April 4, 2026
Best Practices for Working Successfully with Your Partner in Debate
Written by Mahek Acharya Over 12 hours from Saturday morning to the evening gets spent with your team. You and your partner divide up blocks at midnight, and sit through rounds where one of you is on fire and the other is barely holding it together. You learn how to disagree with someone you respect,…
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March 28, 2026
Finding Your Voice: A Guide to Speaking Opportunities for Young Competitors
Written by Mahek Acharya You’ve mastered the art of constructing arguments in seven minutes. You can flow a debate round, respond to counterarguments, and deliver a compelling rebuttal under pressure. But what happens when you want to use these skills outside the tournament room? What if you’re hungry for more opportunities to speak, lead, and…
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March 27, 2026
How to do Blocking for Speech Events
Written by Jason Stansell There are a variety of techniques different coaches teach when it comes to blocking. Some are event specific, some are regional. I, coming from a theatre background, have a more theatre-based approach to coaching blocking. But “What is blocking?” you may ask… Blocking is the specific movements we do when we…
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March 24, 2026
Student Leader Feature: Captain Alisha Durbhakula
Written by Katherine Xue Hey PDA Fam! With phenomenal performances during February tournaments (including the recent Harvard invitational, which our students absolutely DEMOLISHED!), we’re back once again with another feature of our student leadership. She’s one of our captains, whose journey with Potomac Debate spans a decade. Captain Alisha Durbhakula is a senior at Winston…
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March 23, 2026
What I Like To Call The Most Important Speech
Written by Mahek Acharya Most people think debates are won during the final few statements. They spend hours crafting their position, rehearsing their evidence, perfecting their delivery and then at the end, many debaters believe that’s what is going to solidify the win. While that might be true, the second speech can have that same…
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