Archery Definitions
A
Actual Draw Weight: The measured or calculated draw weight of an Archer. A marked bow of 30 lbs. at 28" draw when used by a person having a 27" draw length will have an actual draw weight of 28lbs. A 1" difference in draw length will make approx. 2 lbs. difference in draw weight.
Aim: To superimpose a sight pin on the center of a target or, when not using a sight, the placement of the tip of the arrow on a particular point for a given distance.
Anchor: A combination of points to which the bowstring and/or index finger of the drawing hand are drawn to on the face and neck.
Anchor point: A specific spot on the archers body, usually the face, on which string and index finger, or release aid come to rest.
Archer: A person who shoots a bow, traditional or compound.
Archery: A precision sport where competitors aim to hit targets using a bow.
Armguard: A protective covering for the wrist and/or arm from being scraped by the bow string.
Arrow: A pointed projectile that is shot with a bow.
Arrow Case: A case designed to store and carry arrows. Each arrow is seperated to protect the feathers or vanes.
Arrow plate: A plate to which the arrow rest is attached.; The shelf just above the handle of a longbow where the arrow passes as it leaves the bow.
Arrow point: Metal point inserted into or onto the end of an arrow shaft.
Arrow rest: A support on the bow or the arrow plate on which the arrow lies when nocked on the bowstring.
Axle: The bearing pin holding the wheel in the limbs of a compound bow. The length of a compound bow is measured from top axle to bottom axle.
B
Back: The side of the bow away from the bowstring.
Barebow: The discipline of shooting without a bow sight, stabilizers, and release aid.
Blunt point: An arrowhead or point with a flat or round striking surface usually used for hunting small game.
Bob-tailed Arrow: A arrow that is thicker at the point and tapers to the nock end.
Bow: A flexible strip of wood or other material, bent by a string stretched between its ends for shooting arrows.
Bow arm: The arm that holds the bow.
Bow hand: The hand that holds the bow.
Bowhunter: A person who hunts using a bow.
Bowhunting: The act of hunting with a bow to harvest legal game animals.
Bow sight: A mechanical device attached to the bow with which the archer can aim directly at the target.
Bow sling: A leather or nylon strap, fastened to either the bow or the archer's hand, which prevents the bow from falling to the ground when the archer shoots without gripping the bow.
Bowstring: A multi stranded string of either Dacron, Kevlar or Fastflight looped to the bow nocks or teardrops.
Bow stringer: Cord with two pockets of dissimilar size or one pocket and one saddle, used to string a recurve bow.
Bow stave: A piece of wood used to make a bow.
Bow square: T-Shaped device to measure brace height and nocking point location.
Bowyer: A person who makes bows.
Brace height: Shortest distance from the string to the pivot point of the bow when strung.
Broadhead: An arrowhead with triangular shaped cutting blades used for hunting animals.
Bull's Eye: The dead center of any target at which you are shooting.
Butt (Target Butt): Any backstop to which a target face is attached.
C
Cables: The steel cables that connect the string via the cams or wheels to the opposite limb of a compound bow.
Cams: The wheels on a compound bow have a 'cam shape' to one side that controls the amount of force and the shape of the draw/force curve of the bow.
Cant: To hold the bow to the right or left while at full draw. The reference to right or left is determined by the position of the top limb.
Cast: The distance a bow can propel an arrow.
Center serving: The protective winding on the centre of the string where the arrows are nocked.
Cock feather: The feather or vane set at right angles to the slot in the nock.
Compound bow: A hand-drawn, hand-held bow that for similar poundage at full draw, stores more energy than a recurve bow through the use of two cables and two eccentric wheels. Most modern compound bows have a 65% let-off of the peak draw poundage at full draw. A compound bow of 60lb. peak weight will have a holding weight of approx. 21lb. at full draw.
Creep: Letting the arrow move slowly forward before release (not maintaining draw length). Usually caused by loss of shoulder/back muscle tension.
Cresting: Colored bands applied to the arrow shaft used as identifying marks.
D
Doinkers: A rubber vibration dampener fitted to the ends of stabilizer bars.
Drawing hand: The hand which draws the bow string back to the anchor point.
