Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Hey my name is Dustin and I am 816's newest driver. This season will be my first in any actual FIRST regional events (I have driven at Ramp Riot) and I was hoping that some other veteran drivers and anyone else could share any tips or other advise with me.

P.S. I'll be a NJ, Philly and the Championships

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Here are few tips that I would give...

1) Make sure you work with your operator and have a good relationship with him/her.
2) Listen to your coach. Make sure the drive team agrees on the strategy before going into the field for a match.
3) Don't get nervous, have fun while you are driving.


... good luck Dustin.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

I know that this is going to sound weird (and don't sick your mom on me) but play video games or competitive sports for a few hours 2-3 days leading up to competitions. In addition to what Arefin listed, the ability to respond to something that happens in the blink of an eye is essential.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

1) DON'T PANIC
2) Practice your listening skills
3) Don't be stupid :D

Good luck!

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Know your robot, and more importantly, the symptoms that occur when something goes wrong. If a failure occurs on the field, it is often important to diagnose it (even if it's a vague one) during the match, so you know how to work around it and you can inform your alliance partners. The coach and human player will likely be busy doing other things, so this should mainly be a driver task.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

go to church the sunday before the event.


it helps

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

wear a motorcross helmet, makes you cool, ups your confidence :D



but seriously:

Practice Practice Practice
Think of situations and know how to avoid them or get out of them

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

ok from the 1745 drivers handbook(its a verbal handbook), the order is not important.

1. drive it like you stole it.
2. dance/air guitar/air drums before matches
3. watch at least 2 of the webcasts to get a good look on how other teams are playing the game, and to better familiarize your self with some of the subtle strategy points.
4. listen to your coach.
5. listen to your operator/driver
6. listen to your self.
7. do not listen to the people watching in the stands about how you "should" have played the last match. their point of view is very different from yours.
8. there is no shame in losing to a superior team.
9. there is no rule nine
10. you cant win every match
11. we can always rebuild a robot but we can never replay a match
12. if you are ever in doubt about what to do after winning a match please see the rock concert movement guide 2.0
13. above all else remember this is only a game, so have fun

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Drive it like you stole it! :]



And make sure you have fun.... cause, come on now, your playing with robots!
stay calm, and at ease. If your all crazy and nervous and such, your team will be as well. Your a leader!
have fun. do crazy dances to get your self excited! don't syke yourself out!
have fun.
make sure your drive team is really tight, as in friendships. it's extremely important that you guys can have fun together, but perform well as a team!

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

I drive it like its mine. Because I designed and built part of it. But thats just me.

I like this thread. I would have liked to have read this thread before I started driving. Even for a experienced driver like me, its still good to be reminded before the regionals start up again. I haven't really driven since Cal Games!

Just have fun, because it is fun. You'll make mistakes, no doubt, but don't let it get to you. Its just a game. A very very fun game. Good luck.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

I was once talked into driving...

I touched the OI and everything broke... I have NEVER touched the OI again...

But as coach I can tell you right now that your most valuable skill is the ability to change strategy instantly. If something breaks, adopt a new strategy and keep playing. If a manipulator/shooter/scoring device is not working successfully, shift gears and play defense. What you don't want to do is struggle to make a broken device work.

READ THE MANUAL! There is nothing worse then loosing a match b/c of penalties...

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

I'm in about the same situation that you (dustin) are in, and thus far the greatest things i've learned are...

1. LISTEN TO YOUR COACH (hes the coach for a reason)
2. Block out the venue and the stands, play the game.
3. When the competition starts pushing you around, tell yourself "Focus".
4. if at all possible, find a good co-op game and play it with the other driver to get a feel for his style.
5. Walk to the match as if you already won it, silent confidence destroys the competition.
6. again, LISTEN TO YOUR COACH.

thats about all my noob-self can tell you, hope you do good!

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Be honest about your robot. If you can't do something, tell your alliance partners. Don't exaggerate at all. It's much better to under-promise and over-deliver than vice versa.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Thank you so much for the prompt responses! I ask though can you keep the advice coming because this will be good for me and all other rookie drivers (and some vets.).

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

I just try to stay calm.
You have a pit crew for a reason they fix whatever breaks so don't hold back
Play the game like its supposed to be played and read the rules.
To me matches seem to really go slow when your driving so i just take things slow. Maybe its just me though.:confused:

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Know the limits of the bot. Keep moves as simple and quick as possible. Know when to back off when playing defense to have a better angle to stop scoring. Have a heart when playing defense, don't destroy the other bot. DO NOT GET NERVOUS. Get along with operator. Get along with the coach. Listen to the coach. Don't get a big head and feel like your above going to the stands and watching matches with your team. (If time permits.) Always, keep it cool. Finally, as many said before me, drive it like you stole it!

