by Toby Rivas | Oct 6, 2018 | Inherency, Negative, Strategy, Technique
This is the first post from one of our new team members, sixth-year debater Toby Rivas. Keep an eye out for more practical strategy tips from him coming soon! Debaters have lots of silly quirks–“debaterisms,” if you will. Things like always quoting Ronald...
by Thaddeus Tague | Sep 29, 2018 | Advocacy, Fiat, Negative, Strategy, Technique
This is, hands down, the topic that I cover most as a coach. Every debater, new or experienced, has been in this situation. Listening to the first affirmative speaker (or PRO or GOV or PROP), and recognizing that not only do you NOT have any prepped material on what...
by Thaddeus Tague | Sep 15, 2018 | Best Resources, Example Rounds, Briefs, and Case Studies, Negative, Research Tips, Stoa Resolutions, Tournaments
The Ethos Sourcebooks are up for purchase! Are you ready for this debate season to get started?? Ethos has a long legacy of publishing only the best content. We put together an all-star team of researchers to do some intensive research for the Stoa and NCFCA...
by Thaddeus Tague | Aug 27, 2018 | From Advanced to National-Class, From Intermediate to Advanced, Negative, Soapbox, Strategy, Thinking Strategically, Uncategorized
This is an adapted version of a lecture Isaiah McPeak gave in 2012 at debate camps nationwide. As Team Policy debaters prepare for the new debate season this coming fall, the time and thrill of researching new cases will also come full swing. With this time,...
by Thaddeus Tague | Jun 28, 2018 | Best Resources, From Intermediate to Advanced, Negative, Technique, Thinking Strategically, Uncategorized
Whenever I come into conversation with a parent or student who wants resources to “get better” at debate, among many recommendations, I tell them to take a gander at the Ethos blog. If you have the time to scroll and scroll, it goes way back and contains a...
by Harrison Durland | Mar 21, 2018 | Disadvantages, Negative, Strategy
Earlier this year, I ventured back out into the forbidding lands of public school policy debate, to help judge. Once again, I was sorely let down by what I saw. In all of the rounds I watched, there was excessive speed and spread, generic evidence, and, perhaps worst...