Draw length: The distance, measured in inches, from the pivot point of the bow to the slot in the arrow nock when at full draw.
Draw weight: The force, in pounds, required to draw a bow a distance.
E
F
Face: The surface of the bow that faces the archer.
Field captain: The official in charge of an archery tournament.
Field archery: An archery round in which an archer shoots from a variety of distances at targets set up in natural environment.
Field point: Arrow point shaped like a bullet, so to speak. Most commonly used for competition.
Finger tab: A piece of smooth material worn on the drawing hand to protect the fingers and to give a smooth release of the bow string.
Fletch: To glue a feather or vane to an arrow shaft.
Fletching: The feathers, plastic vanes or other devices attached to the arrow shaft which stabilise the flight of the arrow.
Fletching jig: A device used to hold the arrow shaft in place and correctly locate and align the placement of the fletching.
Flinching: Moving bow arm and/or drawing hand just before release.
Flu-Flu: A arrow fitted with many feather fletches spiralled around the arrow shaft. The arrow can only be shot a very short distance due to the amount of wind drag on the feathers.
Freeze: Inability to move the sight to the desired position while at full draw, or inability to release.
Full draw: The position of the archer when the bow string has been drawn and the drawing hand is at the anchor point.
G
Grip: The handle of the bow held by the archer.
Group: The pattern of arrows in the target.
H
Hunting: The pursuit of a target.
I
J
Judo point: A arrow point fitted with spring-loaded wire prongs that will catch on grass or scrub to stop the arrow quickly.
K
Kisser button: Small protrusion placed on the bow string as an additional anchor reference point. Touches the archer's lips, teeth or nose at full draw.
L
Laminated bow: A traditional style bow made of several layers of different material glued together, usually two layers of fibreglass and a hardwood core.
Launcher: A style of arrow rest used extensively on compound bows. Can be a one-piece flat metal prong with a 'v' groove for the arrow to rest in or can be two round metal prongs set apart to suit the size of the arrow.
Left-handed bow: A bow with the sight window cut out on the right hand side when viewed from the face of the bow.
Let-off: The reduction in draw weight of a compound bow, when pulled to full draw, usually expressed as a percentage. Most modern compound bows have a 65% let-off. A marked peak weight of 50 lbs. and a full draw weight of 32.5 lbs.
Level: A small level, fitted on the bow sight, to indicate when the bow is being held vertical (compound bows only).
Limbs: The energy storing parts of the bow above and below the riser.
Limb Dampeners: Usually a 'mushroom' shaped piece of rubber attached to the limbs of a bow to reduce the vibrations in the limbs after the release.
Limb Pocket: A recessed slot in the top and bottom of the riser, shaped to fit the ends of the bow limbs and maintain correct limb alignment.
Longbow: A large bow drawn by hand.
M
Mass weight: The actual physical weight of the bow.
N
Nock: To place an arrow on the bow string.; The attachment to the rear end of an arrow which is placed on the bow string and holds the arrow on the string.
Nock set: A small brass attachment added to the string to mark the nocking point.
Nocking point: The specific point where the arrow is to be nocked on the string.
O
Open stance: The position of the feet on the shooting line, where the left foot is behind an imaginary line extending between the archer's right foot and the center of the target (for a right handed archer).
P
Peak Weight: The maximum draw weight of a compound bow. The peak weight is adjustable on a compound bow by tightening or loosening the limb bolts.
Peep sight: Also known as string peep. A small round piece of plastic or metal which is set between the strands of the string above the nocking point to sight through in line with the bow sight for aiming a compound bow.
Pinching: The squeezing of index and middle fingers against the arrow nock during the draw, causing deflection of the arrow.
Plunger button: A spring loaded button in the sight window against which the arrow lies and compensates for side-ways bend of the arrow.
Poundage: Draw weight of a bow.
Q
Quiver: Device for holding arrows. Different forms are back, belt, bow, and ground quivers.
R
Rebound: An arrow that bounces off the scoring area of a target.
Recurve bow: Similar to a longbow, but has ends that curve away from the archer when the bow is held in shooting position.
Release: To allow the string to leave the fingers or the release aid.
Release aid: A mechanical device for releasing an arrow (compound bows only).
