Archery Glossary

Glossary

This archery glossary is still very much a work in progress.
Please feel free to send additions or corrections to Secretary

Arrow Rest

A shelf on the side of the bow which supports the arrow.

 

Barebow

A bow (primarily a recurve bow) shot with no sights or other aiming devices and no stablisers.

 

Bracer/Arm-Guard

A guard made of leather or other firm material which is worn on the forearm of the bow hand to protect it from the string after the loose.

 

Chest Guard

Protective clothing used to prevent the string catching on the archer’s clothes or body.

 

Clicker

A device, usually a thin strip of metal, which is fitted to the side of a bow and one end of which rests against the arrow. As the point of the arrow comes past the clicker, the metal is released to strike the edge of the bow with a sharp ‘click’. This is the moment for the archer to loose.

 

Compound Bow

Bows where a system of cams and pullies are used to produce a bow with a high peak draw weight but a much lower weight at full draw.

 

Fletchings

The feathers or coloured plastic “wings” attached towards the rear of an arrow which stablise the arrow in flight.

 

Limbs

The “arms” of the bow which fit into the riser and give the bow its power.

 

Longbow

A traditional wooden bow where the strung bow forms a D-shape i.e. with the string only touching the bow at the tips.

 

Nocks

The slots in the tips of a bow, made to take the string, also the slot in the end of the arrow. To ‘nock’ an arrow is to place it on the string.

 

Pressure Button

A pressure or Berger button is a spring-loaded plunger button that is used to absorb some of the sideways force of the arrow after release.

 

Quiver

A case or tube for holding arrows and other archer’s accessories, generally worn at the waist attached to a belt.

 

Recurve Bow

Any bow where the tips of the limbs curve away from the archer so that the string touches a section of the limb when the bow is strung.

 

Release/Loose

Letting go of the string to send the arrow toward the target. Sounds simple..and is probably the most difficult part of archery!

 

Riser

The centre section or handle of the bow into which the limbs are fitted.