Compound versus recurve stabilizers. What are some of the differences? The main one comes from stiffness. The limbs on compound bows transfer more energy, so a stiffer stabilizer is needed to absorb that force and support the typically higher mass weights compound athletes tend to use. On the other hand, recurve bows don't have as much force when shot plus most recurve athletes use less mass weight, so their stabilizers don't need to be as stiff. If you want to know more, check out the stabilize