Utilize a Strategy

September 1, 2008

This article may seem like bragging but I need to in order to get the point across. To be successful at anything you need a strategy. If the strategy works, it becomes a formula for success and then you will either get the copycats who will try to capitalize on your success until the formula wears out or some outside force will try and end your success. It’s true in Hollywood, business, sports, and of course debating. To prove it, I’ll use myself as an example.

First let’s look at bowling. My average is 220. So odds are I can beat you scratch if you want to go 2 out of 3. All I have to do to get a 200 is make sure I repeat the same movements from start to finish with every throw. As long as I do that, I can reach 200 80% of the time. Of course all good bowlers have different techniques, but the results are the same. To be successful, there has to be repetition. The goal is trying to find the delivery or strategy that works. My strategy has allowed me to bowl a perfect game (300) 3 times, and get 11 strikes in a row 4 times during league play. Here’s the problem. If the league sees that you consistently bowl well, they change the oil pattern so that your average will never be too high. So even though I have the same throw, I have to continually find new targets to aim at if I hope to keep getting strikes.

Next, let’s look at golf. Because I realized that in order for me to bowl well I needed be repetitive, I figured why not try the same thing for golf. I’m basically self taught but had a plethora of swings for different types of clubs. I had a different swing for irons, fairway woods, and the driver. Obviously, my handicap was very high because it’s hard to be consistent when having to think about 3 different swings during a round of golf. Thus, during the summer I diligently worked on one consistent swing for all my clubs and my handicap dropped dramatically. I can consistently shoot between 80-84 on any course simply because I can hit the ball solidly every time and can at least be around the green in regulation to give myself a chance at par. Here’s the problem. Because these new young players are driving the ball farther, they continually try to make the courses longer and longer which makes it much more difficult for me since I’m not a long driver. However, since I’m consistent, the plus side is I can usually beat the big hitters which makes them mad.

Now, let’s look at debate. You have to figure out a strategy that works for you and try and utilize it every time. You need a system for the affirmative and negative cases. Either you try to develop a winning strategy for yourself or you copy someone else’s winning strategy. Just in case you weren’t aware, I’ve already provided you with a winning strategy if you read my articles on how to build cases. However, if someone on your team is consistently winning, you need to figure out what they are doing that’s right, and what you are doing that’s wrong. The hardest part about debate is that it is subjective which means that someone else can determine your outcome. So even if you have a winning strategy, it may not work depending on the judges - but don’t let that discourage you. You should still be able to win about 65% of the time if you have a strategy that’s a proven winner. As long as my debaters stay with my strategy or develop a better one, we will always be in the mix and have a chance at winning every round. Here’s the problem. You can never get big headed in subjective events because you can lose simply because you are you. It would be nice to be able to have a pool of truly unbiased judges because then I feel we would have a huge advantage over other schools. However, the reality is that we are all being judged by our competitors so don’t let losing discourage you from seeking a strategy and staying with it. By having a strategy, you at least make your opponent sweat a little which can be fun in itself, especially if it’s a TOC debater.