A Note from David about the T6 Strategy/Research Primer and Answering Preview Cases

Please check the Tournament Documents page for a few key documents, namely the following:

Worthy of particular notice is the Research and Strategy Primer.

Conference “A” and “AA” coaches who aim to be competitive at the Chicago Debate Championship – as you all should after having a great year of challenges – should take a look (at a minimum) to illustrate one point: although half the teams attending submitted previews, the vast majority were variations of the four Core Files plan texts. Beyond those four plans, only 9 new affirmative case ideas were submitted – I’ve given you a starting point for answering each one of them, along with some of the variations on the Core Files plans, so that no debaters should complain they didn’t know what to say or had nothing to say after a debate at the Chicago Debate Championship.

Most importantly, I’m convinced that the Core Files off-case positions (Primacy DA, Military Readiness DA, Allied Proliferation DA, Consult NATO CP, Security Kritik, Topicality arguments) are more relevant to the core of the topic this year than on almost any other topic I can remember, perhaps in part because it is a foreign policy topic focusing on six countries where these bread-and-butter debates are what the foreign policy discussions come down to. A team that knows the basics solidly and is flexible in applying the arguments they have will have something to say in almost any situation and some smart research staring with this primer can help you have a chance in any debate. Happy researching! Best – David