What People Say About Us

During high school, I debated 1-on-1 Lincoln Douglas debate, where I finished 3rd at the 2015 Harvard Invitational. I spent about 40 hours during high school tutoring 1-on-1 with DebateDrills' founder, Paras. The methods that Paras has used to build DebateDrills' coaching programs are the same methods he used to teach me. DebateDrills' differentiates itself by providing exceptional attention to detail to help students identify and fix mistakes that they aren’t even aware they are making. Even though I was 2 years into competing at a high level when I started working with Paras and had attended several large summer debate camps, I didn’t reach my potential as a debater until learning from Paras. In particular, I learned how to win messy debates with clear and decisive final rebuttal speeches. Paras was also very helpful for tournament preparation. Leading up to big tournaments, he helped me think through different round scenarios to ensure I was prepared for whatever my opponents threw at me. Paras’ preparation approach was valuable because he let me do all the actual research myself, and then helped me revise and optimize my case positions. This ensured that I knew my evidence well because I did my own research, and this same philosophy is why DebateDrills has been the most successful debate coaching program in the United States since 2017. I would highly recommend utilizing the coaching programs Paras has designed with DebateDrills if you want to excel in competitive debate.

I participated in the Debate Club for 3 years (2017-2020), did 100 hours of 1-on-1 tutoring with several DebateDrills Instructors, and did 6 days of in-person boot camps with the founder, Paras. Over my competitive career, I won 8 major national tournaments, received over 20 bids to the TOC, and was a top-10 ranked national Lincoln-Douglas debate competitor my 10th-12th grade seasons. DebateDrills has made me a better debater, teammate, and leader. DebateDrills coaches were always eager to help, making themselves available on Slack, calls, and practices to teach new concepts, run drills, and answer questions. Their commitment to excellence showed in the way the staff constantly looked for ways to improve the DebateDrills experience, whether through streamlining technology, increasing accountability, or making tournament coaching more efficient. Finally, the sense of camaraderie I felt at tournaments with the other DebateDrills coaches and students was incredible.

I participated in the DebateDrills Speech and Debate Club for 1 year and did ~30 additional hours of 1-on-1 tutoring with Paras Kumar and Raffi Piliero. In my 12th grade season (2018-2019), I won the Tournament of Champions and the National Speech and Debate Association tournament. For me, the biggest benefit to joining DebateDrills was being part of a true, tight-knit team. The coaches are almost always on Slack, eager to answer questions, give advice, or just chat. They are truly invested. DebateDrills students make lasting friendships and are excited to see each other succeed. If you feel overwhelmed at tournaments, then the Debate Club is almost certainly something you should consider. DebateDrills insists on teaching students how to engage in ethical and quality research and win debates straight up. If you join DebateDrills, you’ll end the year with pride in how you did at every tournament and pride in how you’ve grown as a debater. The results speak for themselves.

I did Speech and Debate at Cupertino High School for 4 years (2016-2020). I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have been on the DebateDrills Debate Club for all 4 years of high school. The coaches are all kind and invested in student success. They, along with my DebateDrills teammates, made speech and debate tournaments easier and more fun. Whether I needed help navigating tournament logistics, strategy advice before a round, or help with writing position papers, the coaches were always eager to assist. They actually care about the students as people, and that care really shows. If you’re considering getting debate coaching from DebateDrills, I would definitely say you should do it!

It’s hard to pinpoint only one benefit of DebateDrills above all the rest, but for me, the emphasis on team spirit really stood out. Before joining DebateDrills, my school team didn’t have many debaters trying to compete at the highest level, and most didn’t have my level of commitment. While I worked hard to prepare for tournaments, my school teammates were not as motivated, which meant that I lacked both the preparation and practice of larger teams. That all changed when I joined DebateDrills. As a member of the DebateDrills Debate Club, I walked into tournaments with nearly too much preparation, not too little. Moreover, there were more opportunities for practice than I could take advantage of. Team members were always eager to practice or just chat about debate. Perhaps even more importantly, I had finally found a true team. My DebateDrills teammates shared my passion. Because of DebateDrills, I not only had access to the very best speech and debate coaches in the country, but also had a group of friends to support me at every tournament. After high school, I received my B.S. in EECS from UC Berkeley and was hired as a software engineer at Playstation, where I currently work. Even though I work in computer software, not politics or law, my time at DebateDrills plays a huge role in my professional success. It no doubt contributed to my admission to UC Berkeley, and it taught me teamwork, public speaking, critical thinking, and organizational skills that help me every day.

I am a software engineer with Amazon and graduated from the University of California, San Diego, in 2018. I was part of the inaugural batch of DebateDrills’ 1st year as a formal coaching service during the 2014-2015 debate season. If you’re on the fence, you won’t be disappointed by joining DebateDrills. If there’s any aspect of debate that you think you can improve at personally, joining DebateDrills will help you achieve that goal. Debatedrills provided very helpful preparation and guidance in implementing competitive strategies and winning rounds. It was a crucial bridge between simply preparing for a tournament and effectively winning debates at competitive tournaments. Debate coaching with DebateDrills provided me a uniquely enjoyable experience in high school.

I received my B.A. from the University of Chicago in March, 2021 and work as a researcher with professors at UChicago. I was the 2017 United States National Circuit Speech and Debate Champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate, being the 1st ranked debater out of 4000 competitors. Starting in the summer of my 10th grade, I streamlined my entire Speech and Debate coaching through DebateDrills. Over 24 months, I extensively pursued every coaching service they offer, including the DebateDrills Debate Club Team, the DebateDrills Debate Camp, and 1:1 private debate tutoring. After having received well over 1000 hours of private speech and debate coaching and education from DebateDrills and winning the most prestigious and difficult high school debate competition in America, I can confidently say that they are by and far the best Speech and Debate coaches in the United States. I attended a high school in Arizona that had no established Lincoln-Douglas program and ended my 12th grade as the #1 national circuit Lincoln-Douglas debater in the United States. DebateDrills' coaching staff understands debate at a deeper level than anyone else - they are subject matter experts who will make sure you are persuasive, coherent, strategic, and rhetorical efficiency at the highest levels. I fervently believe they are the best Speech and Debate coaches in the United States, but I am even more confident they are the hardest working. They think about debate 24/7 and it reflects in their sustained excellence. If you get the chance to work with them, take the work seriously and work hard—you will improve, rapidly.

I'm currently the founder and owner of a web design agency, which I started after I received my B.S. in Finance from Northeastern University. I was a student with DebateDrills for 15 months towards the end of high school. DebateDrills changed my debate career when I was in high school. They are, without a doubt, the best speech and debate coaches in the United States. The coaches taught me lasting skills I still use today in my everyday life, and encouraged the enthusiasm and habits that drove me to practice every day. If I had worked with anyone else, I doubt I would have had any of the success I had, such as winning a prestigious invite-only Round Robin and finishing 5th out of 400 competitors in the Varsity Division of one of the largest Speech and Debate tournaments in the United States: the UC Berkeley Invitational. I enthusiastically recommend DebateDrills without qualification nor reservation. Brennan Caruthers, B.S. Northeastern University