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.
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...
9 Steps to a Higher Order of Research – New Debate Topics 2015
argghhh! You didn't win nationals! Actually, that's not precise... more like, "I lost at X point, and that was FRUSTRATING." And so you're aiming your frustration at some pre-pre-pre-season research. I get that. This will help your efforts pay off. It's a pretty...
Destroy the Arena; Win the Game
Any Hunger Games fans out there? We don't own any archer themed pictures for this post, so you get someone in odd clothing. I recently talked to group of skilled debaters about how to develop champion-level negative strategies. My advice may surprise you. It involves...
For Competitive People: To Destroy or Not to Destroy?
I am a competitive person. We’ll just get that out of way here and now. Ever since I learned how to play Go Fish and Old Maid when I was three years old, I have tried to win practically every competition I have been involved in. I thought I was one of the most...
Practicing Reality: When the 2N Meets a Juvenile Offender
I was not nervous. Sure, I was standing in front of several hundred people in the eleventh and final team policy debate round of the 2012 NCFCA National Championships. Yes, I was competing for a national title. Yes, I was negative against a case I had never remotely...
Three Ways to Improve Your 1AC
Thanks to our dual sourcebook manager, Lydia Bode, for writing today's post. The 1AC is important. But I’m sure you already knew that – or at least, think you know that. Which is why I’m sitting here wondering why almost everybody thinks of the 1AC as “an eight minute...
DO THIS OR DIE.
What is the very first thing you are going to remember about this post? Probably the title. Unless I can top that title with an equally intense conclusion. The same principle applies to debate and applies to speaking in general. Actually there are two principles in...
Be a Person, Not a Debatebot
This will take you 60 seconds to read. I'm heading off to my regional competition tomorrow and naturally I'm preparing so that I can do my best. Now some important background: my speaker points have been progressively getting worse as the season goes on. I've been...
Semifinals Video: Brains, Not Briefs, Beat the Best
You need to watch the constructive speeches in this round. It is semifinals at the NCFCA Region 9 Vector Icebreaker, with Ethos authors Zack Voell and Drew Chambers squaring off. We forgot to tape the 1AC, but that's okay because the NEG completely derailed the round...
Impact Calculus
What would you say if you saw a warrior do battle and lose—because he never thought to use his strongest weapon? What would you think if you saw a chess player who refused to ever bring out his queen? And what would you think of a football coach who never threw to his...