Parts of a bow

Here are the common parts on a bow.

Grip: The grip allows the hunter to hold the bow in a vertical position while shooting. For bows with a wrist strap, the proper way to grip is with a relaxed handgrip. For other types of bows, the fingertips are curled, resting lightly on the front of the grip. The force of the bow, at full draw, pulls the grip into the palm of the archer’s hand. If the archer grips the bow too tightly, it tends to throw the arrow off target.

Limbs: The limbs form the upper and lower part of the bow that bends when the string is drawn back. The limbs store the energy when the bow is held at full draw. Never release a bowstring without an arrow nocked in place. This is called ‘dry firing’ a bow. Doing so can cause serious damage to the bow and/or injury to the shooter and bystanders.

String groove: The string groove is found on the limb tip of longbows and recurve bows. The groove keeps the bowstring in place.