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What is Congressional Debate?
New to Congress? Start with an introduction from Tyler Luu, our Chief Marketing Officer and a former NSDA and TOC Champion, explaining what Congressional Debate is and why it's worth your time.
Intro to Congressional Debate
An introductory video featuring Tyler Luu (CMO, TOC & NSDA Champion) explaining the fundamentals of Congressional Debate.
Access Resource →Explore the Ascend YouTube
Browse our full YouTube channel for more videos, lectures, and example speeches across Congressional Debate.
Access Resource →The Fundamentals
Introduction to Argumentation: the Ascend Way
Learn argumentation from the ground up — straight from TOC and NSDA Senate National Champion Tyler Luu.
How to Structure an Argument
Let's start with the basics: how should a debater think about structuring an argument? Hear it directly from TOC and NSDA Senate National Champion, Tyler Luu.
Access Resource →Introduction to the Block Format
Once you understand the fundamentals of argumentation, watch this video to understand putting it into practice through the Block Format.
Access Resource →Sample Congress Case
Tyler Luu won the NSDA National Tournament with this case. This resource is intended as an example you can leverage to guide you in writing a speech in the Block Format.
Access Resource →Guide to Source Quality
Judges pay attention to the quality of the sources that you use in your speech.
Access Resource →Keep Going
Additional Resources
Drills, example speeches, and tools to keep you sharp between tournaments.
Presiding Officer Recency Sheet
If you plan to serve as a presiding officer in Congress, use this resource to keep track of speeches and questions.
Access Resource →Curated Example Speeches
We've curated a collection of example early, mid, and late round speeches.
Access Resource →Congress Drills
We've curated seven high-impact Congressional Debate drills you can do solo or with teammates.
Access Resource →