Every sport has its own language, and archery is no exception. From your first day at the range to years into shooting, knowing the right terminology makes it easier to follow instructions, shop for gear, and talk with other archers.
This A-to-Z glossary covers 89 key terms along with common abbreviations. If you’re brand new to the sport, our archery for beginners guide will give you the practical foundation to go along with these terms.
You might also enjoy our article on fascinating archery facts to learn more about the sport’s history.
A
Anchor Point — A definite point on the archer’s face (chin, mouth, or nose) that the drawing hand touches at full draw. It’s also known as a reference point and helps maintain shot-to-shot consistency.
Archer’s Paradox — The bending effect produced by an arrow as it leaves the bow and clears the riser on release. It’s especially noticeable with finger shooters using aluminum arrows.
Arm Guard — A protective strip, usually made of leather, worn on the bow arm’s forearm to prevent bowstring slap.
B
Back Tension — The active engagement of your back muscles to hold the bow at full draw while you aim and release. It’s one of the most critical techniques for a clean, consistent shot.
Bare Shaft Test — Shooting an arrow without fletching to check the nocking point adjustment and arrow rest position. It helps diagnose tuning issues for best arrow flight.
Button/Plunger — An adjustable, spring-loaded device mounted on the riser that contacts the arrow. It’s also called a Berger button, cushion plunger, or pressure button.
C
Clout Archery — A discipline where archers shoot arrows toward a flag (the clout) at distances of 120 to 180 yards. Scoring is based on how close each arrow lands to the clout.
Compound Bow — A modern bow that uses cables and pulleys (cams) to store more energy. When you draw a compound, the let-off means you’re holding only a fraction of the peak weight at full draw.
Cushion Plunger — A device made of plastic or leather that absorbs the shock generated by the arrow on release.
D
Dominant Eye — The eye your brain prefers for aiming. Your dominant eye determines your shooting style — if you’re left-eye dominant, you should generally shoot left-handed.
Draw/Draw Length — The act of pulling the bowstring into shooting position. Draw length is the distance the string travels from its resting position to full draw.
Dutchman/Plug — A small, cylindrical piece of wood used to repair a dead knot in a bow.
E
Elevation — The amount a bow sight must be raised or lowered to hit a given mark. It’s also the sight adjustment used to correct a high or low point of impact.
End — A round of arrows (rarely more than six) shot at the target before scoring and retrieval during a competition.
Equilibrium Moisture Content — The moisture level wood reaches once it has stabilized with its surrounding environment. It’s an important factor in bow-making.
F
Flight — The state of your arrow as it travels through the air after being released from the bow.
Flinching — Involuntary movement of the bow arm or release hand, usually caused by anticipation of the shot. It can happen just before or at the moment of release.
Flu-Flu — Oversized feathers spiraled around the shaft to create drag, making arrows that fly short distances. They’re commonly used for aerial targets and stump shooting.
G
G-Nock — A smaller nock than an H-nock, used on target arrows that fit into a nock bushing.
Game — In competition, an evenly distributed set of ends in a session. In bowhunting, it refers to non-domesticated animals hunted for food or sport.
Gold Panic/Target Panic — A psychological condition where an archer can’t settle the pin on the target or can’t release the arrow under pressure. It’s also called target paralysis or buck fever.
H
H-Nock — A slightly larger nock than a G-nock, used on target arrows that fit into a nock bushing.
Helical Fletching — Fletching applied with a helical clamp so the arrow spirals in flight. This stabilizes the arrow faster, especially in windy conditions.
Hit — In competition, a shot that successfully scores on the target. In general use, it’s any arrow that strikes the intended target.
Holding — The stage when the bow is at full draw and the arrow is ready to be shot.
I
Infringement — When a judge rules a contest violation, such as drawing the bow while aiming above the target line.
Insert — A threaded aluminum piece placed into the front of an arrow shaft, allowing field points and broadheads to be screwed in.
Instinctive Shooting — A traditional method where the archer looks at the target and shoots without using a mechanical sight or the point-of-aim technique.
