“Gold fever” describes the phenomenon where an archer becomes nervous or tense as soon as they are especially close to the center (“gold”) of the target. Typically, the archer suddenly wants to make the shot perfect. As a result, the movement becomes rushed, the shot is held too long, delayed, or released poorly, and the arrow loses accuracy (no longer lands in the gold).

Gold fever is therefore less of a technical problem and more of a mental one – often caused by pressure, expectations, or focusing too much on the result.

Grain is a unit of weight from the imperial measurement system. In archery, it is mainly used to specify the weight of arrow components.

Typical uses:

• Point weight (e.g. 80 gr, 100 gr, 125 gr)
• Insert weight
• Total arrow weight
• Broadheads

Conversion:

• 100 grains ≈ 6.48 grams
• 1 grain = 0.0648 grams

GPI stands for Grains Per Inch and indicates how much an arrow shaft weighs per inch of length. It therefore describes the base weight of the shaft without the point, nock, or fletchings. A shaft with 8.5 GPI has a shaft weight of 238 grains at a length of 28 inches (8.5 × 28).

Why is GPI important?

• Higher GPI = more mass, often resulting in a smoother, more stable flight
• Determines the total arrow weight
• Influences speed and energy
• Affects FOC and tuning
• Lower GPI = a faster arrow

GPP stands for Grains Per Pound and describes the ratio between the total arrow weight (in grains) and the bow’s draw weight (in pounds). In other words, it shows how many grains of arrow weight correspond to one pound of draw weight.

Example: A bow with a draw weight of 40 lbs and an arrow weighing 400 grains has a GPP ratio of (400 ÷ 40) = 10 GPP.

Why is GPP important?

• It determines how heavily the bow is loaded
• It influences arrow speed
• It is important for safety (an arrow that is too light puts more stress on the bow)
• It is an important value for both traditional and compound bows

Many manufacturers specify a minimum GPP recommendation in order to limit the maximum stress on the riser and limbs.

The grip is the part of the bow that the bow hand directly holds. It is located on the riser (handle section) and largely determines the hand position and pressure point. It is important and is often modified by experienced archers because it determines the position of the bow hand, influences the pressure point, directly affects accuracy and consistency, and, with proper hand placement, prevents bow torque.

Examples of grip styles are a “low grip,” “medium grip,” or “high grip,” which differ in the angle at which the hand is positioned relative to vertical. Depending on the shape, the hand angle changes, and with it the feel of the shot.

Grouping describes how closely several arrows land together on the target – regardless of whether they hit the exact center. Good grouping indicates high consistency, clean technique, and a stable equipment setup. Tight groups play a major role in tuning (often the exact location of the group is secondary during tuning, as long as the arrows group tightly). Important: A tight group does not automatically mean a high score.

You can have a very tight group that lands beside the center – in that case, the technique is good, but the sight or the tuning needs to be adjusted.