Terminology Guide

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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

A

Arrow - A projectile with a straight thin shaft, an arrowhead on one end and stabilizing vanes on the other; intended to be shot from a bow.

Anchor point - Consistent position of drawing hand when the bow is at full draw.

Archer - A person who practises archery.

Arrow plate - Protection, just above the bow handle, where the arrow passes.

Arrow shelf - Flat, horizontal area cut into the bow just above the bow handle.

Archers paradox - Flexing of the arrow as it passes the bow

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B

Back of the bow - Face of the bow on the opposite side to the string.

Barebow - A class of shooting where sights are not permitted.

Belly of the bow - Face of the bow on the same side as the string.

Best gold - Award given to the archer in a competition who’s arrow is nearest the centre of the gold.

Blunt - Flat headed pile used in 'popinjay' shooting

Boss - Name for the target

Bouncer - An arrow that hits the target and rebounds from it.

Bow arm - The arm attached to the bow hand.

Bow hand - The hand in which the bow is held

Bowman - Third highest classification of GNAS

Bow sling - A strap which stops the bow jumping from the hand on release.

Bow string - A series of twisted fibres connecting the ends of the limbs to enable the firing of arrows.

Bracer shield/bracer - also known as an arm guard, protects the forearm of the bow arm from contact with the string.

Bracing height - Distance between the string and a specified point on the bow (usually the throat of the handle)

Bullseye - The very centre of a target.

Butt - A target or boss, originally a mound of earth to shoot at.

Button - An adjustable spring loaded contact for the arrow above the rest.

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C

Centre shot - The position of the arrow when it is on the arrow rest and perpendicular to the string and the centre line of the bow.

Clicker - An audible indicator fixed to the bow to assist with a consistent arrow draw length.

Clout shooting - Competition where archers shoot at a flag (Clout) on the ground, up to 180 yards.

Composite bow - A bow with limbs laminated from several materials.

Compound - A class of shooting where high tech compound bows are used.

Compound bow - A bow with eccentric wheels/cams on the ends of the limbs for cables.

Compound gold - See 'Inner ring'.

Creeping - Allowing the arrow to move forward from full draw prior to loose.

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D

Danage - A type of boss made of dense foam, can be shot indoors and outdoors.

Dark Side (The) - See 'Compound'.

Dominant eye - The stronger eye, usually the aiming eye.

Draw - To pull or draw the bow string.

Draw force line - A straight line from the bow hand pressure point (on the bow), through the fingers, forearm and elbow of the drawing arm.

Draw length - The length of arrow draw by an individual archer.

Draw weight - The force required to pull a bow to full draw length, measured in pounds.

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E

End - The number of arrows shot before scoring and retrieving, usually 3 or 6.

Equipment line - The line behind which all equipment must be placed and only archers who are shooting may cross.

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F

Fast - A warning shout to stop shooting in an emergency.

Field archery - Shooting at targets at an unmarked distance in a field.

Field Captain - Person controlling the shooting.

Finger tab - A small leather or synthetic patch that protects an archer's fingers from the bowstring.

F.I.T.A. - Federation Internationale de Tir a l'Arc, Archerys international governing body. The name is also used for a number of specific shooting Rounds.

FITA star - A tournament where archers can gain awards (stars) for specified scores.

Fletching - The flights fixed to the arrow, usually made from feather or from various types of plastic.

Flight shooting - Shooting for the longest distance.

Follow through - The movements which take place in the archer and equipment immediately following the loose.

Foot markers - Small discs used to mark an archer's foot positions on the shooting line.

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G

Glove - Protective equipment for an archer's fingers.

GMB - Grand Master Bowman, the highest GNAS classification.

GNAM - Grand National Archery Meeting, premier tournament since 1844.

G.N.A.S. - Grand National Archery Society, archerys national governing body in the UK.

Gold - The highest scoring zone of a target face, typically 9 or 10 points.

Gonfalon - Banner of a club, county or group of archers.

Grip - The part of the bow held in the bow hand.

Group - The area covered by an archer's arrows in the target face.

Grouping - Having arrows land within an area of the target face.

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H

Hanger - An arrow that does not penetrate the boss, but hangs down the face of the target.

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I

Indoor archery - The practise of archery indoors, usually during winter or when the weather does not permit outdoor sessions.

Inner ring - The innermost zone of a target face, used by compound archers as the gold and to determine a winner in a tie-break.

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J

Judge - During competition, an official who has the authority to modify errors on scoresheets and to declare the score of a contested arrow.

Judge call - To call for the assistance of a Judge during competition.

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K

Kisser - A small disc or device fitted to the string and drawn to the lips as a draw length check.

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L

Lady Paramount - Traditionally appointed to preside at tournaments and to present awards.

Limb savers - Devices affixed to the limbs of a bow to reduce the vibration in the limbs after a shot.

Line cutter - An arrow that strike the target face on the boundary between two scoring zones.

Long Bow - A traditional bow about 6ft in length and, as with barebow, no attachments are allowed.

Longrod - A stabilising device screwed into the back of the bow to stabilise the bow after release.

Loose - The action of releasing the bow string when shooting.

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M

MB - Master Bowman, second highest GNAS Classification.

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N

Nock (1) - The slot on the fletched end of the arrow used to position the arrow on the bow string.

Nock (2) - The grooves at the end of the bow limbs into which the string sits.

Nock (3) - The act of setting an arrow onto the string.

Nocking point - The place on the bow string where the arrow is placed.

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P

Petticoat - The outer edge of the target for which there is no score.

Pile - The metal point of an arrow.

Pinching - Gripping the nock of the arrow between the fingers.

Pin-Hole - The exact centre of the target face, usually marked with a cross.

Popinjay - Shooting at artificial birds on perches on top of a 90 foot mast.

Pressure Button - See 'Button'.

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Q

Quiver - A container for arrows or crossbow bolts.

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R

Release - See 'Loose'.

Release aid - Device used with a compound bow acting as a trigger to release the string.

Rest - A device to hold an arrow against the handle until it is fired.

Riser - Rigid centre section of a bow to which the limbs are attached.

Round - Formal standard number of arrows shot at one or more distances in competitions.

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S

Serving - Thread wound around the bow string at nocking point, and the loops.

Serving tool - Device used to apply serving to the bow string.

Shaft - The body of an arrow to which other components are attached.

Shooting glove -See 'Glove'.

Shooting line - The line which archers stand astride whilst shooting.

Sighters - The arrows allowed at the start of a shoot to enable sight adjustments.

Sightmarks - The positions of the sight pin at certain distances, recorded to make it easier to change between distances without sighters.

Spin wings - A curved type of plastic fletching.

Spine - The measure of an arrows flexibility.

Stabilisers - Rods and weights fitted to a bow to reduce bow movement.

Stacking - Steep increase in bow draw weight at or near the end of the draw.

Stand - A device to keep the bow off the ground whilst not shooting.

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T

Tab - See 'Finger tab'.

Target Captain - Person in charge of archers on a target, especially when scoring.

Target face - Paper or fabric coloured target with scoring areas, fixed to a the front of a boss.

Target stand - The support for the boss or target.

Torque - A turning force applied to the bow at full draw.

Trajectory - The flight path of an arrow.

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V

Vane - Another name for plastic fletchings.

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W

Waiting line - A line behind (usually 5m) the shooting line where archers wait to shoot and retire behind after shooting an end.

Wax - Used to seal a bow string and bind the strands together.

Worst white - Award given to the archer whose arrow hits the outermost scoring area of the target.

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X

X-ring - See 'Inner ring'.