The online summer debate camp
Two weeks, six live sessions, real judged debates. Our summer bootcamps compress a beginner term of World Schools training into 12 hours of small-group coaching for ages 9 to 16, online across US time zones.
The August 2026 session has wrapped. Summer 2027 opens for enrollment in the spring.
What two weeks of debate camp should produce
A camp is judged by what the student can do on the last day that they could not do on the first. Ours is built backwards from that test: by the final session, every camper has constructed arguments with the four-layer structure, rebutted live opponents, and debated full practice rounds that a coach judged and wrote feedback on. The format is World Schools Debate, the international 3-on-3 style debated at NSDA Nationals and the world championships, where every student speaks every round.
Two tracks, one design
Beginner bootcamp (ages 9–16)
Zero experience assumed. Six 2-hour sessions in groups of 6 to 8, ending with real judged practice debates. 12 hours of live instruction.
About the beginner bootcampAdvanced bootcamp
For students who already compete: competition-pace rounds, impromptu prep against the clock, and feedback against the 40/40/20 judging criteria.
About the advanced bootcampComparing camps? Compare honestly
An online bootcamp is not the same product as a residential institute, and depending on the student, either can be the right call. Our guide to American debate summer camps maps the whole landscape, including programs that compete with ours, and gives the four questions that separate strong camps from expensive ones. Until camp season, the motion bank and the free resource library are the same materials campers train with.
Who you'll train with
Every program is taught by national-team coaches and championship finalists, the same roster across the pathway.
Tin Puljić
2021 World Universities Debating Champion
Cailyn Min
Best Open Speaker, WSDC 2025
Peregrine Beckett
Head-coached the Columbia Debate Society
Biser Angelov
Coaches Bulgaria’s national team
Netra Easwaran
Yale Debate Association
Mac Hays
4th Place, NSDA Nationals
Zach Fleeser
Oxford · Multiple TOC qualifications
Matt Mauriello
Harvard College Debating Union
Common questions
How much does the summer debate camp cost?
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The 2026 bootcamps were $328 for 12 hours of live instruction, which works out to $27 an hour. Pricing for summer 2027 is published when enrollment opens; the programs page always carries current prices.
Is the camp online or in person?
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Fully online and fully live: six 2-hour sessions over two weeks, in groups of 6 to 8 students, scheduled for US time zones. No travel, no recordings-instead-of-teaching.
Does my child need debate experience to join?
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No. The beginner bootcamp assumes zero experience and ends with students debating real practice rounds. Students who already compete can take the advanced bootcamp, which runs at competition pace.
What happens after camp ends?
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Camp graduates typically continue into the fall Foundation class or, for experienced debaters, the Competition Team. The bootcamp curriculum is the first two weeks of the same training system, so nothing is relearned.
Don't want to wait for summer?
The same 12-hour course runs over the winter break, December 21 to 30, as the Winter Academy. The weekly Foundation class also starts from zero and uses the curriculum the bootcamp is cut from. A short free call will tell you which fits.