document_title: Glossary of archery terms

question_text: term for putting an arrow in a bow

question_tokens: term for putting an arrow in a bow

root

text: Glossary of archery terms

text: This is a list of archery terms, including both the equipment and the practice.  A brief description for each word or phrase is also included.

tag: p

text:
Top
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z

tag: ul

text:
See also
References

text: A[edit]

text:
Aluminium (material) – Used in modern archery for the production of arrows
Anchor point – A point to be touched by the draw hand or string when the bow is fully drawn and ready to shoot, usually a point on the archer's mouth, chin or nose
AMO (organization) – The Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization (now known as the ATA)
AMO length (measure) – A standardized length for measuring bow strings
Arbalest – A late variation of the crossbow that came into use in Europe during the 12th century
Archer (practitioner) – One who practices archery (a.k.a. bowman)
Archer's paradox (effect) – The effect produced by an arrow flexing as it leaves the bow
Archery (practice) – The practice of using a bow to shoot arrows
Arm guard (equipment) – A protective strap or sheath for an archer's forearm (a.k.a. bracer)
Arrow (equipment) – A shafted projectile that is shot with a bow
Arrowhead (equipment) – The front end of an arrow; also known as the head, point or tip
Arrow rest (equipment) – A device used to hold the arrow against the handle until it is released
ATA (organization) – The Archery Trade Association (formerly known as the AMO)
A.T.A. (measure) – Acronym for axle-to-axle, the length between the two pivotal axles which hold the cams onto the limbs on a compound bow
ASA – Archery Shooters Association

text: B[edit]

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Bodkin point (equipment) – A sharp, pointed arrow head
Bolt (equipment) – A crossbow projectile; also called a quarrel
Boss (equipment) – A target, typically made from tightly compacted foam or straw
Bowman (practitioner) – One who practices archery (a.k.a. archer)
Bow (equipment) – An ancient weapon powered by elasticity, used for hunting and sport
Bowfishing (practice) – The use of archery equipment for catching fish
Bowhunting (practice) – The practice of hunting game using archery
Bow string (equipment) – A fiber joining two ends of a bow for launching arrows
Bowyer (craftsman) – One who makes bows
Bracing (practice) – The act of attaching a bow string to a bow
Brace height (measure) – The distance from the string to the pivot point of the bow's grip
Bracer (equipment) – A protective strap or sheath for an archer's forearm (a.k.a. arm guard)
Broadhead (equipment) –  A sharp-bladed hunting head
Bullseye (equipment) – The central area of a target, often for which a greater number of points may be scored when hit
Butts (location) – A practice field with mounds of earth used as targets
Button (equipment) – An adjustable spring-loaded contact for the arrow as it sits on the rest, mounted perpendicular to the arrow

text: C[edit]

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Carbon fiber (material) – Used in modern archery for the production of arrows
Clicker (equipment) – A device used to indicate an archer's optimum draw length
Clout archery (practice) – A form of archery in which archers shoot arrows toward a flag (known as the clout) from a relatively long distance and are scored based on how close each arrow lands to the flag
Cock feather (equipment) – A differently-colored fletch that indicates proper arrow alignment on the string (a.k.a. index feather)
Composite bow (equipment) – A bow made from various laminated materials
Compound bow (equipment) – A modern bow that uses a system of cables and pulleys
Crest (equipment) – Heraldic markings on an arrow used for identification or design
Crossbow (equipment) – A bow mounted on a stock, which shoots projectiles called bolts or quarrels
Crown (equipment) – The nock end of an arrow where cresting and paints are applied

text: D[edit]

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Daikyu (equipment) – A Japanese longbow
Decurve bow (equipment) – A form of bow in which the unstrung tips curve toward the archer
Deflex bow (equipment) – A form of bow in which the entire length of the handle and limbs curve toward the archer
Drawing (practice) – The act of pulling the string that is attached to the bow.
Draw length (measure) – Archer: individual measure. At full draw the distance in inches from nock point on bow string to deepest grip spot (pivot-point) plus 1 3/4″ (AMO standard). Bow: characteristic measure of the bow together with its draw weight. The technically given optimal draw length for full draw of that bow (AMO standard). Draw weight of a bow means weight at its draw length.
Draw weight (measure) – The number of pounds of force required to draw a bow to its draw length
Dry loosing (practice) – refers to the loosing of the string of a bow without an arrow on the nock, potentially damaging the bow

text: E[edit]

text:
End (practice) – A round of arrows shot during an archery event (rarely more than six)[1]
English longbow (equipment) – A powerful medieval bow; also known as the Welsh longbow

text: F[edit]

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Feet per second (abbrev. FPS, measure) – Unit of measurement for arrow velocity
Fiberglass (material) – Used in modern archery equipment for the production of both bows and arrows
Field archery (practice) – Shooting at targets of unmarked distances in an open field
Field tip (equipment) – A practice head for targets
Finger tab (equipment) – A small leather patch to protect the archer's fingers
Fistmele (measure) – The proper distance between the handle of a bow and the bow string when the bow is strung (a.k.a. brace height)
Flatbow (equipment) – A non-recurved bow with a rectangular cross section
Fletching (equipment) – The stabilizing fins or vanes of an arrow
Fletcher (craftsman) – One who makes arrows
Flex (measure) – The amount of bend an arrow shaft provides; contrasted with spine
Flu-flu arrow (equipment) – A specially designed short-range arrow
Footed arrow (equipment) – An arrow with a shaft composed of two types of wood

text: G[edit]

text:
Game (target) – Non-domesticated animals hunted for food or sport
Glove (equipment) – Protective gear for an archer's fingers (a.k.a. shooting glove)
Gungdo (practice) – The Korean practice of archery

