Consistency is key in archery, and the nocking point helps achieve that. The nocking point secures your arrow to the bowstring as you draw and shoot, thus letting your arrow fly straight and true.
A nocking point is needed for every new bowstring where your arrow nock fits snuggly beneath the lone nocking point, though you can have two nocking points, where one sits above and one sits below your nock, so your arrow stays in place during the shot.
Nocking points can be tied or clamped onto the bowstring, and the choice is personal. For your knocking point, install a marker, and you’re ready to shoot. It may appear challenging to do this manually, yet you can find here how to find and set your nock point placement.
By the end, you’ll learn how to use a bow square to set your knock point and find the answer to what do you call the process of adjusting the nocking point? Before long, you’ll be able to set your knocking point position.
You’ll quickly shoot arrows consistently straight at the local archery club using traditional bows or to accurately hit your game when hunting from a tree stand. (Learn How Long Can You Leave A Crossbow Drawn)
How Do You Position a Nocking Point?
The most useful starting point to work with would be to place a brass marker 1/8 inches above your bow rest. The point of an arrow is positioned below the markers. When placing your initial brass nocking points mark, place brass roundels at the beginning position.
There are specific locations for your nocking point position based on the type of bow. An Olympic recurve bow could be set differently than on a compound bow or longbow. So, it is easy to think they can go anywhere.
Luckily, it is easy to locate the nocking point on your bowstring.
Take an arrow with a bare shaft or unfletched arrow. Many archers think a fletched arrow will fly better, and they are right. Although there are limits, and up to that point, a bare shaft arrow services this purpose far better.
The reason is that when you use a fletched arrow, you have more variables to cause errors. Unfletched arrows offer a chance to locate the nocking point better, and with a more precise location, you can shoot arrows better. (Find the Best Cross Bow Scope)
Here’s a few tips on finding the nocking point.
- Those who thumb draw should place the nocking point above the arrow, while those who draw with their fingers should place it below.
- Using an arrow rest makes finding a beginning point much easier. If you don’t use a rest, you’ll need to use your eyes to find the nock height on the bowstring where the shaft rests on your hand.
- Starting with a high nocking point is always a good idea. If you fire an arrow too low, it bounces off the arrow rest or your hand, thus it appears too high.
How Do You Set The Nocking Point On A Compound Bow?
Setting the nocking point on your string about half an inch above the level of your arrow rest or shelf is excellent. This is where the top marker will go if you’re making two for your nocking point.
The best way to determine this is to use a bracing height gauge, which will measure a perfect 90-degree angle between your string and your riser. As your arrow follows the most direct path to the target, you’ll be able to shoot consistently.
If you don’t have a brace height gauge, don’t panic; an arrow shaft or a ruler and a set square will yield identical results.
Position the ruler or arrow shaft on your arrow rest or shelf and place your bow on a flat surface. Make sure the set square is stretched at a 90-degree right angle from your riser to your bowstring. Mark that point with your finger, then measure 0.5 inches up from that point using your ruler.
This could be a suitable nocking point for your bow but keep an eye on how your arrows fly and whether or not they appear to be snagging anything when they disengage from the string.
If this occurs, you might need to make a minor modification. Because nocking points aren’t permanent, archers can make a few adjustments until you’re completely satisfied with the position of your nocking points.
How Do You Use Easton Bow Square?
If the nocking points are made of brass, they can be tied on with serving string or clamped on. Both methods are effective. It is entirely up to you to make your decision. How to tie nocking points is covered in this article.
Nocking points can be tied in a variety of ways, each with its own set of advantages. We’ll go over how to tie a nocking point that’s adjustable and secured in place with a dab of super glue.
Adjustable nocking points allow the string to spin up and down. When putting up a new bow, this function is useful since it allows you to nock high and then tune without having to retie the nocking point.
Besides this, a quick rule is that a shaft length should be draw length plus 1.5 inches. You can go longer, yet not shorter.
What You’ll Need
- Serving thread (some people use dental floss)
- Lighter
- Super glue
- Bow square (Archery T-Square)
1. First Knocking Point Height
- Clip the bow square onto the bowstring after cutting 2 feet of serving cloth.
- Slide the bow square across the arrow rest until it barely touches it. To designate a good starting point, tie a single overhand knot.
- Unless you’re shooting a drop-away rest, start your nocking point a half-inch high for barebow archers. Start your nocking point 1/8 inch high in this scenario.
- Olympic recurve and conventional archers should start with a 3/8-inch nocking point.
2. Tie An Alternating Overhand Knot (Double)
- On the other side of the serving from your single overhand knot, tie a double overhand knot.
