do it again
- pretty tough transition all around ans I never shot as bad in my life :). Keep in mind that I went from Backyard compound to NTS recurve. I would do it again in a heartbeat as I'm now shooting both better than ever. I dropped from mid 500's @ 18M to mid 300's and now back to mid 500's on recurve

2. What should I expect
I think most has been mentioned...
- initially scores will drop dramatically
- mental frustration goes up
- your physical stamina is not as good as you think
- listen to these folks regarding starting weight... my compound was 60lbs... I started with a 26# recurve. Dropped to 16# until I got my form partially right...
- A clicker adds 20# of draw weight

3. What are some of the drawbacks that you have experienced?
- I'm shooting both better than ever... I'll have to think more on this

4. What are some of the positives of making the switch?
- Good form is applicable to any discipline. OR forces that on you

5. Any tips on what to consider before making the switch (not looking for equipment tips.....more along the lines of things you discovered after making the switch that you never considered)
- you can tinker just as much, if not more, with a simple recurve. You shouldn't, but you can...
- definitely find a good recurve coach to get you started.

6. What is a realistic timeframe to be "competitive" after making the switch. By competitive....I don't mean competing with Frangilli/Ellison. I mean being within 85%-90% of WR scores?
- took me about 8M to go from low 400's to around 530's @ FITA 18M. Everybody's different so I don't know if that is fast or slow...
 
#24 ·
1-2 years can get you there. It all depends on you. How often you practice, how coachable you are, how much you really study the methods. Your previous experience is going to help a little but for the most part you are pretty much starting at the beginning with a new skill, so keep that in mind when you are yelling at yourself on the line cause you "should be better than this by now."
This, and this again. That last sentence brought a lump to my throat.

For me, no regrets... now. It took over a year of sheer frustration to where I really thought I just could not shoot. I had to work hard with my compound, so this recurve just kicked my butt.

The only reason I did not throw my rig in the nearest dumpster was because I HAD to beat it, for my student's sake. I still have a long way to go, but I'm putting in the hours, hundreds of arrows per week, and slowly watching my scores climb.

As has been said, get a good recurve coach, and your road will be much smoother.

Take the time to know your equipment and make sure you start out with at least a basic good tune.

Here's the bottom line... Shooting my recurve rig is so much more rewarding than the compound. The juice IS worth the squeeze. Even though I'm in the red more than the gold. Shoot, sometimes I'm in the blue and the black, but if you know WHY, and are able to rectify it, there's not much more personally rewarding than that!

Enjoy the journey. :)
 
#25 · (Edited)
Thanks to all that have taken the time to share their experience. VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!

I was at the club this evening and I had the good fortune of of a gentleman I know being there with his Oly rig. He let me try it to get a basic feel for it. Obviously the set up was not for me (he was a shorter draw and 42# limbs so I can only assume that DW at the fingers was closer to 45#).

In some ways I was hoping that I would hate it. I was hoping for a clear and concise "NO" so that I wouldn't have to invest time, money and energy.
Fact is that I liked it. I can see the challenge of it being a driving factor in making a switch. Here goes another 3 grand out of my pocket. I am going to have to start doing some moonlighting as the worlds most out of shape exotic dancer.....any money in that?

I do have a couple of very basic questions for you guys that will help me with my research. I know I am asking for a lot of your time but I know this community is in it to help...so I'm taking advantage of it.


1. What are the benefits of a 27" riser vs. a 25" riser
2. What is the thinking of short, medium and long limbs? Why would one choose one over the other?
3. Is a longer BH more forgiving (like in compound)
4. Is longer ATA more forgiving (like in compound)
5. What size bow (ATA) would you recommend ? I am 5'10" if that matters any
6. Is DL measured the same as compound? In other words, if I am a 28 5/8" DL in compound am I a 28 5/8 in Oly (or darn close to it)?
7. Is there a preference to having shorter riser with longer limbs or longer riser and shorter limbs. Also what are the effect of each option
8. When the limbs are rated for DW......what DL is it rated at?

I think I have bothered enough for now but if there are other considerations that I missed feel free to let me know
Mark
 
#27 ·
1. What are the benefits of a 27" riser vs. a 25" riser
2. What is the thinking of short, medium and long limbs? Why would one choose one over the other?
7. Is there a preference to having shorter riser with longer limbs or longer riser and shorter limbs. Also what are the effect of each option
For any given DL there is an optimum length of bow. There are tables out there on that. There are persons who deviate from those standards for specific reasons, the tables are guidelines, not rules.
The basic bow is based on a 25" riser. With short limbs that would be a 66" bow, medium 68" and long 70". If you need longer that 70" you get a 27" riser with long limbs. Shorter than 66" get a 23" riser with short limbs. Yes you can vary limbs and riser lengths, but the differences are small and usually done for feel, not performance.

3. Is a longer BH more forgiving (like in compound)
4. Is longer ATA more forgiving (like in compound)
BH is a tuning parameter. Yes, it will more or less forgiving when changing it, but it's not the main reason to change it.

5. What size bow (ATA) would you recommend ? I am 5'10" if that matters any
6. Is DL measured the same as compound? In other words, if I am a 28 5/8" DL in compound am I a 28 5/8 in Oly (or darn close to it)?
Based on 28 5/8" DL (consistent with 5'10") you would need a 68" bow. DL compound <> recurve is close, depending on where you anchor with your draw hand on recurve.

8. When the limbs are rated for DW......what DL is it rated at?
Mostly 28", but different manufacturers use the limb bolt settings mid range or all the way out.
 
#32 ·
One thing mgnasi, it's vitally important you not choose too high of a draw weight. Too high of a draw weight and you won't enjoy anything about learning recurve. You mentioned trying a friends 45#. Unless your makeup is such that you can hold that full weight comfortably for prolonged periods of time, it's perhaps 2x too much. Just guessing, perhaps a draw weight of 26 to 28# may be right for you? perhaps lower.
 
#33 ·
A good starting point I have with my students is being able to hold at full draw for 30 seconds. If they can't do that, we back off the weight. I prefer a minute, but I'll take 30 seconds.
 
#34 ·
When I first started out, I thought I will shoot compound and recurve. No way, the two didn't mix with me. There is just too much difference between the two styles, one will hamper the other. In other words, to be the best you can be, pick one and stay with it exclusively. To shoot both, your taking time away from one that should be used to improve on the other. I unstrung and and said goodbye to my old time friends the compounds.

Just me.
 
#37 ·
I've found quite the opposite. Of course, I've modified my compound form to closely resemble the recurve form I'm using for this reason. There's not any reason the two should be drastically different. Anchor and the setup motion are slightly different between the two, but other than that they remain largely the same. In fact, shooting the recurve has done good things for shooting the compound.
 
#38 ·
Yeah mgnasi, even though I've surpassed my starting weight 24# a while ago, I still shoot it pretty regularly, it's a nice change of pace and absolutely great for refining and working out problems with your form. So like some do to sell their starting limbs, I got a second riser to put mine on. Besides it's easier on the indoor bag target.
 
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