There are two things you will have to study if you want to participate
in debate:
The principles
of debate—logic, evidence, case construction, proof,
refuting arguments, rebuttal, the brief, etc. Pick 3 or 4 debate books
out of the debate bibliography located elsewhere on this web page and
study them
thoroughly (I especially recommend An Introduction to Argumentation
and Debate by Christy Farris). View the debate video put out by Home
School Legal Defense (watch it several times). Observe as many debates
as you can. This will be difficult for some, but you might look into
attending some college debates or government high school debates or
private school debates. The more you observe and study the more familiar
you will become with the procedures and terminology of debate.The current debate topic. Each year there will be a different topic.
It is best if you can start
studying in June the topic for the coming
school year. Studying the current debate topic is the most important
part and the most time consuming part of debating. You must study the
subject thoroughly, to learn all that is to be known about it. The more
time and effort you give to preparation, the more effective debating
you will do. The following are a few ideas on how to approach the study
of ANY debate topic. Some of this information is taken from How to Debate
by Summers, Whan, and Rousse.