1) The Theory Playbook (practical, not doctrinal)

Use theory to preserve fair clash and protect the debate - not to avoid it.

A) Tight calls (when the case is unwinnable for Opp)

Concept. A case is “tight” if, even played perfectly, Opp has no reasonable, weighable path to a ballot.

When to call. LO calls it early and sets a burden story; Gov replies by showing a real Opp path and asking to weigh the debate.

  • Opp burden (common): Gov owes a fair, weighable Opp path; they haven’t left one - so fairness governs.
  • Gov pushback: There is an Opp route - name it - and invite the judge to weigh.

How to argue it. Name the unfair constraint → show why it kills weighability → (Opp) propose a fairness-preserving alternative or (Gov) show Opp’s winnable route.

Sample tight-block skeletons (Opp)

  • Policy tight: Actor/constraints pre-solve feasibility; no Opp path remains - call tight.
  • Moral tight: Standard defined so narrowly it excludes competing values (truism).
  • Actor-locked tight: Only one actor allowed; all contestable ground ruled out.

Rounds should hinge on accessible warrants, not obscure facts one side happens to know. If a decisive claim rests on niche specifics not in the PMC or common knowledge, ask to de-weight it unless rebuilt from first principles.

  • Opp challenge: “This hinges on niche info; de-weight unless warranted accessibly.”
  • Gov sanitize: “Even without the niche detail, the mechanism still yields the impact because [general causal story].”

If Gov’s world equals the current world, there’s nothing to weigh.

  • Opp: Prove equivalence with clear warrants; argue fairness (no comparative).
  • Gov: Show the delta (incentives, enforcement, scope) and ask to evaluate the debate.

If Gov’s model is lopsided/abusive, propose a fairer alternative that preserves topic spirit and restores clash. Keep it simple, symmetrical, and contestable.

Template: “Instead of [narrow/abusive], we defend [clean alternative] pursuing Gov’s aim while preserving weighable trade-offs.”

New independent arguments in rebuttals are illegit. If true “new” appears, stand for a POO; the judge rules and you move on.

  • If POO hits you: If new, withdraw or reframe as analysis of an existing line; if not, one sentence, then crystallize.
  • PMR vs new MO: Flag briefly; then center voters.

2) Framing: the lens that decides the ballot

Framing is the decision rule you hand the judge: the specific question they must answer to award the ballot (e.g., “Which world better reduces catastrophic risk within five years?”). A strong frame ties to weighing axes (magnitude, probability, timeframe, reversibility) and appears early - PMC/LOC - then dominates rebuttals.

Why it wins

  • Gives the judge a clear route to an RFD.
  • Spotlights hinges vs distractions.
  • Makes collapse clean and voters obvious.

How to set & keep it

  • Name the ballot question out loud.
  • Pick comparators (e.g., reversibility > magnitude) and justify.
  • Pre-empt their lens in one line.
  • Rebuttal discipline: organize LOR/PMR only by your frame.

If they framed first

Either absorb (“Under their lens we still win because…”) or replace (“That lens hides probability; the fairer question is…”). Always state which lens you want and why it matches the topic’s real trade-offs.

3) On-case vs Off-case (what belongs where)

On-case = direct responses to Gov’s text/mechanism (warrants, solvency, feasibility, scope, claimed impacts). Off-case = independent Opp positions beyond line-by-line: framework, counter-model, status-quo, theory (tight/spec), stand-alone disadvantages/principle objections.

Flow & balance

  • Two pages: off-case spine vs on-case surgery.
  • LOC: ~60–70% off-case spine; 30–40% on-case.
  • MG: rebuild on-case center, then neutralize off-case with warrants.
  • MO: extend best off-case; triage on-case; know where to lose.

Why it matters

  • Prevents drift and repetition.
  • Helps highlight drops and hinges fast.
  • Makes LOR/PMR voters cleaner.

4) How to Win Upper Rooms (roundcraft)

Decide the win-condition early

Say the ballot question out loud and make every minute serve it.

  • Catastrophic misuse risk vs mitigations
  • Agency for directly affected people (≤ 5 years)
  • Handling deep uncertainty (EV vs precaution)

Proactive weighing

  • Magnitude · Probability · Timeframe · Reversibility
  • Meta-weigh when incomparable (e.g., irreversible > reversible)
  • Use EV when grounded; precaution for tail risks

Stems: “Even if…, we win on magnitude because…”, “Their links are brittle → we win probability”, “Our harm is irreversible…”

Warrant engineering

  • Stack independent warrants (mech / analogical / principle).
  • Pre-empt failure modes (“even if uptake is lower…”).
  • Impact, then weigh, every time.

Framing wars & preemption

State what matters and inoculate: “Common response is X - here’s why it misses the hinge.” Two clean lines now save minutes later.

