The 1ar: Debate’s Paramedic Get the patient to the hospital…alive

Why is the 1ar Hard?  rJan%2700.pdf rJan%2700.pdf rJan%2700.pdf  Many would say the 1ar is the hardest speech in debate…Why?  They get 13 minutes, you get 5  2nc1nr1ar 8 mins5 mins5 mins

Why is the 1ar hard?  You can’t over-explain  Wide variety of arguments to deal with  The 2ar can’t make new arguments The 2ar can’t be new You must save prep time for your partner

What do I have to do in the 1ar?  1) Answer any “voting issues”  2) Generate some offense  3) Play defense against their arguments  Voting issues: topicality, theory, anything labeled a voting issue  Offense: Arguments that prove your plan is good (advantages, add-ons, solvency deficits to counterplans, turns to disads/kritiks)  Defense: Arguments that prove your plan is “not bad” (no link to their disad, no impact to their disad, etc.)

What should I do in the 1ar?  Time Map  Increased Efficiency  Make Choices  Extend what your partner needs to win  TIME is the key to the 1ar…

Time Mapping  A time map is a guide to how long you should spend on each argument  Before the speech begins, take 15 seconds with your partner and decide how long to spend on each piece of paper

Time Mapping  Write down what the timer will say…  Put important arguments top of the order:  #1 rule: Off-case theory (Topicality, ASPEC, etc.) The clock is ticking  Their major off-case positions  (Counterplans, Kritiks, Disads)  Your case advantages

Pragmatic Advice on Time Mapping  1) Watch the clock  2) Follow your time map  3) Have your partner call time at :30 intervals Help the 1ar watch the clock

Increased Efficiency The error people make is to assume that you have to be fast instead of efficient. Ways to increase efficiency: 1) Group things:Not so fast… “Extend the 2ac #1: Uniqueness—group their answers—my 1 is, my 2 is…” “Group the advantage…” 2) Say things in the least amount of words

Embedded Clash  3) Embedded clash  Embedded clash means that you answer arguments without specifically identifying that you are…  The usual rule is “repeat and defeat” the 1ar is just “defeat”  Example:  “Literature doesn’t exclude us, because the 1ac proves we’re in the literature  Reasonability outweighs competing interpretations because competing interpretations creates a race to the bottom”

Make Choices  The negative has issue selection, the affirmative has argument selection  Two kinds of choices:  1) Extend select answers on a disadvantage  2) Kick advantages

Selective Answers  Selective Answers  Do:  1) Pick the best answers  2) Pick answers they under-covered/dropped  3) Pick answers they mis-understood  4) Pick answers where your evidence is really good  5) Pick stuff your partner likes  Don’t:  Pick the top answer  Pick answers on ideology

Kick Advantages  The 1ar should triage advantages that are going poorly  To “kick” an advantage means to no longer defend it.  Kicking an advantage:  Identify that you are kicking it  Concede their arguments to kick it  Explain why any turns are gone

Extend what your partner needs to win  Three things:  1) The 1ar extends previous arguments  2) The 1ar should provide 2-3 answers per position  3) 2ar controls the ship  4) Use the whole flow after the block to write out your answers

Advanced Tips  1) Ju-jitsu: use their arguments against them. 2) Light fires: make the 2nr go places they didn’t want to go 3) Prep efficiency: 2nc prep, cross-x of the 2nc 4) Reference the 2ac cross-x of the 2nc: makes your job easier 5) 1ar blocks: your best friend

Activities  Try and predict which answers the 1ar should go for  How can the 1ar frame their arguments?  Break into 3 groups  Do 3 1 minute 1ar’s