Right-handed bow: A bow with the sight window cut out on the left hand side when viewed from the face of the bow.
Robin-Hood: A term given to two arrows shot end to end, the second arrow embedded into the rear of the first. Happens rarely, so the arrows are usually kept as a trophy.
Round: The shooting of a definite number of arrows at specified target faces from set distances.
S
Scope sight: A bow sight with a magnifying lens. Usually used in conjunction with a peep sight on a compound bow.
Semi-recurve bow: A bow that is neither straight nor fully recurved.
Serving: The protective wrapping of thread around the loops and centre of the bow string to protect it from wear.
Serving jig: A device that holds the serving thread and maintains consistent tension as the thread is wrapped around the bowstring.
Shaft: The arrow excluding the point, nock and vanes.
Shooting glove: A leather glove with only three fingers for holding the bowstring.
Shooting line or stake: The point from which all archers shoot at a given target.
Sight: The aiming device on a compound.
Sight extension: Bow sight extension which attaches to the bow.
Sight block: The movable part of the sight which holds the sight pin, aperture or scope.
Sight window: The cut out section of the bow above the grip.
Sling: Strap fastened to the bow and usually the archer's wrist, to prevent the bow from falling when shooting with a relaxed bow hand.
Snap shooting: Releasing the arrow without pausing to aim carefully.
Spine: The arrow's resistance to bending, classified by hanging a 2 lb. weight at the centre of an arrow resting on two supporting points 26" apart, and measuring the amount of the bend.
Stabilizer: An extension rod holding a small weight used to minimise the vibrations which occur during the release.
Stacking: A characteristic of bow performance where the force/draw curve rises more rapidly over the final part of the draw.
Stance: The position of the feet and body assumed when addressing the target.
String: A cord used to shoot a bow, ready for shooting and to propel the arrow in the act of shooting.; To place a bow string on a bow in the proper position for shooting.
String jig: An adjustable frame used to make bowstrings.
Stringer: A device to aid in the stringing of a bow.
String alignment: The placement of the string when at full draw in relation to the bow sight or the bow.
String fingers: The fingers used to draw back the bow string.
String hand: Drawing hand, the hand used to pull the bowstring.
T
Tackle: An archer's equipment.
Take-down bow: A bow which can be taken apart, the limbs can be detached from the riser, for ease of travelling, storage and limb change-over.
Target captain: The person who decides who is to call the value of each arrow, record the scores and draw the arrows from the target.
Target face: The paper which is attached to the target butt and indicates the scoring areas.
Target Panic: A mental condition causing a loss of control in shooting form. Symptoms can include; aim freezing, snap shooting, flinching and trigger punching.
3-under release or 3-fingers-under: A technique in the nocked arrow rests above the first three fingers and below the nock locater.
3D round or 3D shoot: A type of field archery using 3D targets at various unmarked lengths. Usually one arrow is shot. Scoring is counted according to the range or clubs scoring rules.
3D target: A three dimensional, usually life-size, animal target used in competition or to practice for hunting season.
Tiller: To shape the limbs of an unfinished bow for even bending. The reaction of the limbs whereby the nock ends propel the arrow in a straight line by moving an equal distance in equal time to return to brace height by means of the various stresses in the top and bottom limbs with compensation for the bowhand pressure below and the arrow axis/center line above the center of gravity of the bow.
Torque: Any rotation or twisting motion of the bow in the horizontal plane.
Toxophilite: A devotee of archery.
Traditional arrow: An arrow where the shaft is wood and the fletching is made from real feathers.
Traditional bow: A bow which is either a longbow, reflex, or recurve.
Trajectory: The path of the arrow in flight.
Tune: To adjust the arrow rest, pressure button, string height, and nocking point height to achieve good arrow flight out of the bow.
U
V
Vane: Plastic fletching.
V-bar: A short extender fitted between the riser and long stabilizer that allows two short stabilizer rods to be added as a counter balance to the long stabilizer. The addition of the two short stabilizers on each side of the riser helps resist twisting reactions from the bow hand.
W
Windage: The adjustment of the bow sight or the pin on the bow sight to allow for the wind deflecting the arrow.