- On the opposite side of the double overhand knot you just tied, tie a double overhand knot.
- Alternate between the two sides of the bowstring until you’ve tied six double overhand knots on each side.
3. Complete Your Nocking Point
- To attach your serving material, tie a single overhand knot and another single overhand knot on top of it.
- Cut away any leftover material and use a lighter to melt the little tag ends.
4. Tie Your Bottom Nocking Point
- Attach your arrow or merely the nock to the string with a clip. Make sure your nocking point is firmly against the nock.
- On your length of thread, tie a single overhand knot about 1/16 inch below the nock. Nock pinch is avoided because to the small gap. Continue tying the nocking point as previously stated.
- You can carry on fine tuning your tied nocking point or leave it at the advised starting point.
- Once you’ve found your personal preference of nock height, use a drop of superglue to keep it in place.
Note: If you’re using a traditional bow without an arrow shelf, you’ll need to eyeball the spot on the string where the shaft lies horizontally between the string and your bow hand. (Read Can A Felon Own A Crossbow)
When Nocking An Arrow Does It Go Above Or Below The Nocking Point?
Mark the location of the nocking point on your bowstring with one or two markers. On a bowstring, you’ll almost always see two nocking points. One will go above and one will go below the nock of your arrow. For target archery, a bow with only one nocking point is less prevalent; it’s more common in disciplines like horseback archery, where the ease of nocking the arrow takes precedence over total precision.
You can use two different sorts of nocking points to mark your bowstring.
Brass Nocking Points
Brass nocking points are straightforward to install. They are brass rings with silicone inside to help them to grip your bowstring and not cause damage.
Before they have been fitted, the rings are supplied open, so when you get them, they will be ‘C ‘ shaped.
Once you use your bow square to find the correct brass nocking point on your string, you simply place the open part of the ‘C’ around the string then slide it into place.
Once you are happy with the position, you will use a special pair of pliers to crimp the brass ring to the brass nocking point and close the gap.
Remember, this brass nocking point adds extra weight to your string and affects your shooting.
Olympic archers use the second type of nocking point; string nocking points.
Brass nocking points are simple to set up. They’re simply brass rings with silicone inside to help them grab your bowstring without damaging it. The rings are delivered open before being installed, so they will be in a ‘C’ shape when you receive them.
Simply place the open part of the ‘C’ around the string and slide it into place after using your bow square to determine the correct brass nocking point on your string. Once you’re satisfied with the setting, crimp the brass ring to the brass nocking point and close the gap with a special pair of pliers.
Remember that the brass nocking point increases weight to your string and impacts your shooting. (Read Barnett Quad 400 Review)
String nocking points are the second type of nocking point used by Olympic archers.
String Nocking Points
You probably already have all you need to tie a string knocking point around the house. You’ll also need some thread, scissors, and a lighter or matches.
You’ll also need an unmelted stick of glue-gun glue and some super glue if you want to perform a really fantastic job. These last two items are completely optional, but they will help you get a more professional and long-lasting result.
Here is how to tie a string nocking point.
Using a brace height gauge or a set square and ruler, determine your nocking point.
Take a half-inch measurement up from that point. This is where your initial nocking point will be tied.
Take around 1 meter of thread and measure it out.
Run the thread between your thumb, fingers and the unmelted glue gun glue stick as a first optional step to pick up some glue residue. This stiffens the thread a little bit, and it will be used again later.
Cut the thread in half and save one part for a later.
Make the first knot in the middle of your thread around your bowstring to set a nocking point you’ve chosen, ensuring that each end is about the same length.
Continue to tie 5 or 6 basic knots in a row along your bowstring in an upward direction next to your original knot. Alternate the knots such that one is above the bowstring and the next is below.
Return in the opposite manner, tying a new level of knots on top of the previous row, alternating one on top of the string with the next below, and so on.
Stop making additional knots when you reach the initial knot again, and cut the ends of your thread to around 1/2 inch in length.
Burn the ends of the thread with a lighter or a match. Take extra precautions to avoid damaging your bowstring.
If you opted to complete the first optional step, this will also melt the glue stick residue, which will serve to fix the nocking point in place.
Once you’re satisfied with the fist correct nocking point or points, fix them with a drop of superglue or something similar.
If you choose to do this, carefully squeeze a drop or two of glue onto the nocking point you just tied, allowing the thread to absorb it. After a thorough drying period, you can securely fire your bow! (Read Deer Hunting With a Recurve Bow Guide)
If you only need one nocking point, you can stop here. You’ll need to repeat the instructions above for the second nock point if you want two nocking points.
