CM Styles — Gulf Coast Saber Training

Gulf Coast Saber Training restyled CM-A into two variations, each carrying the movement in the manner of a different weapon tradition. The target lines stay recognisable; what changes is how the blade travels between them and how long the two Saberists stay in contact.

These were proposed by Desso Faulkner and the Gulf Coast Saber Training team, who practise in Pensacola, Florida. Their Facebook page has more about the group and how to train with them.

Both styles are written under Gulf Coast Saber Training's own GCM- prefix rather than as Core or Extended movements — they are that school's reading of CM-A, not a replacement for it. Learn CM-A first; these assume it.

GCM-A-S — Swashbuckler Style

Where CM-A gives one Saberist the attack for all six steps, the Swashbuckler style hands it back and forth every two steps. It runs twelve steps: the three beginner line pairs — 1 and 11, 3 and 9, 5 and 7 — taken twice, with the roles reversed the second time through.

Notation

Written as two tables, numbered continuously through all twelve steps.

First cycle

Player	s1	s2	s3	s4	s5	s6
Saberist A	1	11	3P	9P	5	7
Saberist B	1P	11P	3	9	5P	7P

Second cycle — roles reversed

Player	s7	s8	s9	s10	s11	s12
Saberist A	1P	11P	3	9	5P	7P
Saberist B	1	11	3P	9P	5	7

Read each column vertically, as in CM-A. The difference is that neither row stays the attacking row: Saberist A attacks on s1–s2, parries on s3–s4, attacks again on s5–s6, and then the whole pattern repeats from s7 with the two Saberists' parts exchanged.

The second table is the first with attack and parry swapped, so a pair who have learned one cycle have already learned the other from the opposite side. Practised as a loop, s12 returns cleanly to s1 and the exchange can run continuously.

GCM-A-L — Longsword Style

The Longsword style keeps Saberist A attacking throughout, as CM-A does, but adds a bind: the blades lock on the 3 line and stay in contact before the sequence continues. It runs seven steps.

Notation

Player	s1	s2	s3	s4	s5	s6	s7
Saberist A	1	11	3X	3	9	5	7
Saberist B	1P	11P	3PX	3P	0/9Pm3	5P	7P

Three symbols here go beyond CM-A's plain attacks and parries:

Symbol	Meaning
X	Lock — the blades bind rather than separating after contact
0/9P	Parry against a thrust, vertical guard moving toward the 9 parry
M	Modifier, describing how the parry is held (3PM6 is a 3 parry with the tip pointing down at 6)

So 3X and 3PX on s3 are the attack and parry on the 3 line taken into a lock, which is why s4 repeats the 3 line — the bind breaks and the same line is struck again. On s5, Saberist B answers with a thrust parry toward 9, held toward 3.

All three symbols are in the Notation Legend, which carries the full vocabulary.

Mixing it up

The two styles and plain CM-A can be run together as a single conditioning drill, moving between them without stopping. Gulf Coast Saber Training describe the intent as staying with one movement rather than reaching for more of them:

No need to switch between more CMs — but rather, stay focused on 1 CM and exploring its movement in continual repetition.

The drill uses three sequences:

Sequence	Steps	Where
CM-A, plain	6	CM-A
GCM-A-S, Swashbuckler	12	Above
GCM-A-L, Longsword	7	Above

For reference, plain CM-A is:

Player	s1	s2	s3	s4	s5	s6
Saberist A	1	11	3	9	5	7
Saberist B	1P	11P	3P	9P	5P	7P

Because all three share CM-A's target lines, the switch between them is a change of handling rather than a change of choreography — which is what makes the drill a workout rather than a memory test.