X
Y
Z
Actual Draw Weight: The measured or calculated draw weight of an Archer. A marked bow of 30 lbs. at 28" draw when used by a person having a 27" draw length will have an actual draw weight of 28lbs. A 1" difference in draw length will make approx. 2 lbs. difference in draw weight.
Aim: To superimpose a sight pin on the center of a target or, when not using a sight, the placement of the tip of the arrow on a particular point for a given distance.
Anchor: A combination of points to which the bowstring and/or index finger of the drawing hand are drawn to on the face and neck.
Anchor point: A specific spot on the archers body, usually the face, on which string and index finger, or release aid come to rest.
Archer: A person who shoots a bow, traditional or compound.
Archery: A precision sport where competitors aim to hit targets using a bow.
Armguard: A protective covering for the wrist and/or arm from being scraped by the bow string.
Arrow: A pointed projectile that is shot with a bow.
Arrow Case: A case designed to store and carry arrows. Each arrow is seperated to protect the feathers or vanes.
Arrow plate: A plate to which the arrow rest is attached.; The shelf just above the handle of a longbow where the arrow passes as it leaves the bow.
Arrow point: Metal point inserted into or onto the end of an arrow shaft.
Arrow rest: A support on the bow or the arrow plate on which the arrow lies when nocked on the bowstring.
Axle: The bearing pin holding the wheel in the limbs of a compound bow. The length of a compound bow is measured from top axle to bottom axle.
B
Back: The side of the bow away from the bowstring.
Barebow: The discipline of shooting without a bow sight, stabilizers, and release aid.
Blunt point: An arrowhead or point with a flat or round striking surface usually used for hunting small game.
Bob-tailed Arrow: A arrow that is thicker at the point and tapers to the nock end.
Bow: A flexible strip of wood or other material, bent by a string stretched between its ends for shooting arrows.
Bow arm: The arm that holds the bow.
Bow hand: The hand that holds the bow.
Bowhunter: A person who hunts using a bow.
Bowhunting: The act of hunting with a bow to harvest legal game animals.
Bow sight: A mechanical device attached to the bow with which the archer can aim directly at the target.
Bow sling: A leather or nylon strap, fastened to either the bow or the archer's hand, which prevents the bow from falling to the ground when the archer shoots without gripping the bow.
Bowstring: A multi stranded string of either Dacron, Kevlar or Fastflight looped to the bow nocks or teardrops.
Bow stringer: Cord with two pockets of dissimilar size or one pocket and one saddle, used to string a recurve bow.
Bow stave: A piece of wood used to make a bow.
Bow square: T-Shaped device to measure brace height and nocking point location.
Bowyer: A person who makes bows.
Brace height: Shortest distance from the string to the pivot point of the bow when strung.
Broadhead: An arrowhead with triangular shaped cutting blades used for hunting animals.
Bull's Eye: The dead center of any target at which you are shooting.
Butt (Target Butt): Any backstop to which a target face is attached.
C
Cables: The steel cables that connect the string via the cams or wheels to the opposite limb of a compound bow.
Cams: The wheels on a compound bow have a 'cam shape' to one side that controls the amount of force and the shape of the draw/force curve of the bow.
Cant: To hold the bow to the right or left while at full draw. The reference to right or left is determined by the position of the top limb.
Cast: The distance a bow can propel an arrow.
Center serving: The protective winding on the centre of the string where the arrows are nocked.
Cock feather: The feather or vane set at right angles to the slot in the nock.
Compound bow: A hand-drawn, hand-held bow that for similar poundage at full draw, stores more energy than a recurve bow through the use of two cables and two eccentric wheels. Most modern compound bows have a 65% let-off of the peak draw poundage at full draw. A compound bow of 60lb. peak weight will have a holding weight of approx. 21lb. at full draw.
Creep: Letting the arrow move slowly forward before release (not maintaining draw length). Usually caused by loss of shoulder/back muscle tension.
Cresting: Colored bands applied to the arrow shaft used as identifying marks.
D
Doinkers: A rubber vibration dampener fitted to the ends of stabilizer bars.
Drawing hand: The hand which draws the bow string back to the anchor point.
