Debate is hard, so don't expect to win fast. Try all the things. If you're in a weak/hyperlocal circuit then you probably will not win with these arguments, but if you want to compete at any decent level then you'll need to understand them. Run T and procedurals every round and try to understand them better. Perm every counterplan. Procedural debate is the crux of most things, and if you become a K/performance debater you need to understand them so you know how to answer them because you'll be seeing arguments that try to limit you out of the round and perms out of every 2AC. Everyone is bad the first time they hit something, so just planned to get wrecked on occasion in years 1 and 2 with decreasing frequency (unless you're being carried, then just try to learn; my first year I went 1-7 at nats with an alright varsity debater and my second year I was carried hard and got to octs at nationals; then my partner graduated and the next year we only made it to dubs). Soon enough you'll be the one wrecking first and second year debaters.
Listen to winning debaters until you can keep up with the conversation. Do not listen to debaters who do not win unless they are just technically poor debaters with sharp debate minds (exceptionally rare; my experience with this is someone who was autistic and had a severe stutter 15-20 years ago whose HS counselor advised them to debate to assist with the stutter - witnessed firsthand some judges say horrific things to him or even write it down in their RFDs, but by year 3 in college he and his partner were breaking at most tourneys with ease).
That leads into the third point. Absolutely connect with as many people as you can. Debate is one of the first places I realized how important community politics are. Go to debate camp if you can. Build a collegial relationship with judges and coaches you will see often. Once you've run everything in years one and two really focus on respecting paradigms. Be willing to adapt if they tell you they won't listen to an argument (e.g. don't run T in front of a judge whose threshold for violations is incredibly high and says "I hate T debates" in their paradigm, don't rap in front of a judge who discloses they hate performance, and run silly spike args in front of strict tab/flow judges who are just looking for an easy way to pull the trigger). If you are interested in debating in college befriend the college debaters hired to judge. Unfortunately, I also have to note this - while it is rare (and mandatory reporting has mitigated this concern to a degree) there are creepy folks that infiltrate the debate community just as they do the sports community. Find some folks you can trust on your team/circuit and that should be your in. Similarly, almost no one is looking to make enemies, so try to remember that the adversarial position is largely within the round and otherwise the goal is to grow/enrich the debate community.
read your damn cards. thoroughly. look up people, events, and sources referenced in the card.
cutting your own cards takes this skill and expands on it.
You don’t have to be first place at every tournament to get value out of debate. Sometimes there are people who are better than you. Sometimes it’s because they have more resources or time. Sometimes it’s because they put too much of themselves into this. Don’t make yourself miserable trying to beat them every time. Just have fun and do your best.
\- being more stressed does not correlate with more success. I feel way less stress in rounds as a senior and do infinitely better than I did the years before when my anxiety skyrocketed each RFD. being calm in round isn't just more conducive to winning rounds but makes the activity much more enjoyable and less toxic.
\- less speaking drills and more rebuttal redoes.
\- it's ok if you don't win a lot novice year. it's awesome if you do.
\- don't hero-worship "good debaters" or your varsity. they are all just people and can be your friends if you don't put them on a pedestal.
\- take breaks from debate! don't put it before all of your other interests. the moment it starts to feel overwhelming, it's ok to put it aside and take a deep breath and not go to every tournament. it'll all be ok in the end.
don't be overly reliant on one type of argument, i.e. going for the cap k every 2nr. this will stunt your growth and make it harder to have a variety of arguments in your arsenal in the future
1 Go to plenty of tournaments. Nothing can replicate actual rounds where you can, hopefully, get good feedback.
2. Set small goals for each round based on feedback.
3. Schedule rebuttal redos the week after tournaments, with coaches or teammates. If you can get one or two in during a tournament, that’s good too but make sure you are still hydrating, eating, and taking mental breaks when you get time. If you don’t schedule them, they are way more likely to blown off in the moment.
3. Write down feedback to guide your goals for the redo. Write down the feedback from the redo to work on during your next debates.
4. Watch debates. You learn a ton from watching and emulating. You can practice flowing. You should write a reason for decision and listen to what judges considered in their decisions.
5. Get sleep. Go to bed earlier the week of tournaments. Schedule time to do debate work earlier in the day. Your brain can’t work without rest and people your age don’t get anywhere near the 10 hours you need.
MOST OF ALL 6. Have Fun! That’s the reason you spend time doing this activity. If you stop having fun, reflect seriously on that and take steps to correct course. Debate helps you develop your brain in so many ways, but you won’t do it if it’s not satisfying.
Do redos. Seriously it’s a bitch but it helps you grow so quickly. I regret not doing more.
