By Allen Nelson
I've been a bullfighter for over 25 years now, some 20 of that as a "pro". I am a member of the PRCA, work PBR events, and have been with the Professional Bullfighters Tour since its inception. I've helped in the development of the protection bullfight competitions, participating as a contestant, writing the rules and as a judge. I've also probably judged more freestyle bullfights than most young bullfighters have competed in. I don't tell you all this to pat myself on the back, I'm telling you this to let you know that the information I am giving you is credible.
I'm going to offer some bullfighting terms and their definitions so that when you talk about bullfighting, either as a bullfighter to the media or to fans, or as a fan to other fans, to bullfighters, or whomever, we will all be speaking a common language. It's a lot easier to communicate if we all speak the same language.
This is the terminology used in and by the Professional Bullfighters Tour, or PBF. Bullfighting is performed all over the country at bull-ridings and rodeos of various levels. Bullfighters belong to many different organizations and associations. There is one Professional Bullfighters Tour, and it has the only written criteria to describe the sport of bullfighting. Therefore, the terminology used in the PBF is the common thread that runs throughout the industry. Granted, many bullfighters are not familiar with the terminology, but they should be. In order for our sport to progress, we need a common language. This common language will allow us to talk about our sport to the media and public and to keep statistics on what we do.We have to use like terms to communicate.
What is a "bullfighter"? Bullfighters, to put it quite simply, are the athletes in the arena that engage bulls on foot. "Protection" bullfighters engage bulls in order to protect the bull riders, and most often work together with another protection bullfighter as a team. "Freestyle" bullfighters engage bulls one on one in order to demonstrate their skill in handling a fighting bull, usually, but not always, in a freestyle bullfighting contest. In the past, and at some events, the bullfighter is also referred to as a "rodeo clown", but not nearly so often today as in the past. Today's bullfighter, in most instances, is not hired to perform comedy, although they can be very entertaining and pro-active with the crowd.
You will notice I used the word "engage". To engage a bull is when the bullfighter uses an aggressive action to get the bulls attention. This may be as subtle as stepping towards the bull at just the right time or as straightforward as the bullfighter actually "grabbing" the bull by the horn. A "grab" is when the bullfighter purposely takes hold of a part of the bull's body or slaps the bull.
You may have wondered about the title of the article, "Dick and Jane". They were the characters in the first book most of us my age read when we started school. We learned how to read and learned new words by reading and using them. Kind of like what we're doing now. While explaining what a bullfighter is, we start moving into what he does and use terms to describe those actions. I really was paying attention in the first grade while the kid next to me was eating his paste.
So, bullfighters protect bull riders, but they don't "save" them all. One reason is, they don't all need saving. You see, a "save" is when the bullfighter moves in and "engages" the bull to prevent the bull rider from a "hooking". Not every bull rider is put in a position where a "hooking" is eminent. A "hooking" is when the bull takes control and hits and/or runs over the athlete, be it bull rider or bullfighter.
Often, and preferably, the bullfighter can make the "save" by "engaging" the bull and simply leading him away from the bull rider. Sometimes, however, the bullfighter must "sacrifice" himself in order to make the "save". You probably guessed this one, but a "sacrifice" is when the bullfighter must take a "shot" in order to make the "save", a "shot" being taking a hit to ensure that the bull rider gets away.
The bullfighter doesn't always "engage" the bull to protect the rider. Sometimes he "engages" the bull to get the bull to "turn back". A "turn back" is when the bullfighter engages the bull to start the bull into a spin, which will help enhance the rider's score. The bullfighter can also "turn back" the bull at the end of the ride to help the rider dismount.
I hope you have enjoyed learning this basic terminology. As protection bullfighters, we need to keep statistics (or "stastistics" if you are from Arkansas) to help us determine how well we are fighting bulls and to be able to relate that to the public. How many "saves" did you have your last performance or last year, for that matter? What is your percentage of "saves" to the number of bulls worked? Of your "saves", what percentage of those where "sacrifices"? How many "engagements", and of those engagements how many "grabs" did you have? What percentage of the "turn backs" that you attempt are you successful on? Can you see how having numbers and percentages to put out there can give fans, or your bullfighting partner, something to relate to your performance as a bullfighter other than just saying that you protect bull riders? As a fan, can you see how knowing the terminology can help you relate to those numbers and be able to watch a team of bullfighters and assess the degree of effectiveness they have?