becoming a better debator...

[RedImperator]

Get your ass kicked a few times and figure out what you did wrong.

[RogueIce]

Get your ass kicked a few times and figure out what you did wrong.

Hopefully in a manner such that you won't get a VI title in the meantime.

[Alyrium Denryle]

Suggestions on how I might undertake such a task?

Do what I did. Find message boards where the majority disagrees with you on something...

[Wicked Pilot]

Suggestions on how I might undertake such a task?

Know what you are debating would be the obvious. If your knowledge is not perfect, at lease get a well functioning bullshit detector.

[Joe]

Try and debate Patrick Degan, Darth Wong, or Master of Ossus on something at length.

[Darth Wong]

Wicked Pilot's advice is quite good; it's much harder to get your ass kicked when you know the subject well. People who get krunked usually suffer because they try to bluff their way through talk of things they only understand very superficially, if at all.

Also: if someone makes a claim and an obvious rebuttal doesn't come to you immediately, then by all means, look it up or ask him to back it up. You'd be amazed how many claims evapourate or result in embarassing backpedaling when someone either investigates or demands details and sources.

PS. If you take a hit on a minor point, just concede it and move on. You can only lose an argument if you lose on the MAIN point; a loss on a minor point is nothing more than a distraction, but many debaters have dug themselves embarassing holes by fighting for every minor point.

[Enforcer Talen]

Id reccomend specializing, to begin with. for myself, Im rather good at debating fundies, and leaping into their websites helps a lot.

[RedImperator]

Recognize the limits of your knowledge. I wouldn't tangle with Darth Wong or MoO in a science debate, but I'd argue politics with anybody. It helps to argue the subject you love.

Also, if you don't know everyting about a subject, at least know where to go to find the information you need. Knowing where to find the text of SCOTUS decisions or budget statistics has pulled my ass out of the fire a few times.

[Durandal]

Know your subject, and I mean know it. Parroting arguments found on Mike Wong's site does not make you a good debater. If you school offers a critical reasoning course, take it. Joining a debate team would also be a good idea.

[otter]

Bah! Online debating is rather pointless. Why I'm just here for the off-line humor factor

[Alyrium Denryle]

What Talen said about specializing is a good idea. I am reasonably skilled at debating evolution, and ethics. Not to mention homosxuality(though I was wrong on something a few hours ago )

Politics I am delving into(though I suck with the economic side, I prefer to stay on the social)

Specialize at first, then as you get better, branch out into different subjects.

And kow your logial fallcies, I cant stress that enough. Know them and grow to love them, often times, even if it seems as if they have a solid point, being able to identify a flaw in their logic that will cause it to eat itself.... It will often win th debate for you.

[InnerBrat]

Have a wealth of information at your fingertips.

If you're debating science, then see if you can't get an Athens subscription (Educational Bodies usually have institutional subscriptions.) try to keep your references impeccable, and don't lower yourself to any standard your opponent might be using.
Be wary about citing 'some site I found on Google' because any biased idiot can have a website. peer-published articles such as those of http://wos.mimas.ac.uk are useful, as are .gov, .edu, .ac.uk domains.

Be aware of common fallacies, and most importantly, be able to spot a strawman.

[Darth Fanboy]

Just ask me, Im a Master Debator

Have a wealth of information at your fingertips.

That's step One!