The matador will step into the ring to open his performance officially and begin to try and craft an opening to his creative work by performing stylistically charged opening passes and to take control of the bull. The work with the capote is often seen as one of the most visually appealing parts of the bullfight and has gained in importance in the crowd’s perception over recent decades. The basic and most classic pass performed during this phase is the "veronica": each bullfighter tries to give a personal interpretation of this pass. The pass can be performed with an open or closed stance, and ranges from the more technical oriented to a more expressive interpretation of the basic movement. Many critics hail the veronicas’ of matador Morante de La Puebla as the best artistic version of the pass of anyone currently active, while Julian Lopéz El Juli is often cited as an example of technical precision when executing the pass.
Once the matador has taken control of the bull, the President will indicate for the picadors to enter the ring. A picador is a bullfighter on horseback, who uses a lance to inflict injury to the large lifting muscle on top of the bull’s neck, the "morrillo". Every matador employs two Picadors.