Swore by recurves when I started though I appeared to shoot a longbow better as I loved the "genius" of the recurve. Shot a recurve exclusively for 7 or 8 years. Purchased a longbow on a whim and haven't looked back. I may some day-it's all fun! I should add that, rightly or wrongly, I place many of the hybrids in their own class. I'm not knocking them as I truly do love them all-but they just don't capture the same "spirit of the longbow" for me in quite the same way as the 'ole "D' shape, LONGbow. It'd be interesting to do a three way poll.