Anatomy Of A Bow And Arrow
Parts of a Bow
Let’s start with the anatomy of a bow, which includes four basic parts.The Riser
The riser is the centre piece of the bow that the upper and lower limb attach to. This can be made of a composite or wood and has three main features: the grip, sight window and arrow rest. The grip is the curved portion of the riser that is made for your hand to “grip”. Different sizes of risers will have differing grip sizes, so make sure you feel the grip before you purchase the bow. The sight window is the cutout just above the grip. This cutout is the area that you should generally be looking through when aiming your bow. Most bows only have one sight window, but some bows have a sight window on either side of the riser. The arrow rest usually attaches inside the sight window and allows the arrow to sit suspended and freely clear the bow when fired. Arrow rests can be built as part of the riser, or a separate piece that can be attached.Limbs
The two limbs that attach to the riser are the upper and lower limb. These limbs are not interchangeable and must be attached to the proper end of the riser to function properly. Limbs can be made of several different types of materials including wood, composites or metals. They are also generally laminated with fiberglass or similar materials.String Nock
At the tip of each limb is a groove called the string nock. This groove is cut into the limb to allow each end of the bow string to loop around and attach to the bow.String
The bow string attaches to each end of the limbs by a small loop and can be made of various materials. To keep bow strings in good condition, they are rubbed using a silicone based wax. The two main parts to a bow string are the center serving and the nocking point. The center serving is typically a type of thread that is wrapped around the middle point of a bow string. This wrapping allows for increased durability in the area where the arrow will be nocked. The nocking point is a point on the string that indicates where an arrow should be nocked. It's generally made of brass or similar materials and crimpled onto the string. Arrows should be nocked directly below the nocking point.Parts of an Arrow
Now that you've learned about your bow, let’s look at the four basic parts of an arrow.