A Talk on Bow and Arrow Anatomy

My name is ______________________, I am ____ years old, and this is my _______ th year in 4H.

In this talk I will describe the anatomy of the bow.

In archery we need a strong and flexible bow to shoot an arrow.
The bow consists of:
     a handle
     an upper limb,
     and a lower limb.
The  handle is a thick part of the bow in the middle, which is usually held by the left hand.
The handle has a throat, a side cut into the bow on the left side, that contains an arrow rest.
The limbs are tapered, and thinner toward the ends, so that they bend more near the ends.
The side of the bow that we see when we hold it is called the face.
The side we cannot see is called the back.

In long bows the limbs are straight. 
In recurve bows the limbs are bent toward the back, 
and the recurve ends help to throw the arrow when the arrow is shot.
In wood arrows the limbs are usually laminated with a hard wood on the face
which helps to make the bow strong,
and a softer wood on the back, which helps to keep the bow from splitting.
Each limb has a narrow place, or nock, at the end for attaching the bowstring.
 
A bowstring connects the ends of the bow.
The bowstring has a loop at each end which is attached to the nocks at the ends of the limbs.
The bowstring is made by winding a long cord many times
between two fixed points. Then the ends are joined in a knot.
Three servings, or wraps, cover the ends of the bowstring, the loopes, and the middle of the bowstring
where the arrow nock is attached before shooting. The servings help to prevent wear and tear of the bowstring.

The bowstring is shorter than the bow.
When the bow is strung, the bow is bent slightly and the bowstring is a distance from the handle.
This distance is called the brace height. The brace height must not be too small, or the bowstring
would strike the arm of the shooter, and should not be too large, or the bow becomes weaker.

The arrow is a shaft of wood or fiberglass, usually round, with feathers at one end, and a point at the other.
The shafts of different arrows have a painted section to identify the arrow as belonging to its shooter.
The feathers are called the fletching and help the arrow move point-first in flight.
The point is usally weighted and pointed to help the arrow move to and stick into the target.
The end next to the feathers has an opening, called a nock, to attach to the bowstring.

This is the end of my talk on the anatomy of the bow and arrow.

Are there any questions ?