by Isaiah McPeak | Jun 29, 2016 | Coaching
We were surprised as anybody by NCFCA’s recent announcement of abolishing outrounds for its qualifiers, and moving to an 8-prelim structure. Having run tournaments in five leagues and coached in 11, I can say with some authority that this seems pretty unique. NCFCA...
by Isaiah McPeak | Jun 23, 2016 | Ethos Info
It’s finally out! Debaters – you can now learn debate from the ground up using normalized language, transferring debaterland to real life genres of conflict resolution, business meetings, and politics. Coaches and Teachers – you can now teach debate from a...
by Isaiah McPeak | Apr 1, 2016 | Coaching a Club, From Intermediate to Advanced
There is a certain “I’m a stock issues coach” coaching persona that is the equivalent of “I already considered everything, made my decision, and am set in my ways.” This persona tries to shut down learning certain argument types, usually out of good motive – keep...
by Isaiah McPeak | Feb 11, 2016 | Coaching, Technique
Ever heard normal people frustrated with debate jargon? They’re not the first. Check out this poem by Samuel Butler (best read aloud). We highlighted the cynical crux. The Logic and Rhetoric of Hudibras Samuel Butler (1616-1680) HE was in logic a great critic,...
by Isaiah McPeak | Jan 26, 2016 | Coaching, Lincoln-Douglas, Parliamentary
I have an important question for you concerning this year’s resolution. I have several debaters who just switched to LD and are arguing the resolution about education and practical skills. They are taking a balanced negative stance that both practical skills and a...
