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Untangling String Twist Terminology

Your string should have twists in it. But when adding or removing twists, there is a lot of confusion about twist direction terminology. So let's dive deeper. Many people talk about the direction of their string twist being clockwise or counterclockwise. While these directions are pretty straightforward on a clock, the point of view of in relation to the bow adds some ambiguity.

Illustration showing the difference between clockwise and counterclockwise

Scenario A

Scenario A showing a bow string twisted clockwise from the center of the string and another showing the opposite twist direction is counterclockwise from the center of the string.

If I am the archer and I'm standing in the center of my bow with my stabilizer on the ground, I am standing closest to my center serving. From that point of view, clockwise and counterclockwise look like scenario A (pictured).


Scenario B

Scenario B showing a bow string twisted counterclockwise from the end of the string and another showing the opposite twist direction is clockwise from the end of the string.

If I set my bow on a rack and look down it from my limb tip, then clockwise and counterclockwise look like scenario B (pictured).


Opposite Directions

These are actually opposite directions depending upon your perspective. Clockwise from the center of the bow and clockwise from the limb tip looking down the bow are opposite directions. This can definitely cause confusion with the terminology.


S & Z Twists

So clearly we need a better way to talk about twist direction. Thankfully there's no need to reinvent the wheel here because the fiber industry has done that for us. They refer to this as an S twist or a Z twist because the shape of those letters shows the direction of the twist.

Illustration showing the S and Z twist direction with a 2 colored bow string.

Revisit the scenarios

So when we look back at the 2 scenarios described, we see that the twist shown on the left side of the illustrations is always described as a Z twist (no matter the perspective) and the twist shown on the right side is described as an S twist.

Z and S bow string twists as shown from the center of the string and from the end.

Adjusting your string twists

Now that we have better terminology, how do we apply it and use it to adjust string length? First identify if you have a Z or an S twist.

Hint: If you have a single color string and trouble telling, you can take a photo with your phone and zoom in to see the individual strands better to identify the twist direction.

Z twist

Illustration of a Z twisted bow string showing the twist direction to raise and lower the brace height.

To add twists to a Z twist string (and increase/raise the brace height):

  • Twist the string clockwise from the center of the string

  • Twist the string counterclockwise from the end of of the string


To remove twists from a Z twist string (and decrease/lower the brace height):

  • Twist the string counterclockwise from the center of the string

  • Twist the string clockwise from the end of the string


S twist

Illustration of an S twisted bow string showing the twist direction to raise and lower the brace height.

To add twists to a S twist string (and increase/raise the brace height):

  • Twist the string counterclockwise from the center of the string

  • Twist the string clockwise from the end of of the string


To remove twists from a S twist string (and decrease/lower the brace height):

  • Twist the string clockwise from the center of the string

  • Twist the string counterclockwise from the end of the string


With this clarification, we’ve hopefully untangled the mystery of twist direction, making it easier to communicate, adjust, and refine our twists with confidence when needed.

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