Aim – the placement of a sight pin on the center of the target; if a sight is not used, placement of the tip of the arrow on a specific point while shooting at a target over a given distance

Anchor – A fixed position against the body to which the draw hand is brought, string in hand.

Arm Guard – a piece of leather or plastic placed on the inside of the bow arm to protect it from a slap of the bowstring upon release

Arrow Rest – a projection from the bow window, above the arrow shelf, upon which the arrow lies when drawn

Arrow Shelf – a horizontal projection at the bottom of the bow window upon which the arrow can lie in the absence of an arrow rest

Back – the side of the bow limbs away from the archer at full draw

Barebow – shooting with no form of bowsight or aiming aid

Bow Hand – the hand/arm that holds the bow

Bow Sling – a strap attached to the bow through which the archer slips the bow hand, thereby preventing the bow from being dropped upon release

Bowstring – the string on the bow, usually made of Dacron or Kevlar

Bow Window – the recessed area above the grip; sight window

Brace Height – the distance between the bow, measured at the pivot point, and string when the bow is strung; string height

Butt – a backstop for arrows made of grasses, straw, cardboard, foam or fiber

Cant – to tilt the bow to the right or left; as indicated by the top limb tip, at full draw

Chest Protector – a piece of nylon netting or vinyl worn over clothing to prevent the bowstring from catching

Clicker – a device attached to the bow that indicates by sound that the arrow has been drawn to a desired distance to release

Cock Feather – the feather mounted at a right angle to the nock, often a distinct color; index feather

Compound Bow – a bow using a cable system attached to eccentric pulleys mounted at the limb tips, producing peak resistance at mid-draw, then dropping off to hold weight less than the draw weight

Creeping – allowing the draw hand to move forward immediately before or during release

Crest – markings on the arrow shaft to designate a particular set of arrows, usually colored bands near the fletching

Draw – pulling the bowstring

Draw Length – the distance between the nocking point and the grip of the bow at full draw

Draw Weight – the number of pounds required to draw a bow to ones anchor

End – a specific number of arrows shot before archers go to the target to score and retrieve their arrows

Face – the side of the bow facing the archer at full draw; belly.  Also, the paper on which the target is printed on

Field Archery – a type of competitive archery shot outdoors in a wooded area, with targets of varying distances and sizes; archers walk from target to target

Finger Tab – a piece of leather which the archer slips a finger through to protect the fingers from the string to ensure a smooth release of the bowstring

Fishtailing – the back and forth motion of the nock end of an arrow on its flight to the target

FITA – Federation International de Tir a L’Arc – the organization responsible for conducting world championship contests in archery

Fletching – turkey feathers or plastic vanes mounted on an arrow to stabilize it in flight

Follow-Through – the archer’s position after release of the arrow

Glove – a leather covering that slips over the draw finger tips and attaches to the wrist to protect the fingers and allow a smooth release; alternative to finger tab

Ground Quiver – an arrow holder that sits on the ground; some also hold bows

Handle Riser – the middle section of the bow

Hen Feathers – the two feathers at oblique angles to the nock slit

Hit – an arrow that embeds itself within one of the scoring areas on the target

Let-Down – a return to the ready position without releasing the bowstring

Limbs – the energy-storing parts of a bow above and below the handle riser

NAA – National Archery Association (target archery)

NFAA – National Field Archery Association (originally established for hunters)

Nock – the removable piece on the end of an arrow with a slit for the bowstring

Nocking Point – the location on the bowstring where the arrow is placed; horizontal to the arrow rest.

Olympic Bow – the recurve bow equipped for target archery competition as required by FITA and NAA rules and regulations

Overbowed – the act of drawing a bow that has a weight out of proportion to the archer’s strength

Overdraw – to draw an arrow so that the point of the arrow passes the face of the bow or drawing beyond the anchor

Pass Through – an arrow that penetrates completely through the target

Perfect End – an end in which all arrows land in the highest scoring area (60 points for 6 arrow ends)

Petticoat – the perimeter of the target face outside the scoring area

Point – tip of arrow

Point of Aim – an technique of aiming whereby the archer uses a mark unattached to the bow and usually placed on the ground as an alignment point

Quiver – a holder for arrow that may be worn, placed on the ground or mounted on the bow when hunting

Range – the place where archery shooting takes place

Rebound – an arrow that hits the target and bounces back toward the archer; bounce out

Recurve Bow – a bow with limbs that deflect toward the back of the bow to increase leverage when the bow is strung.  The recurve is also known as the Olympic Bow

Release – letting go of the bowstring

Serving – a heavy thread wrapped around the bowstring at its center and on the loops to protect the string and add strength

Shaft – the body of the arrow

Shooting Line – a marked line parallel to the targets from which archers shoot

Sight – any device mounted on the bow that allows the archer to aim directly at the target

Stabilizer – a rod-weight assembly mounted on the bow to help eliminate torque of the bow around its long axis upon release

Stance – the foot position taken to address the target

String Fingers – the fingers that hold the bow string in shooting the bow

Tackle – the archer’s equipment

Vane – a plastic fletching that is more durable than feathers