SPAR

Overview

SPAR is the gateway drug to competitive debate. You get a fun resolution ('Pineapple belongs on pizza'), a few minutes of prep, and a short back-and-forth with one opponent. It teaches you to think on your feet, structure arguments fast, and cross-examine without flinching.

Formats vary by league, but most SPAR rounds look like this:

• •Aff constructive (2 min) — explain why the resolution is true
• •Neg cross-ex of Aff (1 min)
• •Neg constructive (2 min) — explain why the resolution is false
• •Aff cross-ex of Neg (1 min)
• •Aff rebuttal (1.5 min) — attack Neg, defend Aff
• •Neg rebuttal (1.5 min) — final word, weigh the round

You don't have time for nuance. You have time for clarity.

• •0:00–0:30 — Define the key term in the resolution your way.
• •0:30–1:30 — Write 2 reasons your side is true. One emotional, one logical.
• •1:30–2:30 — Write 2 reasons the OTHER side will use, and a one-line answer to each.
• •2:30–3:00 — Pick your closing line. Write it down. Memorize it.

Every argument you make should hit all three or it's incomplete.

• •C — Claim. The one sentence you want the judge to believe.
• •A — Argument. Why is the claim true? Reasoning, not just assertion.
• •I — Impact. So what? Who is hurt, helped, or changed?

• ✕Arguing the wrong resolution because you didn't read it carefully
• ✕Making jokes instead of arguments — be funny AND right
• ✕Forgetting cross-ex is for setup, not for 'gotchas'
• ✕Never weighing — the judge has to choose, help them
• ✕Conceding by silence: if you don't respond, you lose the point

• →Flip drill: write a 60-second case FOR a resolution, then 60 seconds AGAINST it.
• →Cross-ex ladder: practice asking 3 questions in a row where each answer locks in the next.
• →30-second weighing: at the end of every practice round, give a 30-second 'why I won' speech.

Sample prompts