Raj,+Divyaansh

Divyaansh Raj Paradigm: Barkley Forum Tournament

Background: LD in High School for 4 years on that National Circuit.

General: I'm pretty comfortable with everything. I haven't debated for a couple months so I would say that spreading is fine just go at 90% speed. In terms of arguments I'm tabula rasa. However, there are a few things that I won't vote on. Here are some things I dont want to see. 1) Useless theory. If you are running theory that is unwarranted i.e running it as a strat or running "theory traps" I most likely will not vote on them. Honestly not a huge fan of theory, I prefer substantive debate. 2) Kritik. Kritikal debate is good but make sure make good arguments on why your opponent is linking into the kritik. I’m not a genius. That means the more complicated your cards get, the less I’ll understand them. So if you’re reading Deleuze and Guattari at blazing speeds, chances are, I won’t know much about what you’re talking about. That’s not to say I don’t like critical stuff; I do find it interesting. Just make sure it’s comprehensible. 3) Dont be cocky. I understand you need a lot of confidence to do debate, but being rude and overconfident is not educational for both debaters and I will drop speaks. 4 )Blips: Disgusting. Every argument should have a claim, warrant, and impact.

Things I want to see: 1) Clash. 2) Weighing. Love love love. Let me know why to prefer your arguments over those of your opponent! 3) Signposting: If you don’t, your speaks will tank and I promise you arguments will be flowed in the wrong place. Tell me where you are on the flow and what argument you are addressing. 4) Extensions: We have a technical name for them because they are, believe it or not, important. Your extension should have the same components as your argument (although I do understand that the speeches, especially the 1AR, are shorter. So yes, you can cut down your warrant a decent amount, but at least try to keep some semblance of a warrant in the extension). 5) Be Funny! I enjoy humor in debate rounds a lot! Try to be innovative and interesting! Speaks will go up af. 6) Fun: Have it. Don’t take yourself too seriously and remember that debate is a game.