Archery knots — the half hitch, the Prusik, and everything that keeps your setup together

A compound bow is held together with cord, thread, string, and loops tied at specific locations under load. The factory gets most of it right. But the moment you install a D-loop, tie a nocking point, set a peep, or attach an accessory cord, you're tying knots — and most archers have no framework for what they're doing or why it holds. This article gives you that framework.

The knots here fall into two categories: foundation knots that appear in almost everything else, and application knots that solve specific archery problems. Learn the foundation ones first. The applications build on them.

The half hitch — the building block

Almost every knot used in archery contains a half hitch somewhere. It is the simplest load-bearing loop a cord can make around another object, and it is the building block for nocking points, D-loops, peep ties, and serving finishes. You cannot effectively learn any other archery knot without this one.

How to tie it:

1. Hold the standing line (the cord being tied to) in one hand.
2. Pass the working end of your cord around the standing line — over, around, and back toward you.
3. Pass the working end through the loop you just formed.
4. Pull the working end to set. The knot will slide until it jams against whatever is stopping it.

One half hitch alone will slip under sustained load. Two half hitches in sequence — tie the first, then tie a second one directly in front of it — creates a secure, locked finish that is used to complete nocking points, D-loop ends, serving ties, and most other archery applications. The second half hitch locks the first from sliding back.

The Prusik knot — for rest cords and accessories

The Prusik is a friction hitch. Unlike a half hitch, which grips by tightening around a post, a Prusik grips by wrapping multiple times through its own loop — which means it can slide when pushed by hand, but locks solid under load from the ends. That combination makes it uniquely useful in archery for securing rest cords to limbs, limb savers, and any accessory where you want adjustability without losing your setting the moment the bow fires.

How to tie it (using a short cord loop):

1. Cut about 10–14 inches of cord and tie the ends together with an overhand knot to form a loop. Or use a pre-formed loop. The loop should be about 4–6 inches in circumference when flat.
2. Place the loop against the main line (limb, string, or rod) so that one side of the loop — the bight — is facing you.
3. Reach through the bight and pull the far side of the loop back through it. This forms the first wrap around the main line, passing through the bight.
4. Reach through the bight again and pull the far side back through — second wrap.
5. Repeat for a third wrap. Three wraps is the minimum for reliable grip; four adds security on smoother surfaces.
6. Dress the wraps so they lie flat and parallel — stacked neatly side by side. A Prusik that is twisted or crossed in its wraps will not grip evenly.
7. Pull the tails (or run the rest cord through them) and the knot sets against the main line.

To adjust: Push the wrapped section along the main line with your thumb and forefinger, using a rolling motion. It will slide freely. Release the cord and allow load to re-tension. It grips again immediately.

D-loop installation

A D-loop is two half hitches separated by a loop — nothing more than that. What makes the installation critical is that the knots must seat cleanly against the string, the loop must be centered on the nocking point, and the tag ends must be melted before they can work loose. Get those three things right and the loop will outlast the string it's tied to.

How to install it:

1. Cut approximately 3.5 to 4 inches of D-loop cord. Too short and the loop will pinch the nock; too long and the draw length effectively lengthens.
2. Find the correct nocking point location on the string. The D-loop knots will sit above and below this point — one knot approximately ¼ to ⅜ inch above, one the same distance below.
3. Pass one end of the cord through the string from the archer's side (the side facing you at full draw), at the upper position. Pull through, leaving a ¾-inch tag end on the back side of the string.
4. With the tag end now behind the string, tie a half hitch around the outer strand(s) of the bowstring — not punching all the way through again, just wrapping around and through the small loop formed. Snug it against the string.
5. Trim the tag end close to the knot, then melt carefully with a lighter. Hold the flame near but not on the cord until the end balls up, then press it flat with the back of the lighter. Let it set.
6. Repeat steps 3–5 on the other end of the D-loop cord at the lower position, forming the lower knot. The loop of cord between the two knots should arch out to the archer's side of the string.
7. With both knots set, pull the loop firmly several times against the string to seat the knots. Then nock an arrow and dry-fire tension the loop (do not release the string) a few times to let everything settle before shooting.

