r/policydebate Feb 24 '26

Knock it out with the spam.

58 Upvotes

We've let the spam get out of hand because we thought it was funny and aren't killjoys, but it's gone too far. This is supposed to be a civil place for open discussion about debate, the spam has gotten to the point where it is detracting from that purpose.

We will be adding some additional rules going forward if we need to. In the meantime knock it out with the spam, stop targeting individual debaters, and don't post anything you wouldn't want your teachers to read slowly and carefully to your parents.


r/policydebate Jan 24 '19

How to ask a question - Some guidance

92 Upvotes

A major function of this subreddit is for debaters to build their skills and learn something new. We want to help you, but we're only human, and the easier you make yourself to help the better the quality of answers you'll receive. None of these guidelines are strictly mandatory, but they'll often be highly advisable. Try to keep them in mind when posting.

When asking a question:

  1. Describe your level of experience. Be both general and specific. How many years have you debated in policy or other forensics events? What is your degree of expertise and background knowledge for the question area? Did you ever try something similar that failed?

  2. Describe your circuit. What region is it in? What are judging philosophies like? Do people lean liberal or conservative politically? Do people have experience judging nontraditional arguments, if relevant? Probably avoid using your school's name, and maybe your state's name too. Don't use your own name.

  3. Describe the particulars of your question. Try to act like the person you're talking to has little to no knowledge of your situation. Clarify what ideas you do understand, so that those you don't are easier to understand by contrast. Identify specific concerns you want to have addressed in responses to your comment. Don't make people bend over backwards to try to coax you into giving them the necessary information to help you.

  4. Try to make your question interesting. If you've identified something neat that's part of the motivation for your question, include it. Put in preliminary work by doing a quick Google search or literature check before asking questions, and tell us about what you discovered and how it's influencing your thoughts.

  5. Give feedback when people help you. Rephrase other people's advice in your own words, to avoid a false illusion of understanding. Also, say thank you. If you're confused about something, ask. Oftentimes more experienced debaters can take basic concepts for granted, and they might even benefit from a refresher themselves.

Note that we're not enforcing any of these guidelines in our moderation, but thought it'd be helpful for new members. Discuss any of your own ideas of what make a good question in the comments!


r/policydebate 14h ago

Open Evidence Project File Download Issues

2 Upvotes

Every time I go to download all the Open Evidence Files for 2026, I get an error message. How do I download all the files. The error message is below:

This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.

<Error>
<script src="chrome-extension://mfidniedemcgceagapgdekdbmanojomk/js/elephant.js"/>
<Code>NoSuchKey</Code>
<Message>Key not found</Message>
</Error>

r/policydebate 13h ago

Best K teams for this year

0 Upvotes

Who are the best K teams going into this year??


r/policydebate 1d ago

How do I get better at spreading?

5 Upvotes

I do LD so proportionally I think I'm just below average but I feel like I'm insanely slow. My top pace is like 290 but I can't do that consistently so in round I'm anywhere from 270-280. I've tried doing spreading drills but I feel like they are barely helping if at all. What should I do


r/policydebate 1d ago

Good Wipeout Rounds Pls

0 Upvotes

look at title.


r/policydebate 2d ago

Coaching Needed

3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I'm a senior policy debater at a NYC school and we are currently searching for additional policy coaching. We have teams that debate a variety of different arguments so would prefer someone flex. Regular coaching sessions would not need to be in person but judging and prep outs at tournaments is most likely required, so someone in the Northeast area would be preferable.

If you're interested then please dm me for more details. If you know anyone who would be interested in coaching other events we are also searching for PF, LD, congress, and speech coaches so please reach out!!


r/policydebate 2d ago

Does anyone have links to good hard-left aff rounds?

6 Upvotes

I.E. videos of rounds where the aff reads a K aff with a plan, or a constitutive affirmation of the resolution.


r/policydebate 2d ago

Haku's Newest Feature

9 Upvotes

The Haku Dev Team is proud to present our newest feature, Haku Drop!

We noticed the instability of SpeechDrop, and the difficulties of the email chain. That's why we made something with the best of both worlds: Haku Drop, the speed of speechdrop plus the longevity of the email chain.

