Having a criterion had always been a no-brainer for me. At the very first debate tournament I attended, I noticed that almost all the debaters there were using criteria. A coach I met at that tournament explained that criteria help to simplify your case, strengthen your logical links, and overall help your judge to understand […]
First off, apologies for the publishing hiatus; I’ve been somewhat busy with school. Now on to the quick post for today. I’m sure you’ve seen this argument before: “Individual Rights are subjective, and it makes them real bad. Oh wait, why are they subjective? Right, I defined them as subjective in my 1AC.” In fact, […]
As we head into what are the opening tournaments of the season (lookin’ at you, Concordia), it’s probably a good idea to go back and reread five of Domination’s most helpful posts on debating so far: 5. introducing clarity into the round 4. Debating In Front Of Community Judges via WolkenPower 3. introducing structure into […]
NCFCA policy champion Patrick Shipsey reviewed The Art Of Cross-Examination on the Ethos Blog today. Check out his review. Another good read on the subject is Cody Herche’s Keys to Cross Examination, written specifically with forensics competition in mind and for both value and policy debate. It’s an easy read that you’ll be able to […]
This post was the precursor to a much more comprehensive look at the role of values in this article. Often, I get asked, “What’s a better value than the one I have now?”, “What value are you using in your case?”, or “How do you beat this value? I can’t think of anything.” Ninety-five […]
The best way to get over an insecurity that comes with debating in front of community judges is to learn versatility in communication. Here are several tips from Sam Wolkenhauer’s blog. [Read More]
A brilliant post by Bill Batterman of the 3NR discusses how to take advantage of your coach as a resource. As a debater who started out without a coach, had coaching for a year, then went coach-less, I can personally attest to the absolute necessity of following these 10 guidelines for making your coach-debater relationships […]
Keep these in mind during each debate to win more rounds. 1. You’re right. They’re wrong. No matter what. There are flaws in your opponent’s case, no matter how strong it seems. Know that, and it will help you come up with arguments. 2. Contrast If they’re unclear, be clear. If they’re fired up, be […]
How To Build A Strong LD Case is a downloadable, four-page guide that details every tried-and-true element a strong LD case must have, then follows by showing exactly how to implement your own ideas with it by applying the techniques to the Dominate LD case, Popular Sovereignty is Enough. The guide is a Facebook Fan exclusive. […]
Here’s the second post in the Domination series, Let’s Make Debate Less Horrible. The more you know. On Aff • Please lay out some burdens analysis in your first speech. What do you think the resolution requires you to do, and what options does the negative have? Oh, and don’t just say “I have to […]