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I recently had my fathers old recurve bow restrung and checked out. I want to get into archery and eventually hunting with it. What are some of the best websites and or books on learning about recurve bows?
Target shooting is a great hobby.
One of my best experiences ever was learning to use the traditional Korean reflex bow to hit targets at 145 meters with a 51 pound pull drawn from the thumb. Think Mongol style. Not on horseback unfortunately, but that tradition survives in Korean target shooting. 4 Reasons Korea Dominates in Archery
My 76 year old Korean teacher spoke archaicly and would always speak in metaphors. "Your bow hand is a mountain and your drawing hand is a feather." It was right out of the movies.
Wish I had the time, now. I only occasionally use the practice bow with a local campus club. Interestingly, after the stability of late medieval Korea, it became more of an art that a gentlemen would cultivate for mental focus, rather than a lower class weapon like the English longbow. Kings would practice it. I was able to visit the practice range of the former Korean King by invitation.
I think it would be a good vehicle for really mastering tension, relaxation, and modified breathing techniques from strongfirst. The timing of the release with breath and tension to relaxation is something to work on. Total tension in the bow hand. I am not sure.
I tried to shoot with a thumb draw, not using a ring. I thought my thumb would be yanked off after a few shots. Stuck with a three finger draw after that.