The thrust is the blow of sword (“Estoc”) by which, at the Corrida, the Matador puts at dead the bull.

Presentation

It was a long time the principal act of the bullfight, that by which the matador ( Spanish killer in ) showed his address and his bravery. Even if the bull is wounded and tired, it is one moment of most dangerous because, according to the guns of the bullfight, the matador must carry the thrust of face, thus presenting himself in the cradle of the horns of the bull.

With the evolutions of the bullfight, notable in particular since Manolete, the Faena of muleta took an increased importance. The thrust remains however the culminating point of a bullfight and the moment which determines, at least in the arenas of quality, the attribution or not of trophies to the matador.

There exist several manners of carrying the thrust. The three principal manners are the following ones.

• most frequent: “Al volapié” . The bull is immobilized, the matador “throws itself” on the bull for the estoquer.
• most difficult, more méritoire and… the least employed: “has to recibir” . The matador remains motionless, it starts the load of the bull and the estoque one. “Paquirri” and Paco Camino often estoquaient in this manner; today, French “Juan Bautista” the fact regularly.
• the intermediary: “Al encuentro” . Each of both fact half of the way.

The thrust must be done in the “cross” (Spanish: cruz ), zone of a few square centimeters located at height of the garrot, between the spinal column and the right scapula. The matador however can, while engaging more, to place his sword on the left side of the spinal column; the thrust is then known as “opposite”. One cannot however judge value of the thrust while referring on his only site; the quality of a thrust depends above all on way in which this one was carried: the matador has quoted (“called”) the bull of near, it went right to the bull, in corto there por derecho (“short and right”), it broke up his gestures, it rocked with the idle over the right horn to leave along the side the bull? If so, it carried out a large thrust. Did it pass very quickly while hiding the head of the bull using its Muleta ? Even if the sword is well placed, it is a thrust more skilful than carried well.

It happens sometimes that the bull is pardoned ( indultado ). In this case, the thrust is simulated, the matador posing the dish of the hand on the back of the bull, with the site where in theory, the sword should penetrate.

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