If you're in the United States, policy debate is a cancerous institution based around proving the opponent's position leads to an existential threat to the species and human civilization (usually global thermonuclear Armageddon). It teaches intellectual dishonesty, sophistry, and to switch positions and ideals as convenient to win the argument. The format of the game is structured in such way that it prioritizes speed of delivery in order to get more arguments on the table than the opposition can respond to in their allotted time over rhetorical skill or passion. In short, it's great preparation for taking on the Shapiros of the world!