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Here is what i have learned over the past two seasons as my team's operator:

1.) STAY CALM! - this is the most important one of all, i cant tell you how much easer it is to score in that last second when you are in control.
2.) a little ego goes a long way - (be confident, after all there should be a reason your team wants you to do the job your doing)
3.) Make sure that you know what is going on just as much as your coach, she/he is there to help find the best move, but 3 heads are better than 1
4.) Talk - figure out a way to quickly and concisely describe what is happening on the field and communicate your next move. ("score on that foot" does not work as well as "Spoiler on eight - high")
5.) practice driving anything you can get your hands on and make obstacle courses to drive through.
6.) The drive team is a TEAM - you should be working together, never go into a match bickering amongst each other.
7.) Play tactics games with the other members of your drive team, games that require co-operation to be successful. This helps you get in the proper mind set to think on your feat.
9.) Play to win on the field but as soon as the robot is disabled at the end of the match remember: no hard feelings and GP is more important than being angry.
8.) HAVE FUN! It is so much easier to drive when your having fun.

Good luck and have fun!

-Dan Karol

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

One of the things that I can reccomend is keeping your head out on the field. In the heat of the moment, people yell, and some of them sound very angry when yelling. Don't get defensive, and keep your cool. As long as you remove yourself from the picture, and just focus on being an extension of the OI, you'll do fine.

Oh, and also, as the head drive train guy from 114, don't be afraid to bash up your bot on another. As it's been said before: you can always fix the bot, but a match is done once that buzzer sounds.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Make sure you not only pay attention to your robot, but to everything else that's happening on the field. Be aware of what other robots are doing on both alliances. Make sure you listen to what the other teams in your alliance are saying during the match.

Most of all just have fun. I get nervous sometimes before a match but as soon as the bell rings I forget about everything and just focus.

Just remember that mistakes do happen and that you can't fix the past. If something breaks on your robot, don't get upset. Focus on the problem and fix it so you can be even better in your next match :)

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Don't panic.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

That goes double (well, more like 100x more) for coaches! TUNNEL VISION IS BAD

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

1. Build Teamwork
2. Listen to what your other team members say.
3. Always no your strategry.
4. Defense isn't bad it is important don't be afraid to play it.
5. Become on with the robot.
6. HAVE FUN
7. Hey there is always another round.
8. Don't lose track of time it is very important.

I need to start brushing off last year's control box I haven't driven since Championship.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Which championship--FRC or VEX (CSUN)? (I was one of the refs at CSUN, and I'm sure I saw you there.)

The most important advice--communicate, focus, and keep your cool. Second? Practice every chance you get.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Wow I forgot about that. A little different controls but that is another good way to practice if available with a VEX robot.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

playing defense is not hitting a team when they are tipped over. On practice day there is no reason to be ruff its just practice. When playing defense be careful not to damage other robots. Have fun and play safe but nevr be afraid to hit stuff

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Ill speak from experience, I drove 2 years for my team. Two years ago we won the championship, both years won our division, last year we won a regional, so I've been on the field a lot, under pressure. Like everyone else has said, keep your cool and have fun. Know your strategy, and communicate. Know your robot inside and out, that was one thing that being a driver allowed me to do. I learned everything about everything on our robot, and the whole system.

Now for some new things:
-Be nice to the refs, they are your friends
-Thank the volunteers, meet some new people
-Have a cool dance/motion thing to do when they call your team name(we hopped)
-Work out, because there are limited amounts of people allowed on field, chances are you'll be doing some heavy lifting of the robot
-I flew r/c airplanes, if you get a chance they help with depth perception and hand eye coordination.

One last recommendation...if you ever make it to einstein field, look behind you, and notice the awesome sight. There might be like 20,000+ people watching robots play a game, it's kind of funny, hopefully a sign of the times to come. Did I mention...have fun, not many people get the privilege of driving a robot.

BHOP

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

I'll speak from 3 seasons worth of Driving experience.

1. Listen to those who try to help you! They usually know what they are talking about.

2. Dont be intimidated by asking the programming team to fix stuff in the code. Remember, as the operator, everyone works for you for about 2 min. :)

3. Dont have tunnel vision. If you are driving on the left side of the field, and dont notice someone on the right jumping waving their arms and screaming your name, find a new driver!

4. Listen to you coach. They dont have anything to do BUT watch the field.

5. Dont be afraid to rough it up with other robots. Sometimes the only way out of a situation is to push.

6. Nobody should ever be mad at you for breaking the robot. Remember, it is probably mostly aluminum and aluminum isnt exactly known to be commonly impact proof.

7. Use your judgement, if you dont like a situation such as driving onto someones ramp, dont be afraid to say no! Remember, its your teams robot, and it would be yours taking the hit if anything went wrong.


Good Luck, and have fun!

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Hi,
As part of Team 648, i think about the best advice is to just "slow down" and dont get rushed, just relax. Especially last year with the ramp, towards the end, with robots slamming into the wall, it can get a little nerve racking, just keep your cool.
Good Luck
Malhon

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

ESPECIALLY if it's the first match of the finals, and you hadn't lost a match throughout the quarters, semis, or qualifiers...yeah, that was nerve-wracking.