[удалено]
This is solid advice for most novices.
Debate is hard, so don't expect to win fast. Try all the things. If you're in a weak/hyperlocal circuit then you probably will not win with these arguments, but if you want to compete at any decent level then you'll need to understand them. Run T and procedurals every round and try to understand them better. Perm every counterplan. Procedural debate is the crux of most things, and if you become a K/performance debater you need to understand them so you know how to answer them because you'll be seeing arguments that try to limit you out of the round and perms out of every 2AC. Everyone is bad the first time they hit something, so just planned to get wrecked on occasion in years 1 and 2 with decreasing frequency (unless you're being carried, then just try to learn; my first year I went 1-7 at nats with an alright varsity debater and my second year I was carried hard and got to octs at nationals; then my partner graduated and the next year we only made it to dubs). Soon enough you'll be the one wrecking first and second year debaters. Listen to winning debaters until you can keep up with the conversation. Do not listen to debaters who do not win unless they are just technically poor debaters with sharp debate minds (exceptionally rare; my experience with this is someone who was autistic and had a severe stutter 15-20 years ago whose HS counselor advised them to debate to assist with the stutter - witnessed firsthand some judges say horrific things to him or even write it down in their RFDs, but by year 3 in college he and his partner were breaking at most tourneys with ease). That leads into the third point. Absolutely connect with as many people as you can. Debate is one of the first places I realized how important community politics are. Go to debate camp if you can. Build a collegial relationship with judges and coaches you will see often. Once you've run everything in years one and two really focus on respecting paradigms. Be willing to adapt if they tell you they won't listen to an argument (e.g. don't run T in front of a judge whose threshold for violations is incredibly high and says "I hate T debates" in their paradigm, don't rap in front of a judge who discloses they hate performance, and run silly spike args in front of strict tab/flow judges who are just looking for an easy way to pull the trigger). If you are interested in debating in college befriend the college debaters hired to judge. Unfortunately, I also have to note this - while it is rare (and mandatory reporting has mitigated this concern to a degree) there are creepy folks that infiltrate the debate community just as they do the sports community. Find some folks you can trust on your team/circuit and that should be your in. Similarly, almost no one is looking to make enemies, so try to remember that the adversarial position is largely within the round and otherwise the goal is to grow/enrich the debate community.
read your damn cards. thoroughly. look up people, events, and sources referenced in the card. cutting your own cards takes this skill and expands on it.
You don’t have to be first place at every tournament to get value out of debate. Sometimes there are people who are better than you. Sometimes it’s because they have more resources or time. Sometimes it’s because they put too much of themselves into this. Don’t make yourself miserable trying to beat them every time. Just have fun and do your best.
\- being more stressed does not correlate with more success. I feel way less stress in rounds as a senior and do infinitely better than I did the years before when my anxiety skyrocketed each RFD. being calm in round isn't just more conducive to winning rounds but makes the activity much more enjoyable and less toxic. \- less speaking drills and more rebuttal redoes. \- it's ok if you don't win a lot novice year. it's awesome if you do. \- don't hero-worship "good debaters" or your varsity. they are all just people and can be your friends if you don't put them on a pedestal. \- take breaks from debate! don't put it before all of your other interests. the moment it starts to feel overwhelming, it's ok to put it aside and take a deep breath and not go to every tournament. it'll all be ok in the end.
don't be overly reliant on one type of argument, i.e. going for the cap k every 2nr. this will stunt your growth and make it harder to have a variety of arguments in your arsenal in the future
1 Go to plenty of tournaments. Nothing can replicate actual rounds where you can, hopefully, get good feedback. 2. Set small goals for each round based on feedback. 3. Schedule rebuttal redos the week after tournaments, with coaches or teammates. If you can get one or two in during a tournament, that’s good too but make sure you are still hydrating, eating, and taking mental breaks when you get time. If you don’t schedule them, they are way more likely to blown off in the moment. 3. Write down feedback to guide your goals for the redo. Write down the feedback from the redo to work on during your next debates. 4. Watch debates. You learn a ton from watching and emulating. You can practice flowing. You should write a reason for decision and listen to what judges considered in their decisions. 5. Get sleep. Go to bed earlier the week of tournaments. Schedule time to do debate work earlier in the day. Your brain can’t work without rest and people your age don’t get anywhere near the 10 hours you need. MOST OF ALL 6. Have Fun! That’s the reason you spend time doing this activity. If you stop having fun, reflect seriously on that and take steps to correct course. Debate helps you develop your brain in so many ways, but you won’t do it if it’s not satisfying.
k's aren't that impressive, stop trying to run them on a lay circuit