by Emily Rose | Oct 26, 2015 | From Advanced to National-Class, Strategy
“Effective debaters” are these elusive creatures, hunted by students year-round, at constant risk of being consumed by the masses. The hunt for debate-senpais is real. Everybody wants to be, or at least know, an effective debater. I won’t judge if...
by Isaiah McPeak | Oct 23, 2015 | Coaching, Coaching a Club
There are two types of soccer coaches: Those who try to CONTROL your every action, as if the athletes are at the end of a joystick. Move here, do this, do that, go there, dribble now, pass now, strike it! Those who help you OWN your own decisions, as if only you know...
by Emily Rose | Oct 21, 2015 | Coaching, From Novice to Intermediate, Soapbox
“In it to win it” is not a sufficient goal. And most debaters can’t differentiate between preparing to win and making winning the priority. Of course, competition is good. It’s a refiner, a strainer, a purifier. It sharpens your skills, weeds out bad...
by Emily Rose | Oct 14, 2015 | Coaching, Soapbox, Technique
We ring in the first practice tournament of the year proudly, with two hours of sleep, double the cans of Redbull, and frantic crash-prep sessions with a coach. We coordinate colors with our partner’s pocket-square, or shoes, or skirt. We try out new cases, brush them...
by Isaiah McPeak | Oct 9, 2015 | Coaching a Club, Communication/Rhetoric, From Intermediate to Advanced, From Novice to Intermediate, Soapbox, Technique
For a skill that hinges on unblurred communication, debating can be brutally muddled. Thank unexplained debate jargon, thrown around in every speech. In the 20th century, cultivated primarily by guides who experienced debate as debaters rather than audience, debate...
by Emily Rose | Sep 17, 2015 | Coaching, Technique, Top Drills
Not to be ornery, but when a dentist pokes a drill into my mouth and assures “this will only hurt a bit”, I cringe. And then I grip the chair, inhale deeply, and try to find that inner happy place of dental bliss. I know his use of the drill is going to improve my...