Draw length: The distance, measured in inches, from the pivot point of the bow to the slot in the arrow nock when at full draw.
Draw weight: The force, in pounds, required to draw a bow a distance.
E
F
Face: The surface of the bow that faces the archer.
Field captain: The official in charge of an archery tournament.
Field archery: An archery round in which an archer shoots from a variety of distances at targets set up in natural environment.
Field point: Arrow point shaped like a bullet, so to speak. Most commonly used for competition.
Finger tab: A piece of smooth material worn on the drawing hand to protect the fingers and to give a smooth release of the bow string.
Fletch: To glue a feather or vane to an arrow shaft.
Fletching: The feathers, plastic vanes or other devices attached to the arrow shaft which stabilise the flight of the arrow.
Fletching jig: A device used to hold the arrow shaft in place and correctly locate and align the placement of the fletching.
Flinching: Moving bow arm and/or drawing hand just before release.
Flu-Flu: A arrow fitted with many feather fletches spiralled around the arrow shaft. The arrow can only be shot a very short distance due to the amount of wind drag on the feathers.
Freeze: Inability to move the sight to the desired position while at full draw, or inability to release.
Full draw: The position of the archer when the bow string has been drawn and the drawing hand is at the anchor point.
G
Grip: The handle of the bow held by the archer.
Group: The pattern of arrows in the target.
H
Hunting: The pursuit of a target.
I
J
Judo point: A arrow point fitted with spring-loaded wire prongs that will catch on grass or scrub to stop the arrow quickly.
K
Kisser button: Small protrusion placed on the bow string as an additional anchor reference point. Touches the archer's lips, teeth or nose at full draw.
L
Laminated bow: A traditional style bow made of several layers of different material glued together, usually two layers of fibreglass and a hardwood core.
Launcher: A style of arrow rest used extensively on compound bows. Can be a one-piece flat metal prong with a 'v' groove for the arrow to rest in or can be two round metal prongs set apart to suit the size of the arrow.
Left-handed bow: A bow with the sight window cut out on the right hand side when viewed from the face of the bow.
Let-off: The reduction in draw weight of a compound bow, when pulled to full draw, usually expressed as a percentage. Most modern compound bows have a 65% let-off. A marked peak weight of 50 lbs. and a full draw weight of 32.5 lbs.
Level: A small level, fitted on the bow sight, to indicate when the bow is being held vertical (compound bows only).
Limbs: The energy storing parts of the bow above and below the riser.
Limb Dampeners: Usually a 'mushroom' shaped piece of rubber attached to the limbs of a bow to reduce the vibrations in the limbs after the release.
Limb Pocket: A recessed slot in the top and bottom of the riser, shaped to fit the ends of the bow limbs and maintain correct limb alignment.
Longbow: A large bow drawn by hand.
M
Mass weight: The actual physical weight of the bow.
N
Nock: To place an arrow on the bow string.; The attachment to the rear end of an arrow which is placed on the bow string and holds the arrow on the string.
Nock set: A small brass attachment added to the string to mark the nocking point.
Nocking point: The specific point where the arrow is to be nocked on the string.
O
Open stance: The position of the feet on the shooting line, where the left foot is behind an imaginary line extending between the archer's right foot and the center of the target (for a right handed archer).
P
Peak Weight: The maximum draw weight of a compound bow. The peak weight is adjustable on a compound bow by tightening or loosening the limb bolts.
Peep sight: Also known as string peep. A small round piece of plastic or metal which is set between the strands of the string above the nocking point to sight through in line with the bow sight for aiming a compound bow.
Pinching: The squeezing of index and middle fingers against the arrow nock during the draw, causing deflection of the arrow.
Plunger button: A spring loaded button in the sight window against which the arrow lies and compensates for side-ways bend of the arrow.
Poundage: Draw weight of a bow.
Q
Quiver: Device for holding arrows. Different forms are back, belt, bow, and ground quivers.
R
Rebound: An arrow that bounces off the scoring area of a target.
Recurve bow: Similar to a longbow, but has ends that curve away from the archer when the bow is held in shooting position.
Release: To allow the string to leave the fingers or the release aid.
Release aid: A mechanical device for releasing an arrow (compound bows only).
