East Coast v. West Coast Parli: Spot the Differences!

Parli is practiced all over the world, but customs in the US alone differ so widely that two styles have emerged: "East Coast" and "West Coast." Learn the varying conventions!

Note that even these conventions may break down based on more specific regions. The best practice is to inquire about customs from distinct locations before competing.

	East Coast	West Coast
	American Parliamentary Debate Association (APDA)	National Parliamentary Debate Association (NPDA)
Prep time	15 minutes	20 minutes
Internet	No internet prep	Access to internet during prep
Striking	The team that wins a coin flip gets to decide either their side (gov or opp) or the resolution (from three choices). The other team then decides the remaining factor.	Teams are automatically assigned a side. Opp strikes one of three reses, then gov strikes another from the two remaining.
Case types	Fact, value, policy, narrative, link, etc. (customs vary)	Fact, value, policy
Stylistic values (policy)	Every aspect of the case is equally important	Having a functional plan that solves for harms is necessary to win

Know any other differences? Comment below!