longbow or recurve?

[afalmlen]

I read the byron ferguson article in tbm this month. I'm fairly new to trad archery, and have only shot recurves. It mentions that longbowes are more stable, and that if you can't hold your bow for ten seconds, you should go down in weight. I thought I was fairlt strong, and have benched between 275 and 300, but I can't hold my fifty pound recurve for ten seconds without shaking like a leaf. I pondered loseing the recurve and trying a long bow. Would this help? Would I really benifit from making these changes? Any help would be great. Thanks.

[mcgroundstalker]

The first time out did you bench 275 pounds?...I think not, sooooo...You gotta work up to holding your bow for ten seconds...That being said I don't know anyone who holds a trad bow at full draw for (that) long...Not I anyway...

Some guys practice drawing to anchor then backing down real slow...(With an arrow on the bow)...For hunting shot windows, if you know what I mean...Think that is what Byron was talking about...

... mike ...

[bentpole]

What weighs more 50 pounds of feathers or 50 pounds of rocks?Fifty pounds is still 50 pounds. Drawing a trad bow uses different muscles then just being able to bench press 300 pounds its all about shoulder muscles and the ones that surround them.The biggesr mistake a person new to trad archery makes is being overbowed too heavy a weight to start out with. It's funny how many heavy pound bows are on the classifieds rack.Any way like MC said just like lifting weights you have to start low first and work up you have to walk before you run so to speak .I shot 85 to 75 pound wheely bows and now shoot 55 to 50 pound hybrid longbows.One of the best excercises to help you along on your "challenge" is good old dips. How many dips can you do? Shoulder presses,shoulder latterals etc etc. Don't be afraid to start with a 40 or 45 pound bow then work your way up to your goal poundage. You'll enjoy shooting your bow more and you won't hurt yourself.

[buckeye_hunter]

I normally only hold 1-2 seconds at anchor, but I like practicing holding my bow as long as possible,without shaking, a couple times a week.  I do it for two reasos;
 1) It keeps me from rushing my shots (I'm far less accurate when I rush).
 2) I have had many situations where if I could have held just a little longer I would have had the deer dead to rights.  
   All that being said, I think the important idea here is not shaking, because there is no way to get a good shot when you do.  Also, I agree with everyone above that you have to buid up to it just like weight lifting(drawing a bow uses different muscles).   Even with practice I can't hold the bow more than 12-14 seconds before the shaking sets in and I only shoot about 43 lbs...JMO...Charlie