Our coaching makes a difference

No two debaters are the same, so why should their coaching be?

Each time we take on a new student we are committing to analyzing that debater and creating a custom learning plan for them. Debate coaching is not about how many drills you can get through in an hour, it's about fundamentally changing how the debater thinks and while that takes time and effort on both sides of the table, the results are ultimately worth it.

Personalized Learning

We use our first session with every debater as a "check-up" where we find the debaters strong and weak areas and then present a learning path that we think will be beneficial. At the end of the session, we walk away with a better sense of the debater's specific needs and they walk away with resources and lessons they can work on immediately.

Competitive metrics

Wins and losses are important, but they aren't the only metric that debaters should be looking at. After every tournament, scrimmage, and practice round we go over ballots and decision and walk through what could have been done better. Losing is a great learning experience, but so is winning if you approach it critically.

the Bigger picture

We drill down to the core of what it means to debate and to think critically making our debaters stronger in ways that will carry over to all formats, and more generally to life as a whole, instead of simply focusing on format specifics. Once you understand why we do things in debate, format becomes irrelevant.

WHAT VIRTUOSO DEBATE OFFERS

We deliver the fundamentals and expertise in interactive sessions. Choose:

  • Format mechanics (Lincoln Douglas, World Schools, Parliamentary, Public Forum)
  • Debate fundamentals (motion analysis, researching, argumentation, case construction, flowing, rebuttals, Cross-X/POI)
  • The art of debate (strategy, preparedness, anticipation, opponent, and judge)
  • Knowledge development (world issues, values, government)
  • Thinking processes (active listening, note taking, summation, organization, developing a perspective, anticipating the opposition)
  • Performance (vocal, physical, mannerisms, owning the room)
  • Case review, drills, topic prep
  • General Debate Education

Why should you go with virtuoso?

With so many options available when it comes to getting a debate coach, it is sometimes hard to discern what is and what isn't important.

Virtuoso Debate Coaching is unique. We understand that debate is about more than just competition. Will we help you win? Yes. But we do not achieve that goal like other coaches. While other coaches will focus on individual aspects of a debaters format in order to get them to win more, they never explain why that aspect exists or why it's important or, most of the time, even what it is, they simply give the debater a format and tell them to follow it. We believe in giving our debaters the why and what and letting them explore for themselves because that is when you truly learn the most.

If you are looking to suddenly win 100% of your rounds by finding some weird case structure or theory, we are not the place for you. But if you want to embark on the intellectual journey of truly understanding debate, we are most definitely the spot for you. It is not an easy path to choose and it takes time and effort, but it truly does pay off. The skills you learn from us will serve you for the rest of your life.

Are you ready to sign up for coaching?

Book online or email us at [email protected] for more information.

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