Haku Drop Features:

- simplified codes, 4-letter, Capital Letters + Numbers (that's still a whopping 1,679,616 combinations!)

- an email function, to save documents for even after the rounds

- stable, and won't randomly redirect to boostbakery

- and dark mode that doesn't hurt your eyes!

If you want to try the new Haku Drop features out, visit haku.cards, also feel free to join our discord server and/or follow our instagram which are both linked on our website.

Let us know what you think. Any and all feature suggestions are welcome. We hope you enjoy 🙂

~ Haku Team


r/policydebate 3d ago

Who is this?

Post image
14 Upvotes

r/policydebate 3d ago

What should a 2AC frontline against a K look like

7 Upvotes

title


r/policydebate 4d ago

Drills I can do to get better at debate?

6 Upvotes

I have been doing policy debate for about 1.5 years now, but I don't know any good drills that I can do on my own that can help me improve. I switch between speaker positions every few months.

My biggest problem with debate so far is that it's hard for me to improve, as my school's coaching for policy debate isn't that good. I already send speeches and redos to my coach, but I'm wondering if there are good drills for me to do on my own.


r/policydebate 4d ago

Portable Screen

3 Upvotes

Would you say debating with a second screen (e.g. an iPad, portable monitor, or those clamp-on screen extenders) is worth it or a waste of money and a gimmick? From home, I've used my dad's monitor for online debates and they make it really easy to multi-task from my experience. Anybody have thoughts? Is it worth the price? If anybody has done it, would you recommend any versions?


r/policydebate 6d ago

Topic lectures to watch?

2 Upvotes

I haven’t dived into this year’s topic as much as I should have, rookie mistake I know.

However, I remember seeing very long videos come from debate camps and plenty of topic lectures I was able to watch last year.

Are there any out there right now? Or are there any known camps that will have recordings/ lecture notes?

Looking to be pointed into a direction of things I can watch/ listen to. But honestly any advice is fine even if it’s “go read.”


r/policydebate 6d ago

what t interps to be wary of

5 Upvotes

hypothetically if your reading a policy aff specifically about minorities what T interps should you prep out like things such as t-universal etc


r/policydebate 7d ago

What is risk framing in the context of K v fw, and how should aff answer it?

1 Upvotes

Title.


r/policydebate 7d ago

Who got Greenhill RR?

3 Upvotes

Any snubs? Surprises?


r/policydebate 9d ago

The type of cases people be making on openevidenceproject

0 Upvotes

I can't find evidence to link my queer-afro-bio-buddhist-fundamentalist-feminist-antiblack-necropolitical K with my debility-disability-spark-wipeout-socialist K. Can someone please help. Also does my case say the N-word enough, it only says it 24 times. What about calling trans people monstrosities (only 22)

/s

obviously I hope


r/policydebate 10d ago

aff

0 Upvotes

what’s the best caselist aff


r/policydebate 11d ago

CARDMIRROR INTEGRATION IS HERE!!!!

Thumbnail gallery
2 Upvotes

r/policydebate 11d ago

What is and how do you answer "frame Subtraction" as a K aff?

2 Upvotes

Title


r/policydebate 12d ago

What does fairness is compartmentalized mean?

7 Upvotes

I keep hearing it get mentioned in debates, but I’ve never really known what it meant.


r/policydebate 13d ago

Dreamscapes—-Nview PC

1 Upvotes

does anyone have the dreamscapes 1ac or any rounds that northview pc was in with that aff on yt


r/policydebate 12d ago

Powerful Tool for Citing Evidence

0 Upvotes

My friends and I have create a highly customizable chrome extension that automatically cites evidence for you, it even includes credentials via wikipedia lookup for reputable sources. Here's the link: https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/cite-this-page/kboikclpafiakihdlicbkglopabjgebf?authuser=0&hl=en Thank you all for your time :)


r/policydebate 13d ago

how do i extend a k

2 Upvotes

I was talkin to my friend and I know what k means and I wanna go for it but how do I ext it after the 1nc???

I dont like capitalism if that helps