Debate Advice: How To Get Better Over the Summer - 2018
By: Alexandra Mork
Summer is a make-or-break time for debaters; while some make massive strides, others must start from scratch when the season begins. The key to improvement over the summer is commitment, so here’s some advice on how to get better:
Make a list of what you’ve struggled with last season. For some, an overarching theme of positions they’ve had trouble with may be apparent, but if you’re not sure what your weakness is, try making a list of your losses in order to identify patterns of arguments that you don’t understand.
Set specific goals. It’s easy to go into the summer with the goal of “getting better at debate”, but unless you have a specific objective, you won’t know what to focus on. So, we suggest choosing a couple targeted positions that you’d like to improve on. For example, you might want to learn how to give a 2NR on a K, improve at answering theory, or refine your impact calculus.
Identify the steps necessary to achieve your goals, and do them. Determine how much time you should spend on debate per day, write out a list of the drills you should do, find rounds online to watch and create a list of books or articles that you can read.
Ask for help. If you have the opportunity to attend camp, go to office hours, ask questions, and do drills for your lab leaders to listen to and give you feedback on. Listening to multiple different perspectives on your speeches is beneficial because many camp instructors will also be judging you during the season. If you’re not at camp, try asking coaches, teammates, or friends to listen to your drills. If you don’t have these resources, try describing debate arguments to your family to see if they’re able to understand both sides. Explaining arguments to non-debate people is a very valuable skill because it forces you to describe your position without using jargon.
Don’t burn out. No matter how much you love debate, it is important to take breaks and enjoy your summer.