CADAC

Colchester And District Archery Club

Archery Terms

A more comprehensive list of archery terms than the basic set for beginners. Each term has a short description that explains what it means.

• AFB

  American Flat Bow - aka American longbow. A long bow with a rectangular (flat) cross section and a narrow handle.

• Anchor

  Often refered to as "anchor point". It refers to the part of your face that your hand touches when at full draw.

• Arrow Rest

  A projecting device attached to the bow upon which the arrow is located. May be a very simple plastic hook device (as used on beginners recurve bows) through to some very complex arangements (as used on compound bows).

• Back

  The side of the bow facing away from the archer when held in the shooting position.

• BareBow

  Class of shooting without sights or aids.

• Belly

  The side of the bow facing the archer when held in the shooting position.

• Boss

  The part of the target that stops the arrows. The target face is fixed to the boss

• Bouncer

  An arrow which fails to penetrate the target and bounces off.

• Bow arm/hand

  The arm and hand that you use to hold the bow.

• Bow Sight

  An adjustable device fixed to the bow used for aiming.

• Bow Sling

  A strap attached to the bow that allows the archer's hand to remain in contact with the bow without gripping it.

• Bow Stringer

  A Bevice used for bracing the bow whilst attaching the string.

• Bow Window

  The cut out section above the bow handle on recurve and compound bows.

• Bowyer

  One who makes and designs bows.

• Brace

  To string the bow by placing the string loops into the bow nocks.

• Bracer

  The arm guard worn by archers to protect the bow arm from being hit by the bow string.

• Bracing Height

  The distance between the bow and the string when at rest.

• Cant

  Tilting the bow to the left or right when shooting.

• Carbons

  Arrows made of carbon fibre.

• Cast

  Distance and speed a bow shoots an arrow.

• Centre Shot

  A term applied to a bow that is designed to allow the arrow to lie on the centre line of the bow.

• Clicker

  A device attached to the bow to tell the archer the draw is complete.

• Clout Shoot

  Long distance shooting, derived from military practice.

• Cock Feather

  The fletching which is at right angles to the string on most bow types. Compound bows may have the cock feather in line with the string depending on the type of arrow rest that is being used.

• Colours

  For GNAS competitions, archers clothes should be dark green, white or registerd club colours.

• Composite

  A bow with limbs made of two or more kinds of material.

• Compound

  A bow using a cable system with eccentric wheels at the limb tips. The archer has a holding weight less than the actual draw weight of the bow.

• Creeping

  When the drawing hand edges forward before or during aiming.

• Cresting

  The coloured bands on the shaft of an arrow.

• Dacron

  Polyester string material.

• Dead Loose

  A loose where only the fingers move on release.

• Draw

  The act of moving the string from the bracing height to the anchor point.

• Draw Hand

  Also refered to as the drawing hand. The hand that you use to pull (draw) the string.

• Draw Length

  The distance to which the archer needs to draw the bow.

• Draw Weight

  The force in pounds needed to draw a bow to the draw length.

• Dry Loose

  Releasing a drawn bow without an arrow nocked.

• End

  An end is a set number of arrows that you shoot before scoring. Most ends in target shooting consist of six arrows but some rounds have 5 or 3 arrows per end.

• Fast

  Warning cry which means stop shooting.

• Field Archery

  A form of shooting over various distances, usually in rough country.

• Field Captain

  The person in charge of shooting.

• FITA

  Federation Internationale de Tir a L'Arc, the international archery governing body.

• Flat Bow

  See AFB.

• Fletchings

  The fletchings are the shaped feather or plastic vanes attached to one end of the arrow. The fletchings job is to steady the arrows flight.

• Flight Shoot

  Shooting for the longest possible distances.

• Follow Through

  The natural reaction of the body after a loose.

• Foot Markers

  Small discs used to mark the archer's position on the line.

• Forward Loose

  A loose in which the drawing hand moves forward during the loose.

• GNAS

  Grand National Archery Society, the national governing body.

• Gold

  The central scoring zone on a target face.

• Ground Quiver

  A stand for arrows placed on the ground rather than carried by the archer.

• Grouping

  Shooting arrows close together in a target.

• Handicap

  A shoot were the archer's previous performances are taken into account when calculating the final score.

• Handle Riser

  The part of the bow held in the hand.

• Heeling

  Applying pressure on the handle below the point of balance.

• Holding

  Maintaining the aim and draw length before loosing.

• Imperial

  A method of scoring (usually for outdoor rounds).

• Kevlar

  A non stretch string material.

• Kisser Button

  A small disk placed on the string which reinforces the anchor point by being placed between the lips.

• Lady Paramount

  The patroness at meetings who has the final decision on disputes and awards the prizes.

• Limb

  The top (upper) or bottom (lower) parts of the bow either side of the riser (handle).

• Longbow

  In the UK it generally refers to a bow over 5ft long with straight limbs and of a 'D' shaped cross section. The limbs are made from wood or bamboo and usually have horn knocks.

• Long Rod

  A long stabiliser.

• Loose

  The action of releasing the string which launches the arrow.

• Metals

  Arrows made of metal (usually aluminium).

• Metric

  A method of scoring (usually for indoor rounds).

• NFAS

  National Field Archery Society.

• Nock (of arrow)

  The grove in the end of the arrow where the string fits.

• Nock (of bow)

  The groves at the limb tips where the bow string locates.

• Nocking point

  The place on the string where the arrow nock fits over.

• Overbowed

  Bow which is too strong for the archer to shoot confortably.

• Peep Site

  A small aperture on the string which acts as a rear site for compound bows.

• Petticoat

  The area of the target outside the scoring zone.

• Pile

  A cylindrical arrowhead with no cutting edges.

• Pinch

  Squeezing the nock of the arrow during a draw.

• Pinhole

  The exact centre of the target marked with a small cross.

• Plunger Button

  Device with a spring and plunger used for tuning a bow.

• Point

  See pile.

• Popinjay

  Shooting at artificial birds at the top of a mast.

• Quiver

  Container for your arrows.

• Recurve Bow

  The most common type of bow used by target archers. The tips of the limbs are curved away from the archer.

• Release

  Another term for loose.

• Release Aid

  A Mechanical device for loosing the string of compound bows.

• Riser

  The central handle section of the bow

• Round

  A Specified number of arrows shot at a given distance.

• Serving

  Reinforcing thread wrapped tightly on to the string at a point of wear.

• Shaft

  The main body section of an arrow.

• Shooting Line

  The line across which all archers stand when shooting.

• Sight Mark

  The place on a bow sight when it is correctly adjusted for a particular distance.

• Sighters

  Unscored arrows shot before a round to adjust sights.

• Spine Rating

  A Measure of the stiffness of an arrow.

• Stabilisers

  Weighted rods attached to bows to improve stability.

• Stacking

  An unwelcome increase in draw weight as draw length is reached.

• String

  The cord attached to each end of the bow which gives the bow tension and causes the arrow to fly when drawn.

• Stringer

  A device used to aid stringing a bow and avoiding damage from twisting the limbs.

• Tab

  Device used to protect the fingers on your draw hand.

• Target Captain

  Person responsable for scoring on a target.

• TFC

  Torque Flight Compensators - rubber dampers used with stabilisers.

• Tiller

  The alignment of limbs with respect to the string when braced.

• Torque

  Turning force applied to a bow.

• Toxophilite

  An archer, lover of archery.

• Underbowed

  Using a bow too weak for effective shooting.

• Vanes

  Plastic fletchings.

• Waiting Line

  Line behind which the archers retire after shooting, at least 5 yard behind the shooting line.

• Weight In Hand

  The physical weight of the bow (not its power).