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Why do picadors lance a bull during the first act of a corrida?
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bullfighting
Spanish matador El Juli engaging a bull, June 6, 2010, Barcelona.
In the first act of a corrida, picadors lance the bull for two primary purposes: to test the animal's courage and to physically prepare it for the final stage of the fight.1
By planting the point of the pike pole (vara) at the junction of the bull's neck and shoulder blades, the picador weakens the bull's powerful neck muscles. This ensures that the bull's head hangs low enough for the matador to successfully execute the kill with a sword later in the performance.12
During this phase, the picador must remain outside a chalked circle on the arena floor while fending off the bull's charges against a protected horse. To prevent excessive injury, the rules strictly limit the number of lancings to no more than three.1