text: H[edit]

text:
Hankyu (equipment) – A short Japanese bow
Hybrid (equipment) – A term to describe the combination of a recurve and a longbow, also known as "reflex/deflex"
Head (equipment) – The front end of an arrow; also known as the arrowhead, point or tip
Hen feather (equipment) – Name given to the shaft feathers based on misunderstanding of cock (leading) feather
Horse archer (practitioner) – An archer mounted on a horse
Horse archery (practice) – Archery mounting on a horse

text: I[edit]

text: Index fletching (equipment) – A differently-coloured fletch that indicates proper arrow alignment (a.k.a. cock fletching)

text: J[edit]

text: Judo point (equipment) – A target and small-game head equipped with spring wires for easy location

text: K[edit]

text:
Kisser (equipment) – A button used to indicate consistent vertical distance when drawing a bow
Kyudo (practice) – The Japanese practice of archery

text: L[edit]

text:
Longbow (equipment) – A tall wooden bow with a D shaped cross-section, approximately the same height as the archer, without significant recurve
Loose (practice) – The act of shooting an arrow from a bow (a.k.a. release)
Laminated bow (equipment) – A bow with different materials laminated together to make a single bow
Limb (equipment) – The upper and lower arms of a bow
Longrod (equipment) – Rod attached to the bow to dampen vibrations

text: M[edit]

text:
Majra (equipment) – an overdraw device used in Turkish archery
Mounted archer (practitioner) – an archer mounted on a horse
Mounted archery (practice) – Archery mounting on a horse
Mongolian draw (practice) – the act of drawing a bow with the thumb

text: N[edit]

text:
Nock (equipment) – The notch at the rear end of an arrow; also the notches at the ends of the bow limbs to which the bowstring is attached, or looped over
Nock (practice) – The act of setting an arrow in a bow
Nocking point (equipment) – The point on a bow string over which an arrow nock is placed

text: O[edit]

text:
Overdraw (practice) – The use of a device, e.g. a siper, to allow the shooting of arrows shorter than the draw of the bow
Overdrawn (measure) – A condition in which a bow string is too short for the bow; fistmele is exceeded

text: P[edit]

text:
Plunger or pressure button (equipment) – A device used to correct an arrow's flex at the point of release
Point (equipment) – The front end of an arrow; also known as the arrowhead, head or tip
Poisons (equipment) – Toxic additions to arrow heads in order to increase hunting effectiveness

text: Q[edit]

text:
Quarrel (equipment) – A crossbow projectile; also called a bolt
Quiver (equipment) – A container for an archer's projectiles (arrows)

text: R[edit]

text:
Recurve bow (equipment) – A form of bow in which the unstrung tips curve away from the archer
Reflex bow (equipment) – A form of bow in which the entire length of the handle and arms curve away from the archer
Release (practice) – The act of relaxing the finger(s) of the drawing hand (see Bow draw) to free an arrow from a bow (a.k.a. loose)
Release a small handheld object that can be clipped to a bowstring and releases when a trigger is pressed.
Rest (equipment) – A device used to hold the arrow against the handle until it is released
Riser (equipment) – The handle section of a bow
Reloading (term) – A term used for loading an arrow
Run archery (practice) – Shooting discipline connecting archery with running

text: S[edit]

text:
Safety arrow (equipment) – Arrow with wide tip or padded head, often used for reenactments
Self bow (equipment) – A bow made from a single piece of material (normally wood)
Serving (equipment) – Extra thread wound around a bow string in order to support or protect the main fiber
Shaft (equipment) – The main structural element of an arrow
Shaftment (equipment) – Part of the arrow upon which the fletchings lie
Shaft feathers (equipment) – The two feathers which oppose the cock feather
Shooting glove (equipment) – Protective gear for an archer's fingers
Siper (equipment) – an overdraw device used in Turkish archery
Spine (measure) – The stiffness of an arrow shaft; contrasted with flex
Stabiliser (equipment) – A weighted rod or set of rods used to provide balance to a bow
Stave (equipment) – A strip of wood from which a bow may be made

text: T[edit]

text:
Tab (equipment) – A small leather patch to protect the archer's fingers
Target (equipment) – General term for the intended destination of a shot arrow
Target archery (practice) – Shooting at non-moving targets placed varying distances away
Target panic (condition) – Set of symptoms developed for psychological reasons resulting in lowered accuracy
Target point (equipment) – Bullet-shaped practice head, used for targets
Target shooting (practice) – Competitive event that uses projectile weapons for tests of proficiency
Thumb ring (equipment) – Protective ring for an archer's thumb
Tip (equipment) – Either (especially the top) end of the bow, as differentiated from the point of an arrow
Tong-ah (equipment) – an overdraw device used in traditional Korean archery, similar to the Turkish Majra

text: U[edit]

text: Upshot – The last shot in an archery contest

text: V[edit]

text: Vane (equipment) – The stabilizing fin of an arrow

text: W[edit]

text:
Wand shoot (practice) – An archery event in which arrows are shot at a slat of soft wood that is typically 6' tall and 2" wide[2]
Welsh longbow (equipment) – A powerful medieval bow; also known as an English longbow
Wood (material) – The earliest material used for the construction of bows and arrows

text: Y[edit]

text:
Ya (equipment) – An asymmetric Japanese arrow
Yabusame (practice) – A type of mounted archery practiced in Japan
Yew (material) – A type of wood traditionally used to make bows[3]
Yumi (equipment) – An asymmetric Japanese bow; includes both long and short varieties (daikyu and hankyu)