Getting better at lightning rounds

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Somewhere in the Stratosphere
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Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by Somewhere in the Stratosphere »

Players who have played state-based formats with lightning rounds, how do y'all get better at them and maximize your team's points on them? I need to do some late touching up on my game as a captain before the 2A state finals match in 2 weeks.
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by ChrisFromGCity »

Are they similar to the lightning rounds in NAQT's TV sets?
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by Somewhere in the Stratosphere »

ChrisFromGCity wrote: Sun Apr 13, 2025 7:24 pm Are they similar to the lightning rounds in NAQT's TV sets?
I would assume so. I think most lightning rounds across formats are similar.
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by justin.han24 »

This may be obsolete due to the LIQBA rounds being all descriptions, but there were some listing rounds at state. My biggest advice is to take your time, which may sound paradoxical but hear me out here. Often, you have more time than you think. Take a second to confirm answers with teammates and don't fumble your answers as captain.
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by Jacksondahammerbidney »

justin.han24 wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:21 am This may be obsolete due to the LIQBA rounds being all descriptions, but there were some listing rounds at state. My biggest advice is to take your time, which may sound paradoxical but hear me out here. Often, you have more time than you think. Take a second to confirm answers with teammates and don't fumble your answers as captain.
I would say this is the #1 piece of advice you can have. Also, try to predict the right answerlines (e.g for former 2024 presidential candidates it might ask you for the state), therefore you can get a head start thinking about it.

Also try to think about the answers the other team is giving, and maybe use paper to write down the answers you know the other team got wrong to be prepped for the bounceback.

NOTE: the 2024 presidential candidates lightning round exists in a CLEAR lightning round set, but the scenario is made up.
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by Jacksondahammerbidney »

Somewhere in the Stratosphere wrote: Sun Apr 13, 2025 4:59 pm Players who have played state-based formats with lightning rounds, how do y'all get better at them and maximize your team's points on them? I need to do some late touching up on my game as a captain before the 2A state finals match in 2 weeks.
try to have a wide range of what it could be asking: most lightning rounds may ask something pretty superficial. Here's an example I made up on Minnesota:

Nickname: Land of 10000 Lakes
Author of the Great Gatsby= Fitzgerald
This cc interstate ends in Duluth= I-35
and so on...
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by Somewhere in the Stratosphere »

Jacksondahammerbidney wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 12:32 pm
justin.han24 wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:21 am This may be obsolete due to the LIQBA rounds being all descriptions, but there were some listing rounds at state. My biggest advice is to take your time, which may sound paradoxical but hear me out here. Often, you have more time than you think. Take a second to confirm answers with teammates and don't fumble your answers as captain.
Also try to think about the answers the other team is giving, and maybe use paper to write down the answers you know the other team got wrong to be prepped for the bounceback.
Already doing this. The rest of your advice is appreciated, although I really meant things I can study/card/otherwise to get better at them. Thanks for everything though
Michael
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by Good Goblin Housekeeping »

There isn't anything specific to study for a lightning round I'm not really sure why anyone would have the idea that there is. Hypothetically if you had all the time in the world you could try to link as many things possible with tenuous links (famous edwards? authors from some state?) but your hit rate isn't going to be that high and just learning other stuff would probably be better for you while also having yields elsewhere.
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by oriley »

It’s probably not the most interesting answer, but to know more answers in lightning rounds, I would just recommend studying more quizbowl things. For example, if you find yourself missing medium parts of bonuses, those will probably be important to know at some point in the future.

I assume you practice lightning rounds in-person from time to time. That should take care of figuring out what pace you should go at, how much time you have to come up with a guess when you don’t know, and so on.

In any quizbowl format with lightning rounds, you’re about as likely to run into a topic on straight 1:1 associations (name the world capital, name the holder of the cabinet position…) as you are to find something like “Ireland” that requires you to know basics about Yeats’ poetry.
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Re: Getting better at lightning rounds

Post by Jacksondahammerbidney »

Somewhere in the Stratosphere wrote: Wed Apr 16, 2025 8:48 am
Jacksondahammerbidney wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 12:32 pm
justin.han24 wrote: Mon Apr 14, 2025 1:21 am This may be obsolete due to the LIQBA rounds being all descriptions, but there were some listing rounds at state. My biggest advice is to take your time, which may sound paradoxical but hear me out here. Often, you have more time than you think. Take a second to confirm answers with teammates and don't fumble your answers as captain.
Also try to think about the answers the other team is giving, and maybe use paper to write down the answers you know the other team got wrong to be prepped for the bounceback.
Already doing this. The rest of your advice is appreciated, although I really meant things I can study/card/otherwise to get better at them. Thanks for everything though
most of these lightning rounds are akin to basically a SC tu, which is basically an MS set... but have fun with them, especially if you're using the MN ones (which are very fun)
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