Time-allocation defaults

  • PMC (7:30): :30 roadmap; 1:00 context; 2:00 mech; 3:00–6:30 2–3 adv + weighing; :60 ballot story.
  • LOC (8:30): :30 stance+burden (tight/spec/SQ if real); 2:30 mech clash; 4:00 best-line answers; 1:30 weigh + Opp world.
  • MG (8:30): 1:00 roadmap/center; 4:00 rebuild; 2:00 targeted answers; 1:30 PMR setup.
  • MO (8:30): 1:00 roadmap; 4:00 extend best Off; 2:00 mitigate/turn; 1:30 LOR voters frame.
  • LOR (4:30): :30 ballot Q; 2:30 2–3 voters with weighing; 1:30 shut PMR doors.
  • PMR (5:30): :30 ruling/new; 3:30 2–3 voters + meta-weigh; 1:30 ballot instruction.

Collapse trees

Gov: “We win on (1) high-probability mechanism; (2) irreversible benefits. Even if some mitigation, magnitude+reversibility decide.”
Opp: “We win on (1) feasibility hole crashing probability; (2) better world under SQ or fair counter-model. Even if some upside, probability/timeframe decide.”

5) Tactical Discipline: concede, track, and conserve

Concede on purpose

  • Concede low-impact trivia not moving your frame.
  • Concede non-hinge links when they waste clock.
  • Concede background if undisputed.

Track drops (without panic)

  • Two-page flow: off-case spine vs on-case surgery.
  • Symbols: Ø drop, ✱ hinge, ↑ strengthen, ↓ weaken, → extend, ⌛ timeframe, R rev.
  • End-of-speech 10-sec scan; forecast likely drops; cash them as voters.

Mental resource management

  • Prep split: one sculpts mechanism; one stress-tests, banks warrants, plans responses; last 2:00 for lens + roadmaps.
  • In-round blocks: MG center-first; MO push best offense. Rebuttals = voters only.
  • Partner signals: tap = move on; two fingers = weigh now; circled = voter (agree signals beforehand).

6) Advanced Role Guides

PMC

  • Clear resolution; fair defs; precise mechanism (who/what/how/enforcement).
  • 2–3 advantages with redundant warrants and early weighing.
  • Fairness note to show it’s a debate, not a trap.

Traps: vague actors; hiding the ball; context that starves warrants.

MG

  • Re-center the heart of case; rebuild with warrant density.
  • One deep new insight > many thin re-tags.
  • Set up PMR: announce collapse and lens.

Traps: chasing every LO tag; re-tagging without warrants.

LOC

  • Stance + burden story (tight/spec/SQ if real).
  • Group and answer warrants, not just tags.
  • Offer counter-model if mechanism is abusive.
  • Begin Opp world and weigh.

Traps: hitting everything shallowly; conceding mech by nitpicking.

MO

  • Extend the best Opp offense with clarity.
  • Mitigate/turn the biggest Gov advantage; weigh.
  • Ladder to LOR voters; label them now.

Traps: re-summarizing LO; going wide instead of deep.

LOR

  • One ballot question; two or three voters with explicit weighing.
  • Use any POO ruling succinctly; get back to what matters.
  • Give a one-sentence round story the judge can repeat.

Traps: new lines; laundry lists; implicit weighing.

PMR

  • 10–20s for ruling/new push if needed; then recenter.
  • Two or three voters that squarely meet LOR’s story.
  • Ballot instruction: under our lens, X dominates.

Traps: chasing everything; failing to say how to vote.

7) Case & Motion Modeling at Varsity Level

Gov case design (fair · simple · winnable)

  • Clarity: who acts, with what power, how enforced.
  • Contestability: Opp can win via feasibility, principle, or comparative.
  • Avoid hazards: not truistic; not secretly SQ; not reliant on esoterica.

Mechanism hygiene: actor → action → incentives/constraints → enforcement → compliance.

Motions prep (15 minutes)

  • Team roles: sculptor vs stress-tester; switch if stuck; last 2:00 for lens + roadmaps.
  • Topic triage: brainstorm 3 framings; pick 1 clean & clashable; commit.
  • POCs: clarify scope/terms; don’t fish for strategy.
  • Heuristics: 3′ map; 6′ mechanism+advantages; 3′ pre-empts; 3′ roadmaps+weighing.

8) Judge Adaptation (without pandering)

Know your judge

  • New judges: clarity, structure, plain language.
  • Experienced: still want explicit weighing and clean voters.

Translation table

  • Framework → “Here’s how to decide this round.”
  • Impact calculus → “Why our outcome matters more/sooner/irreversibly.”
  • Turn → “Their argument actually helps our side because…”

Speaks reality: Structure, warrant density, and comparative analysis raise speaks. Give the judge a story they can write.

9) Flowing at Speed (advanced)

Your flow is your map

  • Columns for speeches; rows for issues.
  • Mark drops; circle hinges.
  • Build a weighing map in margins (“We win #2 by prob+timeframe; they only have mag”).

Symbols & medium

  • → extension, ↑ strengthen, ↓ weaken, ✱ hinge, Ø drop, ⌛ TF, R rev.
  • Paper vs digital: pick what you can read under pressure; one template only.

10) Practice Regimen (how to actually get elite)

Open Practice Tools →

11) Quick reference: protected time, POIs, optionality

12) Equity & Fairness in Advanced Tactics

Read our Equity Policy → Learn PDU Leadership → Contact Us →

13) References & Next Steps

Resources Library → Practice Tools → Beginner Guide → APDA Home →