CM-C — Part 1: Completes

Part 1 of CM-C teaches a single idea: some swings stop at the target, and some swings carry through.

Learn this before attempting the full movement in Part 2. The choreography there cannot be read — or performed safely — without it.

Notation

A complete is written by adding the © symbol to the target line.

Symbol	Meaning
`1©`	Complete on the 1 line
`5©`	Complete on the 5 line
`12©`	Complete on the 12 line

These three are the completes covered in this lesson. The full symbol list is in the Notation Legend.

Completes and Complete Across

A Complete is a wide arc swing that flows through uninterrupted.

A Complete Across is a wide arc swing committed at a particular target point, but travelling parallel to the ground.

Both are written with the © symbol, which marks the swing as uninterrupted.

That distinction is what Part 1 exists to teach, and it is one of the things that sets Saber Standard Notation apart. Most ways of writing choreography record where a swing is aimed. Saber Standard Notation records where it is aimed and whether it stops there. 5 and 5© name the same line and describe two different actions: one arrives at the target and holds; the other keeps going.

The consequence shows up in the defence. A stopping attack can be met with a parry on the same line. A complete cannot — there is nothing to hold against, so the defender has to move instead. A fight written without the © symbol is a fight that records parries the choreography cannot actually perform.

Purpose

Part 1 is designed to teach:

the difference between a stopping attack and a complete
what a Complete Across adds to that idea
the © symbol and when a swing earns it
reading 5 and 5© as two different instructions
why a complete changes what the defender can do
the space and control a carrying arc demands

Training method

Phase 1: Feel the difference

Working alone, with no partner in front of you, take one line — the 5 line is a good start.

Perform it twice: once stopping at the target, once carrying through as 5©.

Repeat until the two feel like different actions rather than the same action at different speeds.

Phase 2: Read and perform

Have a partner call symbols at random from 1, 1©, 5, 5©, 12, and 12©.

Perform what is called, still without a partner standing in the line of the swing.

Phase 3: Add the defender

Only now bring a partner in, at a distance that leaves the arc clear.

Saberist A performs a called complete. Saberist B does not parry it — B moves out of its path.

Reset the distance between every repetition.

Teaching note

Teach the symbol before teaching the swing.

Once a Saberist can read the difference between 5 and 5© on the page, the movement follows naturally. A Saberist who has only been shown the swing will keep reaching for a parry that is not available.

The safety rule for this lesson is simple and does not bend: a complete does not stop, so nothing but distance and the defender's movement clears the blade. Keep the arc empty until both Saberists are certain of the line.

When completes are clear, continue to Part 2.