J
Jerking — Allowing the shooting hand to flinch backward too much as the arrow is released, causing inconsistency.
Jig — A tool used for fletching arrows and making bowstrings.
Judo Point — A spring-wired arrowhead designed for small game and field practice. It grabs grass and debris on impact for easy retrieval.
K
Kevlar — A strong synthetic material used to make bowstrings with virtually no stretch. Some bows can’t use Kevlar strings because the added shock shortens limb life.
Kinetic Energy — The energy transferred from the bow to the arrow on release. Higher kinetic energy means more penetration, which is especially important for bowhunting.
Kisser Button — A small plastic indicator attached to the bowstring that touches the archer’s lips or teeth at full draw. It provides a consistent reference point.
Knot — A point in the wood where a branch grew from the trunk. Knots are classified as “live” (sound wood) or “dead” (damaged wood that’s usually repaired with a plug).
L
Lamination — Thin layers of material bonded together to form a bow limb or riser. Laminations provide strength and high performance.
Launcher Rest — A spring-loaded or drop-away arrow rest where the arrow sits on a prong extension just under and in line with the arrow.
Limb — The flexible upper or lower part of a bow that bends when the string is drawn. Limbs store the energy that propels the arrow and are sometimes called “arms.”
M
Mass Weight — The actual physical weight of the bow if placed on a scale. The term can also apply to any piece of archery gear.
Mediterranean Draw — A drawing method favored by Western archers, using the first three fingers — index finger above the arrow and the other two below.
Minnowing/Fishtailing — Abnormal side-to-side wobble of an arrow in flight, often caused by improper spine, poor tuning, bad hand form, or misaligned nocks. Subtle, rapid wobble is called minnowing; wider movement is fishtailing.
N
Nock — The notch or groove at either end of the bow that holds the bowstring in place. It also refers to the clip on the back of an arrow and the act of fitting an arrow onto the string.
Nock Travel — The vertical movement of the nocking point on the bowstring after release. It can happen when the bow’s cams move at different speeds or stop at different times, making it difficult to aim consistently.
Nocking Point — The specific spot on the bowstring where the arrow’s nock is placed before drawing and shooting.
O
Olympic Bow — A specially configured recurve bow designed for Olympic-style competition.
Overdraw — The risky practice of pulling the bowstring further back than normal at full draw, so the arrow tip passes the belly of the bow.
Overstrung — A condition where the bowstring is too short for the bow, creating excessive brace height.
P
Paper Tuning — A tuning method where arrows are shot through a sheet of paper. The tear pattern reveals whether the nocking point or pressure button needs adjustment.
Parabolic — A fletching shape with a higher, rounded profile at the back end of the feather toward the nock of the arrow.
Point of Aim — A visual reference on or near the target that aligns with the arrow tip and the archer’s eye. For short distances, the point of aim is below the target; for long distances, it’s above.
At “point-blank range,” the point of aim and the target are the same spot.
Q
Quill — The flattened shaft of a feather used for fletching an arrow.
Quiver — A case made of plastic, leather, or other materials that holds an archer’s arrows. Common types include back quivers, hip quivers, and pocket quivers.
R
Range Finder/Sight — A device that lets an archer determine the point of aim for a given distance without trial and error.
Reflex Bow — A bow whose limbs curve away from the archer when unstrung. The reflex design provides extra spring and power.
Reflex/Deflex — A limb design that combines deflex (limbs curving inward toward the archer near the riser) with reflex (the rest of the limb curving outward). This combination promotes stability.
S
Saddle — The end of a bow stringer that fits over the upper limb while the pouch sits on the lower limb.
Shaft — The main body of an arrow, excluding the head, nock, and fletching. The term is sometimes used to refer to the entire arrow.
Shooting Tab/Glove — A leather finger protector used by the drawing hand. Tabs are flat pieces; gloves are three-fingered and strap around the wrist.
Skid — The way an arrow plants itself into the ground or surface after completing its flight.
Stringer — A cord about three to four inches shorter than the bow, used to safely string and unstring the bow.
