Pre-Tournament Prep
Tournaments can be exciting but also nerve-wracking. Competing in a debate tournament is not just about strategy, but also about endurance and mental preparation, as they can be for days at a time.
Here’s how you can walk into your tournament feeling confident and be successful:
Know Your Material Inside and Out: Review your cases, blocks, and evidence thoroughly. You don’t want to walk into a round having half a page of prep while your opponent has every argument blocked out. Even if you’re better than them, the significant prep disparity will put you at a disadvantage.
Practice Under Realistic Conditions: Simulate actual tournament settings with timed practice rounds or mock debates. Doing DA drills on your own with 4 minutes of prep or doing practice rounds with your friends will help improve your argument clarity, round vision, flowing, and every debate skill. Additionally, practicing under pressure enhances your ability to think on your feet and respond to unexpected arguments.
Stay Organized: Prepare all necessary documents, scripts, or evidence in advance. Organize digital and physical files for quick access during rounds. You don’t want to scramble through a jumble of files mid-round to search for a card that might win you the debate. Keep your digital and physical files neatly organized for quick access during rounds. Store your files in OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or whatever works for you using folders.
Take Care of Your Mind and Body: Get enough sleep leading up to the tournament—your brain needs rest to function well. Lack of sleep can slow your reaction time and weaken your ability to form coherent arguments. Maintain a healthy diet, staying hydrated and fueling yourself with nutritious meals instead of consuming too much caffeine and junk food.
Set Realistic Goals: Aim for both performance and learning objectives: “I want to win” vs. “I want to improve my cross-examination skills.” For example, if it’s your first national varsity tournament, you don’t want to go in with the expectation of doing well or winning the tournament; rather, creating realistic goals like “I want to try to go even” or “I’ll try my best and see what happens” is much healthier and means you won’t disappoint yourself.
