I joined a debating club in my younger days. It was my attempt to be a faster thinker and more articulate in my speech. Personal success in this endeavor was questionable.

Part of a formal debate are the rebuttals and refutation. This means a debater must identify a point the other side is making, bring it up in their discussion, and counter that point with a point of their own.

If a point is made by the other side and it is not addressed, the judges award one point to that side.

If the point is addressed, the judges will award a point to the side that makes the better argument.

But here's the bottom line:not addressing the points of the other side means losing the match. It does not matter how eloquent the arguments one makes for his/her own side.

If the two sides are not addressing each other's points, that is not a debate. It is a shouting match.

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BTW, judging a debate is really good practice for listening. There should be at least three judges for things are often missed.

Things move fast in a debate.