From Intermediate to Advanced
Isaiah on Winning Outrounds
Learn from Isaiah McPeak how to improve your outround performance.
Lindsay See on Rebuttals
Rebuttals have two basic points: 1. Why you’re winning the arguments you’re winning, and 2. Why those ones are the most important.
Three Common TP Questions
Isaiah answers 3 top questions Team Policy debaters have.
Pugh/Bozarth vs. Kintzing/Kintzing
Flow this round write down 3 things you should improve in your presentation style as a result.
Progress: Moving Past the Plateau
We’ve all dealt with it. Whether you were working on dropping your mile time, increasing your vertical, or improving your speaking skills, you’ve probably faced the unfortunate reality of the “Law of Diminishing Returns”. Contrary to what we may think, people do not...
Lessons learned from XL 2.0
A second-year team went from never advancing to qualifying to NITOC. A second-year LD student qualified to NCFCA Nationals and received second at a National Open. A third-year debater consistently placed first at their tournament. A novice LD debater became second in...
Fail Well
As I write this, I’m jam-packed in between all 6 of my siblings, way too many pillows, never enough snacks, and stacks of suit bags in our family’s van as we head to NITOC. The national tournament for Stoa begins Monday, NCFCA kicks off in 18 days, and NSDA kicks off...
What A Trophy Never Gave Me: Lessons From Losing
Editors Note: This article was written by Ethos Associate and Coach Mikayla Simpson. Mikayla was trained by Isaiah for most of her debate career and continues to embody the spirit of Ethos at Union University in Tennessee. This was it. This was the heart-throbbing...
Failure is the Best Path to Success
This is it. This is what you’ve been waiting for. The stage is set. You’ve been wanting to debate in finals for two years, and now you finally get your chance. As you walk up the steps to take your place, you can’t help feeling like a champion already. Even though you...
5 Unique Ways to Make Your Case Stand Out
Are you looking to bring your affirmative case to the next level, but don’t know what to add? Here are the top five tips to help your aff rounds gain a new edge. Tip #1: Memorize facts and quotes The first time I saw this done with a quote was in outrounds at NCFCA...
Community Judges #3 – Persuade Them
Be Orators, Not Debaters “All right,” you may be thinking, “Community judges may be a necessity. I recognize they approach debate with a mindset of hesitancy and self-doubt. And I may very well be able to mitigate this mindset by somewhat adapting to this mindset. But...
Community Judges #2 – Adapt To Their Mindset
As expected, the transition from competitor to alumnus was a bit jarring. I managed to control the overpowering nostalgia, to overcome the sensation that I was trespassing into unauthorized areas (such as the much-vaunted judges’ hospitality), and to quell the...
Debate Has No Rules Part 2: Do you REALLY need to speak like that?
At my first debate camp, I learned to debate within a structure that made my nerves go away and my confidence appear. At my first practice tournament, I argued within a framework that allowed me to understand the complex ideas that I was discussing. And at my first...
Community Judges #1 – The Necessity of Community Judges
You didn’t break. Or you were eliminated in a crucial outround. Or you barely lost in finals. You charge to ballot retrieval, seize your manila envelope, and frantically rifle through until you find the ballot you were dreading. The speaker points appear randomly...
A Giant Index of Reasons to Prefer a Value
“Why should we go to the Chinese buffet?” “Because Chinese food is tasty!” “But the food we have at home will save us money!” “But I’d rather have tasty food!” “Well I’d rather have money!” The value clash of the ages: Money vs. Taste. Reasons to prefer or value...
Weighing Mechanism Basics Every Debater Should Know
At my day-job, statUP, today we completed a major product design, the coach dashboard. That means Monday is when we’ll decide what major design epic to pick up next. Choices include Athlete Profile+, Skilltrees, Goal-Tracking, Club Dashboard, Mobile App Improvements,...
I Am Disappointed
ERRATA: This post referred to "this year's national champions" at one point in a way that could've meant any of several teams and people. At least one national championship team this year specifically adopted a strategy like is recommended here. The sentence has been...
1980s Debate Theory is Not “Traditional”
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...
A Glossary of Normalized Debate Terms
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...