As the 1,500 pound black bull charged directly at 20-year-old Alexandria resident Michael Pace, bullfighting instructor Bill Bass stood calmly behind a gate at the Double R Arena in Stonewall and yelled advice.

"Practice on your step-through," said Bass as he tried to keep weight off his left knee, injured when a bull's horn gored it on Wednesday.

Pace's step-through and change of direction took him out of harm's way and for another 40 seconds he provoked and dodged attacks from the huge animal -- a do-si-do of beast and man.

Pace was at the Double R Arena in Stonewall, the host site for a bullfighting school taught by Bass, who is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) bullfighter.

Bass, who lives in Colorado Springs, Colo., rode bulls for eight years before turning full time to bullfighting and in 2000 he was named the International Professional Rodeo Association Championship Bullfighter.

Bullfighters, sometimes referred to as the clowns in rodeos and in the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) association, protect the bull riders from getting trampled or gored by the angry bull.

It's a skill that involves both technique and guts. But along with cowboy protection is a genre of bullfighters who enjoy it as a sport within itself.

Freestyle bullfighting is a 70-second competition between bullfighter and bull. Precision in jumping the bull, contact with the bull and using the barrel with the bull are evaluated.

"Freestyle bullfighting makes you a better cowboy protector," said Bass, whose two-day school in Stonewall aimed to teach both. "Some might not agree, but I'm a firm believer in that."

Money and the rush are the attractions for up-and-comers in the bullfighting world.

Income as a bullfighter for a rodeo can range from $100 a night on the low end to $1,500 a night on the high end. And although freestyle bullfighting is not as popular as Bass would like it to be, the World Championship of Bullfighting offered $50,000 in prizes for the competitors in 2004.

It's a blast," said Pace, who started bullfighting four months ago. "And it lasts longer than eight seconds."

Other cowboys who came to Stonewall on Sunday to learn something about the sport agreed.

"It's a rush. I came to see if this might be something I like," said ex-football player A.J. Linson of Vivian, who met face to face with his first bull on Sunday. "I definitely do."

Agility and channeling fear in the right direction are some of the most important elements of a good bullfighter said Bass.

"You're going to have fear, but you have to use it as adrenaline and be aggressive," Bass said. "If you're not aggressive you'll end up in the hospital a lot."

Meeting the bull in the arena may be where the rush is, but Bass intended to teach important footwork. He made the students work around the barrel and practice with each other for a large part of the school.

"Shuffle, shuffle, step through and make a round or two around the barrel," he called out to the students, who looked more like square dancers than cowboys. "They used to call it dancing with bulls."

Bass's motivation for providing bullfighting schools is twofold.

"I'd like to keep freestyle fighting alive," he said, "and there are too many guys who come out to competition and don't know what they're doing."