The loop length between the two knots determines how open the loop is. A loop that is too tight will bind the nock and affect release consistency. A correctly sized loop allows the nock to seat fully with minimal side pressure from the loop cord.

Tied nocking points

A tied nocking point — made from dental floss, serving thread, or similar — is more field-repairable than a brass crimp and doesn't require a tool to install or adjust. It also doesn't create a hard edge that can cut into a bowstring the way an improperly installed brass nock can.

How to tie one:

1. Cut 18–24 inches of dental floss (unwaxed) or serving thread.
2. Find your nocking point location. If using a D-loop, the tied nocking point is usually placed above the loop, on the serving, to give the nock a positive upward stop.
3. Center the thread against the string at the desired location, holding both ends together.
4. Wrap both ends in the same direction around the string, building up 8 to 12 tight wraps. Each wrap should lay snug against the last — no gaps, no crossing.
5. When the nocking point feels like a firm bump (run your fingernail across it — you should feel a definite step), finish with two half hitches. Tie the first half hitch around the built-up wraps, pull to tighten, then tie the second directly in front of the first and pull again.
6. Trim the tag ends close and add a small drop of thin super glue to lock the finish. Let it cure fully before shooting.

A properly tied nocking point should not move under normal shooting. If it walks up or down the string over a season, either the wraps were too loose or too few. Twelve wraps of dental floss, finished with two tight half hitches and sealed, will hold for the life of the string.

Peep sight securing

A peep that is served in at the factory or by a pro shop is held by wrapping serving thread above and below it until the housing can't escape. When the serving wears or the peep needs to move, a simple retie holds it in position while the serving is repaired or the string is replaced.

Temporary peep tie (field fix):

1. Cut about 12 inches of dental floss or light thread.
2. With the peep in position (strings untwisted, peep aligned), pass the thread through the small groove or hole in the peep housing if it has one, or simply around the outer edge of the housing.
3. Loop the thread over the string strands above the peep on one side, and below on the other, pulling the peep snug against the string.
4. Tie off with two half hitches. The goal is not permanent retention but enough hold that the peep doesn't rotate between shots until proper re-serving can be done.

Peep positioning after re-serving: A peep that must rotate to align at full draw means the string's twist count is wrong — either too many or too few twists for the cam geometry. Adding or removing half-twists in the string changes the rotation index of the strands at the peep location. Securing the peep correctly is downstream of getting the twist count right.

Serving starts and finishes

Serving is wound thread applied over a bowstring to protect it at contact points: center serving at the nocking area, end servings at the string loops, and any section that contacts a cable slide, cable guard, or accessory. Starting and finishing serving correctly keeps it from unraveling under repeated load.

Starting a serving:

1. Lay the tag end of the serving thread along the string in the direction you intend to serve, extending several inches past your start point.
2. Begin wrapping the thread over the string and over the tag end simultaneously — you're trapping the tag end under the first several wraps of serving. Do this for 8 to 12 wraps.
3. After the tag is trapped securely, continue serving normally. Trim the tag end flush once it's locked in — there is no knot; the wraps hold it.

Finishing a serving:

1. When you reach the end of the serving run, leave yourself 6 inches of thread to work with.
2. Form a loop with the remaining thread and lay it back along the serving, pointing toward where you came from — back along the last 6–8 wraps you just laid down.
3. Continue winding over this loop for 6 more wraps, trapping the loop under them.
4. Pass the thread end through the now-exposed loop end. Pull the loop's tag end in the opposite direction — this draws the loop (and the thread now through it) under the last 6 wraps, locking the finish in place.
5. Trim both tag ends flush. No knot is needed; the wraps lock the thread mechanically.

A serving that unravels from the end means the finish was not drawn through cleanly, or the thread was trimmed before the lock set fully. Re-start 1 inch before the unravel and re-finish with full attention to drawing the loop through completely before cutting.

Published 2026-09-05  ·  Axial Bowstrings

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