Archery is filled with technical language that can be overwhelming for a beginner. To help you "speak the language," here is a list of common terms and abbreviations found in the sources.
Equipment Terms
- Riser: The central handle of the bow where the archer holds the grip.
- Limbs: The upper and lower parts of the bow that flex and store energy during the draw.
- Nock: As a noun, the slotted plastic tip on the end of an arrow; as a verb, the act of fitting the arrow to the string.
- Arrow Rest: A simple device on the riser that supports the arrow during the shot.
- Clicker: A device used on recurve bows that makes a sound to signal the archer has reached their consistent full draw length.
- Pressure Button (Plunger): A spring-loaded tool that fits through the riser to help tune arrow flight and accuracy.
- Armguard (Bracer): Protective gear worn on the bow arm to prevent "string slap" or bruising.
- Finger Tab: A piece of leather or synthetic material that protects the drawing fingers from the bowstring.
- Quiver: A container used to hold and organize arrows.
- Bow Stringer: A vital tool used to safely string and unstring recurve or traditional bows.
Form and Technique
- Anchor Point: A consistent spot on the face (such as the corner of the mouth or jawline) where the string hand comes to rest at full draw.
- Dry Fire: The highly dangerous act of releasing a bowstring without a nocked arrow, which can shatter the bow limbs.
- Follow-Through: Maintaining your physical and mental stance until the arrow hits the target to ensure consistency.
- Stance: The foundation of the shot, typically standing perpendicular to the target with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Hand Torque: The unintentional twisting of the bow handle caused by gripping the bow too tightly.
- Archer's Paradox: The physical phenomenon where an arrow bends around the riser upon release before stabilizing.
Measurement and Technical Terms
- Draw Weight: The amount of force (measured in pounds) required to pull the string to full draw.
- Draw Length: The personalized distance from the grip to the archer’s anchor point when at full draw.
- Spine: The measurement of an arrow's stiffness; it must be matched to the bow's draw weight.
- Let-off: A feature of compound bows where the cams reduce the weight an archer must hold at full draw, often by 65% to 80%.
- Stacking: A condition where a bow becomes disproportionately harder to pull because the archer is exceeding the bow's maximum draw length.
- End: A set number of arrows shot (usually 3 or 6) before archers walk to the target to score and retrieve them.
Common Abbreviations
- JOAD: Junior Olympic Archery Development, a flagship youth program for USA Archery.
- ILF: International Limb Fitting, a universal standard that allows archers to mix and match limbs and risers from different manufacturers.
- WA: World Archery, the international federation governing the sport.
- AGB: Archery GB, the national governing body in the UK.
- NFAA: National Field Archery Association, a major US organization focused on field and target archery.
- DOS: Director of Shooting, the official in charge of managing the shooting line and range safety signals.
- FPS: Feet Per Second, the measurement used to describe arrow velocity.
- GPI: Grains Per Inch, a measurement of an arrow shaft's weight.
Think of learning archery terms like learning to drive a car. At first, words like "clutch," "RPM," or "odometer" might sound like gibberish. But once you realize the "clutch" (the release) controls the power and the "odometer" (the clicker) tells you how far you’ve gone, the machine becomes much easier to master.