Trust your coach and work with him/her. That makes things easier on both of you.

If you don't already, get to know the other driver and your coach.

Get in on the discussion when your alliance for a match is coming up with strategy. You definately need to know what's going on.

Relax! Even if something goes wrong, it's all over in less than three minutes. Then you get to start again.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Some old guy advice-

use the robot as a tool to play the game, not the game as a tool to play with your robot

be frankly honest about the abilities of your robot and defer to experienced advice on your alliance

organize every round in a simple, time oriented format. Know what you will do at every second and do it.

be an alliance partner your fellow teams can depend on

other teams often see your robots abilities better than you do

if your robot is failing let the alliance know. It is amazing how much one robot can assist another if the problem is known beforehand

dont make deals off the field that rely on the outcome of matches on it. In the past we know of situations where drive teams "made arrangements" to "influence" matches so they would be picked later. That kind of unscrupulous behavior serves nobody.

always play fair and play your best

consider this- with registration alone for one regional- each round on the field costs about $500. Make the most of it.


WC :cool:

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Try to rest and eat when you can.
We have a 'quiet' room for the drivers at the hotel that they can retreat to when they want to in the evenings. There's a lot of activity during the evenings with scouting meetings and social activity - but the quiet room is theirs.

Also, eat. A lot of times the robot needs attention during the lunches, etc. and that is important. Keeping yourselves fueled is important as well. While at the arena, our drive team/pit crew needs take priority and they are fed first so they can get back to the pit if they want to. If they can't leave the pit, we save their portions for them. If you or any team member has special needs, make sure your adult team leader knows. Examples would be medication or food requirements and perhaps family stuff that may be going on. That is private but if your adult leader knows, he/she can help make your 2007 competition experience a good one for you.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Don't be a perfectionist.

Say your picking up a tube, after half a second you realize it's not going the way it usually goes. Drop it, pick up a new one. Don't sweat it, it's better to pick up a tube easily than to wrestle with a cranky one.

As Joel said,

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Trick out your OI. Make sure it's something you're comfortable driving with. Go to Pep Boys or another automotive store to get a custom shifter.

If you're old enough, go drive a car. If not, go to an arcade.

Practice makes perfect. Try new things on Thursday during the practice matches.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

some helpful advice here, i'm for sure going to advise my drivers to read through this.

have a ritual, this works well for the sports teams at my school, a pre-game ritual gets you psyched for the match and gets your head in the game... i recomend a certain snack/energy drink/lucky charm/song/dance [haka anyone?]

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

I forgot about that.... if you have access to a manual transmission car, those give you a feel for operating mechanical things (smoothness, weight balance, feathering the throttle/sticks), which makes life as a robot driver much easier.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Thanks for starting this thread. I am also a new driver this year, and I have found these posts to be very helpful.:)

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Some things i have learned from 2 1/2 years of driving are:

-Stay calm; when I stress or put pressure on myself I tend to perform poorly
-Don't be afraid to change your strategy on the fly; just cuz you say that's what your gonna do doesnt mean everything is going to go accordingly
-Go along with the flow of the match; Kinda like the previous one, change the strategy to fit them match that is going on now; try to compliment your team rather than be the team
-Don't be afraid to bash your bot a little bit; once you try to play conservative everything tends to fall apart (i've learned from experience). Plus the team gets bored if there is nothing to fix between matches ;-)
-Communication;if you know someone on your team that makes it easier to keep focus or communicate with, bring them on the field as a human player or whatnot. Good communication is a must
-And lastly have fun; the second you turn it into something other than a game, the pressure builds and the matches dont mean anything anymore, then the wheels fall off.

So just go out there and have fun. Nobody is perfect there first match. Try to spend the practice matches pushing your bot to the limits so if something does break or go badly, you know it's something you shouldn't do in a real match. So just go out and have fun and let whatever happens happen. Good luck man

-Chris
Team 668

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Know your robot. You should be able to repair it and spot problems easily enough

Be friendly with other teams and drivers. Trust and reliability is important in alliance selections.

Be consistent. If you try to cap the rack 50 different ways every match, chances are you wont come off as a good team to pick, even if you have a great robot.

Sincerely see what works for you and stick with it. Usually going out of your way for something makes you end up with nothing. This does not mean you play so conservatively that you cry is a bolt falls off.

Play fair.

Re: Have Any New Driver Advice?
 

Make sure to rest as much as possible!
Leave the pit work to the pit crew, a calm driver will outperform a stressed one every time. Also, since most of the driving elements have all ready been covered, dont forget about your role as a team representative! Know your robot as well as you can, and be prepared to discuss it with potential team alliances. Be kind and helpful to everyone you meet and always be appreciative of alliance partners ideas and suggestions.