String — The bowstring or cord that propels the arrow. The term can also refer to the act of properly positioning an arrow on the bowstring.
T
T-Form — A shooting stance where the archer’s body, bow arm, and draw arm form a “T” shape when viewed from above.
Teardrop — A device attached at the end of a compound bow cable to make string assembly faster.
Tackle Line — The equipment line located 10 yards behind the shooting line where archers can leave their gear, tents, and chairs during competition.
U
Unit Aiming — A technique where the archer maintains a fixed relationship between the arms, head, and shoulders while adjusting aim from the waist.
Unlimited — A competition class where archers shoot with stabilizer bars of fifteen inches or longer and use a trigger release.
Upwind — Wind blowing directly from the target toward the archer.
V
V-Bar — A coupling attached to the bow that allows the connection of long-rod, short-rod, or other stabilizers.
Valley — On a compound bow, the amount you can move the string forward from full draw before the draw weight increases again.
Velocity — The speed at which an arrow travels, typically measured in feet per second (fps).
W
Wobble/Porpoising — Unusual up-and-down movement of an arrow during flight, indicating a tuning issue.
Worst White — When an archer’s arrow hits the outermost scoring ring on the target — the closest you can get to a complete miss while still scoring.
Wrist Sling — A strap that attaches to or encircles the bow and loops over the wrist or hand. It prevents the bow from falling after the shot, allowing the archer to shoot with a relaxed bow hand.
X
X-Nock — An H-nock sized arrow nock used on some carbon arrows that fits into a nock bushing.
Y
Yarn Tassel — A bundle of yarn worn on the quiver or belt, used to clean wet or dirty arrows in the field.
Yoke — A Y-shaped control cable on a compound bow that attaches to the outside of the upper limb at the axle pin.
Yoke Tuning — The process of adjusting each side of the yoke to achieve a straight bowstring path as it comes off the idler wheel at full draw.
Z
Zeroing — Adjusting a bow sight so the point of impact matches the point of aim at a given distance.
List of Abbreviations
ATA — Archery Trade Association, formerly known as AMO (Archery Manufacturers and Merchants Organization).
ASA — Archery Shooters Association, established in 1993 in Kennesaw, Georgia.
ESAR — Eye Sight Arrow Relationship, meaning the eye should be perpendicularly above the arrow nock.
FOC — Front-of-Center, the percentage of an arrow’s total weight located in the front half of the arrow.
FPS — Feet Per Second, the standard unit used to describe bow speed ratings.
GPP — Grains Per Pound, a measurement system used to select the correct arrow weight for a given bow.
IBO — International Bowhunters Organization, founded in 1984 by a group of dedicated archers. It’s also a widely used speed measurement standard.
ILF — International Limb Fitting, a universal limb attachment system designed in the late 1980s.
NFAA — National Field Archery Association, established in 1939 in the USA and one of the oldest modern archery institutions.
TFC — Torque Flight Compensator, a device designed to stabilize arrow movement during the draw cycle.
USAAA — United States of America Archery Association, the national governing body for archery in the US, formed in 1879. Today it’s known as USA Archery, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
WA — World Archery, the Olympic-approved international governing body for the sport of archery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nocking is the act of fitting your arrow onto the bowstring at the nocking point. The nock is the small groove or clip at the back end of the arrow that snaps onto the string. Proper nocking ensures the arrow sits consistently in the same position every time you draw.
A recurve bow has curved limbs that store energy as you draw, while a compound bow uses a system of cables and pulleys (cams) that provide a mechanical advantage. Compound bows let you hold more draw weight with less effort at full draw, making them popular for hunting.
Back tension refers to actively engaging your back muscles to hold the bow at full draw and execute a clean release. Instead of relying on your arm and hand to release the string, you use your shoulder blades to create the motion. It's considered one of the most important techniques for consistent accuracy.
Final Thoughts
Knowing the proper archery terminology makes it much easier to follow instructions, communicate with other archers, and understand equipment specifications. Bookmark this glossary and refer back to it whenever you come across an unfamiliar term.
The more comfortable you're with the language, the faster you'll progress in the sport.
