Nocking an arrow in archery: laying it on the rest, aligning the cock feather, seating the nock at the nocking point and checking before you draw.
The honest answer up front: when nocking, you lay the arrow on the arrow rest and snap the nock onto the string at the same spot every time, with the cock feather pointing in the same direction. Every arrow must start the same way, otherwise it scatters before you even shoot.
That sounds like a detail, but it is the first move of every shot. You do it hundreds of times. If you do it carelessly, you shoot restless arrows and train mistakes into yourself. That is why the rules require an archer's arrows to match in nocks, fletching and paint [1]. In plain words: identical arrows, identical start.
How hard is it? You grasp the principle in a minute. Until the move sits without looking, you need a few sessions, in experience terms. This is club practice standard; there are hardly any solid studies on nocking itself. Research numbers do show why care with the arrow matters: in US hospital cases, part of the wounds came from feathers or vanes embedding in the hand, falling onto an arrow, or shafts rupturing [2].
All statements about the sequence are practice standard.
You stand at the shooting line with the bow in your hand, tip pointing toward the target. The arrow only goes on the string when you are at the shooting line and the field is clear. The rules state this explicitly: the archer draws the bow only on the shooting line, and for a practice draw with an arrow, checks first that the area in front of and behind the target is clear [1].
The shaft lies on the arrow rest and against the riser. It points toward the target. The cock feather, the feather that differs in color from the others, points away from the bow on most recurve setups. Practice: ask your coach how it is on your setup.
Gently push the nock onto the string, exactly at the nocking point, and let it snap in. You hear or feel a light click. The nock sits firmly but is not jammed.
Take a quick look at two things: does the arrow sit at right angles to the string (or at the height your coach set)? And does the nock sit firmly, so the arrow does not fall off by itself? A simple practice test: hold the bow loosely and tilt it slightly sideways. The arrow should stay put without the nock binding. If it falls off at once, the nock is too loose; if you need force, it is too tight. Milestone: 10 arrows in a row sit in exactly the same position.
Now you place your fingers on the string, see the guide "String hook". Only then does the draw begin.
Turn nocking into a quiet ritual before every shot: lay on, click, glance at the cock feather, and only then fingers on the string. The fixed sequence is the first step of your shot routine and helps you move from everyday mode to shot mode.
On most setups with an arrow rest, the cock feather points away from the bow. It is the feather that differs in color. Ask your coach what applies to your bow.
It snaps onto the string with a light click and does not let the arrow fall off by itself. If it does not pull off the string during the draw, the fit is right.
At the nocking point, a marker on the string that sets the height of the arrow. It is usually set so that the arrow sits slightly or exactly at right angles to the string. Have it set at the start.
Only at the shooting line, with the bow pointing toward the target and the area in front of and behind the target clear [1]. Never behind the line, while walking, or with your mind elsewhere.
String Hook: Finger Placement That Carries Your Release