麻豆社

The coach behind the team of New York inmates which defeated Harvard University in a debating competition has explained the secrets to their success.

David Register told 5 live that "hundreds of hours is an easy estimate of how much each individual person is putting in for any given debate."

Last month, inmates at the Eastern New York Correctional Facility challenged Harvard - the top-ranked club in the world - to a debate at the maximum-security lockup.

The prison offers courses taught by faculty from nearby Bard College, and the inmates have formed a popular debate club.

Register explained how the inmates have formal practice sessions, but it's what they do on their own which is the "really interesting" part.

"They call their families on the phone or meet them on visits and they talk ideas about how they should deal with certain arguments in the debate," he added.

"There are practices or discussions taking place when they are working out, when they are in the yard, when they are in the mess hall and in their cells".

This clip is originally from Up All Night on Friday 9 October 2015.

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