Right-handed bow: A bow with the sight window cut out on the left hand side when viewed from the face of the bow.
Robin-Hood: A term given to two arrows shot end to end, the second arrow embedded into the rear of the first. Happens rarely, so the arrows are usually kept as a trophy.
Round: The shooting of a definite number of arrows at specified target faces from set distances.
S
Scope sight: A bow sight with a magnifying lens. Usually used in conjunction with a peep sight on a compound bow.
Semi-recurve bow: A bow that is neither straight nor fully recurved.
Serving: The protective wrapping of thread around the loops and centre of the bow string to protect it from wear.
Serving jig: A device that holds the serving thread and maintains consistent tension as the thread is wrapped around the bowstring.
Shaft: The arrow excluding the point, nock and vanes.
Shooting glove: A leather glove with only three fingers for holding the bowstring.
Shooting line or stake: The point from which all archers shoot at a given target.
Sight: The aiming device on a compound.
Sight extension: Bow sight extension which attaches to the bow.
Sight block: The movable part of the sight which holds the sight pin, aperture or scope.
Sight window: The cut out section of the bow above the grip.
Sling: Strap fastened to the bow and usually the archer's wrist, to prevent the bow from falling when shooting with a relaxed bow hand.
Snap shooting: Releasing the arrow without pausing to aim carefully.
Spine: The arrow's resistance to bending, classified by hanging a 2 lb. weight at the centre of an arrow resting on two supporting points 26" apart, and measuring the amount of the bend.
Stabilizer: An extension rod holding a small weight used to minimise the vibrations which occur during the release.
Stacking: A characteristic of bow performance where the force/draw curve rises more rapidly over the final part of the draw.
Stance: The position of the feet and body assumed when addressing the target.
String: A cord used to shoot a bow, ready for shooting and to propel the arrow in the act of shooting.; To place a bow string on a bow in the proper position for shooting.
String jig: An adjustable frame used to make bowstrings.
Stringer: A device to aid in the stringing of a bow.
String alignment: The placement of the string when at full draw in relation to the bow sight or the bow.
String fingers: The fingers used to draw back the bow string.
String hand: Drawing hand, the hand used to pull the bowstring.
T
Tackle: An archer's equipment.
Take-down bow: A bow which can be taken apart, the limbs can be detached from the riser, for ease of travelling, storage and limb change-over.
Target captain: The person who decides who is to call the value of each arrow, record the scores and draw the arrows from the target.
Target face: The paper which is attached to the target butt and indicates the scoring areas.
Target Panic: A mental condition causing a loss of control in shooting form. Symptoms can include; aim freezing, snap shooting, flinching and trigger punching.
3-under release or 3-fingers-under: A technique in the nocked arrow rests above the first three fingers and below the nock locater.
3D round or 3D shoot: A type of field archery using 3D targets at various unmarked lengths. Usually one arrow is shot. Scoring is counted according to the range or clubs scoring rules.
3D target: A three dimensional, usually life-size, animal target used in competition or to practice for hunting season.
Tiller: To shape the limbs of an unfinished bow for even bending. The reaction of the limbs whereby the nock ends propel the arrow in a straight line by moving an equal distance in equal time to return to brace height by means of the various stresses in the top and bottom limbs with compensation for the bowhand pressure below and the arrow axis/center line above the center of gravity of the bow.
Torque: Any rotation or twisting motion of the bow in the horizontal plane.
Toxophilite: A devotee of archery.
Traditional arrow: An arrow where the shaft is wood and the fletching is made from real feathers.
Traditional bow: A bow which is either a longbow, reflex, or recurve.
Trajectory: The path of the arrow in flight.
Tune: To adjust the arrow rest, pressure button, string height, and nocking point height to achieve good arrow flight out of the bow.
U
V
Vane: Plastic fletching.
V-bar: A short extender fitted between the riser and long stabilizer that allows two short stabilizer rods to be added as a counter balance to the long stabilizer. The addition of the two short stabilizers on each side of the riser helps resist twisting reactions from the bow hand.
W
Windage: The adjustment of the bow sight or the pin on the bow sight to allow for the wind deflecting the arrow.
X
Y
Z
