Point Blank Archery Terms Glossary
What do archery terms mean?
The Point Blank Archery Terms Glossary defines bow, arrow, setup, and range terms in plain English. Each entry explains how the term affects fit, tuning, or shooting, then links to related terms, equipment categories, and primary references. Use the alphabetical list to connect a specification to the part it describes.
Reading bow and arrow measurements
- Easton’s Arrow Tuning and Maintenance Guide (Rev. 4, 4/99) describes AMO draw length as the distance from the bottom of the nock groove to the bow-grip pivot point, plus 1¾ inches.
- Easton explains that static arrow spine is measured by how far a shaft deflects under a standard test load in its archery FAQs (accessed 2026).
- The 2026 NIST Handbook 44 gives the exact conversion: one grain is 64.79891 milligrams.
All 46 terms, A to Z
A
Anchor Point
An anchor point is a repeatable place where the drawing hand, string, or release contacts the archer’s face or jaw at full draw.
Arrow Diameter
Arrow diameter is the outside width of the shaft, usually measured across the tube.
Arrow Rest
An arrow rest supports or guides the arrow at the bow while it is drawn and released.
Arrow Shaft
The arrow shaft is the long tube or rod that forms the arrow’s body.
Arrow Spine
Arrow spine describes how stiff an arrow shaft is: how much it resists bending under a load.
B
Bare Shaft
A bare shaft is an arrow shaft without fletching.
Brace Height
Brace height is the distance from the bow's grip pivot point to the string while the bow is strung and at rest.
Broadhead
A broadhead is a sharp hunting point with cutting blades, designed for hunting arrows.
C
Cam
A cam is the rotating, often elliptical wheel mounted at the end of a compound bow's limb that the string and cables run over.
Cant
Cant is the side-to-side tilt of a bow away from vertical during the shot, as opposed to holding it plumb and upright.
Center Shot
The World Archery glossary defines centre shot as a bow designed to let the arrow take a position central to the limbs.
Clicker
A clicker is a thin spring blade or wire mounted on the riser of a target recurve bow, under which the arrow point sits.
Compound Bow
A compound bow uses cams or wheels and cables to change the draw force through the shot cycle.
Creep
Creep is a slight forward movement of the drawing hand and string, letting the draw shorten just before or during release, instead of holding firmly at full draw.
Crossbow
A crossbow holds its bowstring drawn by a latch until a trigger releases it.
Crossbow Bolt
A crossbow bolt is the short projectile designed for a crossbow.
D
D-Loop
A D-loop is a short cord tied to a compound-bow string around the arrow’s nocking point.
Draw Length
Draw length is a bow measurement at full draw, not arrow length.
Draw Weight
Draw weight is the force needed to draw a bow, stated in pounds.
E
End
An end is one sequence of arrows shot before the archer walks forward to score and retrieve them.
F
Field Point
An arrow point that is usually heavier than a target point and with the diameter of the front end smaller than the arrow shaft.
Fletching
Fletching is the feathers or vanes attached near the rear of an arrow.
FOC (Front of Center)
FOC, or front of center, is an arrow's balance point measured forward of the arrow's midpoint and expressed as a percentage of arrow length.
Follow-Through
Follow-through is the act of maintaining form and direction through and immediately after release, rather than relaxing or moving the moment the string is let go.
G
Grains
Grains are units of mass used for arrow points and complete arrow weights.
Grains per Inch (GPI)
Grains per inch (GPI) is the mass of an arrow shaft per inch of its length, usually listed by the shaft manufacturer.
Grams
A gram (g) is a metric unit of mass.
Group
A group is the pattern made by arrows shot toward the same aiming point.
I
Insert
An arrow insert is a threaded fitting installed inside the front of a shaft to accept compatible screw-in points.
K
Kisser Button
A kisser button is a small disc or bead fixed to the bowstring that touches a consistent point on the archer's lips or the corner of the mouth at full draw.
L
N
Nock
A nock is the small, usually plastic, fitting at the rear of an arrow with a slot that snaps onto the bowstring.
Nocking Point
The nocking point is the marked or fixed location on the bowstring where the arrow's nock is placed so that the arrow sits at the same spot for every shot.
P
Paper Tune
A paper tune is a setup check in which an arrow is shot through a sheet of paper from a controlled distance.
Peep Sight
A peep sight is a small ring with an aperture installed between the strands of a compound bow's string at eye level.
Plunger (Button)
A plunger, also called a cushion plunger or Berger button, is a spring-loaded pin that threads through the riser at the arrow rest and contacts the side of the arrow.
R
Range
An archery range is a designated area with a shooting line, targets, a safe direction of fire, and procedures for when archers may shoot or retrieve arrows.
Recurve Bow
A recurve bow has limbs whose tips curve away from the archer when the bow is unstrung.
Release Aid
A release aid is a mechanical device that holds and releases a compound-bow string or D-loop.
Riser
The riser is the rigid central section of a bow that the archer grips and to which the limbs, rest, sight, and other accessories attach.
S
Serving
Serving is the protective wrapping of thread bound tightly around sections of a bowstring or cable, most importantly the center where the arrow nocks and where the fingers or release contact the string.
Stabilizer
A stabilizer is a weighted rod, or system of rods, that mounts to the front and sometimes the sides and rear of the riser to add mass and dampen movement.
String Walking
String walking is a barebow aiming method in which the archer moves the drawing fingers to measured positions below the arrow nock on the string.
T
Tiller
Tiller is the relationship between the upper and lower limbs of a bow, measured as the perpendicular distance from the string to the point where each limb meets the riser.
V
Vane
A vane is a plastic or other synthetic fin attached near the rear of an arrow.