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Arrow Spine
The clicker is a piece of metal which is attached to the riser of a recurve bow. The clicker position is adjusted for the archer, and the arrow is placed under the clicker. You set the clicker so that it will slip off the arrow and click against the riser when you are ready to shoot. This acts to let you know you are at the same draw length each time you shoot.
Clicker
Every arrow has a ‘spine’ rating which simply tells you how stiff the arrow is. Technically, the ‘spine’ number is the amount the arrow bends (in thousandths of an inch) when a weight is hung from the centre of the arrow whilst it is suspended by two posts a set distance apart. For Easton arrows this is measured with a 29″ arrow supported by two posts 28″ apart. The weight used is 880grams. You can read more about how to measure arrow spine on Easton’s website.
Fletch
A ‘fletch’ is the modern term for the steering ‘feathers’ which are placed near the rear of the arrow. Historically, fletches (or fletchings) were made from feathers. Now, they are normally made from plastic. Fletches can also be called ‘vanes’. Most recurve archers use curled vanes which are applied with double sided tape, whereas compound archers typically use straight vanes that are applied with glue.
Grip
The grip is the removable part of the riser (or handle) where your bow hand contacts. It’s important to have a grip that suits your hand shape and encourages the correct bow hand positioning. Grips can come in various shapes and sizes, and most commonly are made from plastic, rubber and wood.
Handle
The recurve bow is made of two parts. A solid ‘handle’ or ‘riser’ and bendable ‘limbs’. The handle is the central part of the bow that the limbs slot into. The archer touches the handle with their bow hand whilst drawing the string with the draw hand. Typically modern handles are made from metal (normally aluminium), carbon or both.
Limbs
The limbs are the part of the bow which bend as the archer draws the string back. They store the potential energy of the bow until the archer releases. The limbs slot into either end of the riser. The poundage of the limbs and the length of the limbs can be chosen to suit the archer. An archer with a longer draw length requires a longer limb. The poundage of the limbs are specific to the archers strength and skill.
Nock
This is the component which is placed on the rear of the arrow shaft to allow you to place the arrow securely and safely onto the string string. Normally the nock is made from plastic. Nocks are consumables and have to be replaced if they are damaged or broken.
Nocking Point
The nocking point is a physical locator on the bow string that allows the archer to put the arrow in the same place on the string each time. The nocking point is normally two small portions of thread that are ‘served’ onto the centre serving with a gap inbetween them for the arrow to sit. The position of the nocking point dramatically affects the tuning of the bow and the grouping you can achieve.
Over-bowed
This is a common term used to describe someone who is not strong enough for the bow they are using. This could be in terms of the draw weight of the bow, or the mass weight of the bow. Often when an archer is over-bowed it is due to both too much mass weight and too much draw weight. The only solution to this is to lower the weight of the bow and work to become stronger.
Poundage
This is a measure of how much force is required to draw a bow back to a particular point. It is normally measured in pounds (lbs), hence the term poundage. This is also called ‘draw-weight’.
Poundage differs depending on draw length and the specified poundage of the limbs. A limb which is marked at 40lbs is measured at this poundage using a draw of 28″. If you draw further than 28″ the poundage will be heavier. If you draw less than 28″ the poundage will be lighter.
Shaft (arrow)
This is a common term used to denote ONLY the tube of the arrow. This is normally made from aluminium, carbon or a combination of both. This excludes the arrow point, fletches and nock.
Serving
This is a length of thread which is wound around the bow string in various places, to provide protection and keep the string together. On a recurve bow the end loops of the string are normally served as well as the centre portion being served. The serving is made from a thread which archers then call ‘serving material’.