Karthik: Effective FIRST Strategies 2010

[Karthik]

With the Championships in Atlanta rapidly approaching, I'd like to remind teams of the FIRST Robotics Conference which will be taking place. There are going to be some very exciting conferences, especially the panel discussion being led by JVN at 7:15 PM (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84097) on Wednesday evening. Earlier in the evening at 5:00 PM, I will once again be delivering my seminar on Effective FIRST Strategies. Here is a thread discussing last year's edition of this seminar:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76778

And the abstract:

This presentation focuses on three major areas, Strategic Design, Match Planning/Execution, and Scouting. Rather than spending time on equations and detailed calculations, the Strategic Design gives a more high-level overview of how to design an FRC robot. This portion of the presentation includes sections on such often neglected strategic design areas such as Game Analysis, Chokehold Strategies, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Task Prioritization, and Tradeoffs using case studies from past games. The Match Planning/Execution section of the presentation discusses effective habits and strategies that will help lead a team to victory. This is a must for those who enjoy the strategic aspects of FIRST. The Scouting section deals with effective techniques to collect information on your partners/opponents, and how to make the most of this data. The presentation is filled with entertaining and insightful historical FIRST anecdotes from the past 12 years. With the information in this presentation, you can turn your team from a mere competitor to a perennial powerhouse!

To make things more current, I'll probably spend a good amount of time discussing the current scoring and ranking system and the various strategies and the ethical issues associated with them. If there are any other topics people would like me to focus on, please let me know.

Also, if you're coming down early on Wednesday make sure you check out Raul's pneumatics presentation right before mine, and JVN's presentation on the engineering design process immediately after mine. It should be a great night for any FIRST or engineering junkie.

For more information on all the conferences, please visit the following link:

http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/firstplace/content.aspx?id=11300

[Meredith Novak]

Karthik,

Are you going to tell us the story of the 3-legged wildebeest? Please, please.

[ExTexan]

I am really looking forward to your discussion.

I'll probably spend a good amount of time discussing the current scoring and ranking system and the various strategies and the ethical issues associated with them.

I just threw these numbers together and I'm sure there is much more depth than this but at the Michigan State Championship with 65 teams:

Seeding rankings 13, 14, 15, 17, and 18 were not selected for the top 24.

Seeding rankings 44, 45, 47, 48, and 62 were selected in the top 24 with 45 as the fourth pick and 62 selected by the top seeded alliance and eventual victors.

I apologize if my numbers or team numbers are incorrect but it certainly speaks to the seeding rankings. Huge importance for top 8.....much less for the rest of the pack.

[Tom Line]

I'm not surprised the picks went that way. There are completely different criteria and weighting for the second pick than there are the first.

Generally speaking, the second pick is a defensive pick. Therefore, many robots get thrown out of the mix simply becuase of small things like their lack of acceleration, speed, or traction. Those robots may be excellent offensive bots, but no-so-good defensive ones.

[Wayne TenBrink]

[QUOTE=ExTexan;948397]

Seeding rankings 44, 45, 47, 48, and 62 were selected in the top 24 with 45 as the fourth pick and 62 selected by the top seeded alliance and eventual victors.


Hmmmm. I'm getting off topic, but this is the first I've heard this. I'm not in charge of scouting, but it goes to show how low the importance of seeding rank is when looking for a good 2nd pick partner. Never despair.

I would be interested to hear what JVN has to say. The difficulty and importance of scouting is underrated by so many. I think some of our students consider it is a form of punishment.

[The Lucas]

I would be interested to hear what JVN has to say. The difficulty and importance of scouting is underrated by so many. I think some of our students consider it is a form of punishment.

I'm sure JVN will say something (usually heckling from the back) but Karthik will be talking for most of the strategy presentation. JVN's panel (http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=84097) is afterwards in the same room (come early get a good seat for all the presentations).

"Scouting is not a punishment" is an important point of Karthik's presentation. Making strategy fun for my team is my focus since I attended Karthik talk a few years ago. His talk inspires you to improve your approach to strategy.
Examples of improvements my team made:
-More technology usage
-Getting to know the team you are scouting
-More lively Friday night meetings
-Fantasy FIRST Draft for the strategy team before the event w/ prizes for winners.