Archery Dictionary

A

Anchor point: The location of the hand drawing the bowstring at full draw. A consistent anchor is possibly the single most important thing required for good shooting.

Arm Guard/Bracer: a plastic or leatherguard that protects the forearm of the bow arm.

Archery GB: The governing body for archery in the UK, formerly known as GNAS (Grand National Archery Society)

Arrow: What you shoot.

Arrow Rest: The place where the arrow rests during the draw. There is a wide range of different types of arrow rest from simple stick-on plastic rests to sophisticated micro-adjustable magnetic rests.

B

Barebow: A bow style that has no sight or aiming devices

Bareshaft: An arrow without any fletchings

Boss: The foam or straw object that you shoot

Bouncer: When an arrow that strikes the target but then falls to the ground out of the target.

Bow-scale: A measuring devices use to find the draw-weight of a bow

Bow-square: A measuring devices that is used for bracing height and to find nocking-point positions

Brace Height: The distance between the string and bow grip of the rest

Button: A spring-loaded button that absorbs some of the force from the arrow after release

C

Cock fletching: The fletching (usually a different colour) that points towards the archer at a 90° angle to the string.

Chest Guard: A piece of protective clothing attached on the side of an archers chest used to precent string catching on clothing/body

Clicker: Device usually of metal or plastic that makes an audible click sound when the arrow is at full draw for that archer

Clout: A competition style in which archers shoot at a peg/flag in the ground

D

Dominant Eye: The stronger eye, usually the aiming eye

Draw: To pull the bow string back

Draw Length: The distance measured from the nocking point on the string to the arrow rest at full draw. The length of arrow required by an archer is usually taken as the draw length + 1 inch.

Draw Weight: The force required to pull a bow to full draw length, measured in pounds. Bow manufacturers normally display draw weight measured at a standard draw length of 28 inches for comparison purposes but the draw weight changes as the draw length changes. As a rule of thumb, for every inch of draw length over 28”, add 2 lb to the draw weight and for every inch less than 28” subtract 2 lb.

E

End: Number of arrows shot before scoring and collecting, usually 3 or 6.

F

Fast: Warning shout to stop shooting in an emergency, derived from ‘Hold fast the string and come down’

Field Captain: Person or official in charge of the shoot

Finger sling: A piece of string (often a shoelace) that fits on the thumb and index finger of an archers bowhand to prevent the bow from leaving the hand.

F.I.T.A. : Federation Internationale de Tir a l'Arc, the former name of Archery's international governing body. The name is also used for a number of specific shooting Rounds. The federation is now called World Archery (WA).

Fletching/Vane: The flights that are fixed to the arrow, usually made from plastic. Fletchings stabilise the arrow in flight.

Fletching Jig: A device use to position fletchings on arrows in the correct positions

Full Draw: When you have pulled the string all the way back to your anchor point

Gap Shooting: Using the distance of that between the arrow and target as a reference point to gauge with

Group: When several arrows shot are close together

Grip: Where your hand is placed on the riser

Index fletching: The fletching (usually a different colour) that points towards the archer at a 90° angle to the string (also known as the Cock fletching).

L

Limbs: The upper and lower arms of a bow.

Line cutter: An arrow that touches the line between two colours on a target scores the higher value.

Longbow: Bow style that is a single piece of bow, traditional archery

Loose: The action of releasing the string

N

Nock: The slot on the fletched end of the arrow used to position the arrow on the bow string; usually plastic

Nocking Point: The place on the bow string where the arrow is placed.

P

Pile: The metal point of an arrow

Point: Pointed metal part that is inserted at the tip of the arrow

Pressure Button: An adjustable spring loaded contact for the arrow as it sits on the rest (also referrred to as Button)

Practise: Arrows allowed at the start of a competition (World Archery rounds) to enable sight adjustments. Unlike "Sighters", which are given at imperial rounds, you may shoot as many arrows per end as you like.

Puller: A rubber material that provides grip to pull arrows

Q

Quiver: A receptacle or container for holding arrows. A quiver can either be worn on a belt or stuck in the ground.

R

Release: The action of releasing the bow string when shooting.

Rest: Gap: A wire or plastic piece of equipment on which the arrow sits on before and during the draw

Riser: Rigid centre section of a bow to which the limbs are attached, (The handle)

Robin Hood: When one arrow hits and splits another arrow. Expensive and not recommended.

Round: Formal number of arrows shot at one or more distances in competitions

S

Serving: Thread wound around the bow string at the nocking point and end loops.

Shaft: The body of an arrow

Shooting Line: The line which archers stand astride whilst shooting

Sight: A device fitted to the bow to aid aiming. It is normally capable of both horizontal and vertical adjustment.

Sighters: Arrows allowed at the start of a shoot to enable sight adjustments. Sighters are used in imperial rounds (e.g. Portsmouth), and unlike "Practice", which is given at World Archery rounds, you may only shoot as many arrows per end as you do in a scoring end.

Sight mark: The sight setting for a specific distance.

Sling: A string that is attached onto an archers bow-hand

Spine: The stiffness of the arrow shaft

Stabilisers: Rods and weights fitted to a bow to reduce bow movement. An archer usually finds that arrow groups tighten when stabilisers are first added. This is the result of the stabiliser minimizing the torque of the bow in the archer's hand on arrow release.

String: The string or cord that goes from one bow nock to the other. The common materials used to make bow strings are Fast Flite, Dyneema, Vectran, Kevlar, Dacron etc.

Stringer: A device to assist stringing the bow

String Walking: Method used by barebow archers of moving their fingers up and down the string in accordance to their target distance

T

Tab: A piece of leather or plastic worn on the hand to protect the fingers from the string.

Take Down: A type of bow which has removable limbs

Target Face: Paper or fabric coloured target with scoring areas, fixed to a the front of a boss

Tiller: A measure of the balance between the two sets of limbs

Tuning: The process of adjusting the bow and arrow to prove an archer with the most accurate and forgiving flight for an arrow

W

Waiting line: A line 10 yards behind the shooting line indicating the area where equipment may be left during a shoot.

Dictionary adapted from the one compiled by Dick Hilton of Bowbrook archers