Advanced World Schools Debate Winter Academy

About this program

The Advanced Winter Academy is for students who already know what a World Schools round looks like and want the break to make them harder to beat in the second half of the season. It is six two-hour classes on the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of December 21–23 and December 28–30, twelve hours in all, with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day left free. The work starts where the beginner academy ends. Students run full impromptu prep inside the one-hour window, build second-line arguments and the comparative that separates a third speech from a first, and debate judged rounds adjudicated to the standard used at real tournaments. Every student leaves with written feedback against the Style / Content / Strategy criteria and a placement note for Term 2, which begins January 8.

When it meets

The academy meets on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for two weeks, which keeps Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day free. Pick the time option that suits where you will be over the break. Times show in your timezone by default, and you can switch it below.

What students achieve

• ✓Run a full impromptu prep cycle inside the one-hour window using a repeatable method
• ✓Build second-line arguments and the comparative that wins close rounds
• ✓Handle second-, third-, and reply-speaker responsibilities as distinct jobs
• ✓Take and answer points of information under real pressure
• ✓Debate judged rounds adjudicated to tournament standard, with written feedback

What a session looks like

Every class runs the same loop, so students always know the shape of the hour.

1. 0:00

   Round debrief

   The coach walks back through the last session’s round: what the adjudication rewarded and the one habit to fix today.

2. 0:15

   Skill block

   One piece of craft taught directly, with clips or worked examples from real rounds rather than theory.

3. 0:40

   Drilling under pressure

   Timed reps of the skill, whether that is a prep cycle, a rebuttal, or taking points of information mid-speech.

4. 1:15

   Judged round

   A full or partial round adjudicated to tournament standard, so every session ends in real competitive speaking.

5. 1:45

   Individual feedback

   Each debater leaves with specific notes on their own speech, not a general debrief of the room.

Curriculum

What's included

• ✓Six live 2-hour classes over two weeks (12 hours in total, $32 an hour)
• ✓A judged round in every session with oral adjudication, not just the final one
• ✓Written feedback mapped to the Style / Content / Strategy criteria after each round
• ✓The full printable resource library: speaker cheat sheets, the prep-hour planner, and the motion bank
• ✓A placement note recommending the right Term 2 class or squad

Who teaches it

Biser Angelov · World Schools Coach

Won the European University Debating Championships. Finished top 16 in the world at WUDC.

Tin Puljić · Debate Coach

2021 World Universities Debating Champion. Best ESL Speaker at WUDC 2020 and 2021.

Matt Mauriello · Debate & Writing Coach

Won the Yale Invitational on the APDA circuit. Reached the final at multiple APDA tournaments.

Cailyn Min · World Schools Coach

Best Open Speaker at WSDC Panama 2025, a first for Team USA. USA National WSDC Team, 5th place at Worlds 2025.

Peregrine Beckett · Program Director

Semifinalist at the Tournament of Champions in Lincoln-Douglas. Named best speaker at the Harvard Invitational.

Full credentials for the whole team are on the coaches page.

Our students got accepted into

How enrollment works

1. 1

   Enroll and pay

   Secure checkout takes a minute. You enter each student’s details and pay for the enrollment unit shown below.

2. 2

   We reach out in 24–48 hours

   A coach contacts you to welcome the student, confirm the age group and time slot, and answer any questions.

3. 3

   Placement and first session

   We place the student in the right class and send the class link and materials before the first meeting.

Enrollment is covered by our Refund Policy and Terms of Service.

Read this before you start

Everything below is free and needs no account. It is the background the first few sessions of Advanced World Schools Winter Academy assume.

• The winter debate camp, explained

  Both tracks, the three time options, and what the two weeks cost.

• Weighing: how close rounds get decided

  Internal versus external weighing, and why it belongs in every speech.

• The whip speech

  Reorganizing a messy round into clashes, which the intensive drills hardest.

• Building a case file

  Printed material is legal in the prep room; this is what to bring.

• The motion bank

  12,400+ real motions, filterable by topic and type for scrimmages.

• Where to compete next

  The US circuit and the international opens, for the months after the academy.

Frequently asked questions