[GCentola]

I definitely agree with what everyone has already said, and I really can’t say much because I have only been a coach for one year. I can say that threads like this have helped me learn before my first competition as coach and have helped me improve and develop over the season.

One thing that I have learned is to meet with teams before the match to discuss strategy, but the most important part of this is to make sure every team involved has a clear idea. Know enough beforehand to start the meeting with a clear sense of direction and control. Take input from other teams, but don’t let it turn into an unclear heap of different suggestions. I have worked with some teams that clearly did not understand some key aspects of the game, teams that did not follow through with their role (and did not communicate why) and teams that did not realize the Drive Team button with the sticker on it was for the Coach, not the Driver. Essentially, make sure everyone in this meeting understands what will happen. In addition, make sure you respect the other teams as well. If you know they are flat-out lying about their robot’s capabilities, don’t be a jerk about it. Many people have also stated that the meeting between Drive Teams is sometimes the only interaction between teams, so make sure to maintain a positive image for your team. Some of the teams 1126 has worked with this past year weren’t all that pleasant and that left a big impression on me. On the other hand, some teams were great to work with, which leaves a huge positive impression (and is pretty helpful once the time comes to make a pick list).

During a match, keeping calm and keeping your drivers calm is probably the most important. I will admit that I have gotten frazzled a few times and then mistakes were made. This is easier if the three of you can already work well together and have each other’s respect. On our team, we try to act as the alliance captain of our alliances. As Madison said, try to keep the entire alliance informed of what is going on and of any changes that happen. If your robot breaks down, change the game plan and let your partners know. If a tube gets caught in you claw and you need to switch to defense because you can’t score, let your partners know. This past year, I had the opportunity to be the Alliance Captain of 2 alliances. Both of these experiences helped me grow and learn but I still am not to the point of orchestrating an entire alliance during a match.


After a match, make sure to congratulate your partners despite the outcome of the match. Upon returning to the pits, our Drive Team debriefs with a mentor and Pit Leader in a quieter location and the information is presented to the pit crew so the Drive Team, isn’t bombarded by the whole team. The debriefing consists of what went well, what went wrong, any issues with the robot, any issues in the controls and other useful information. Here is where you have to take responsibility for some of the actions in the match. At our first competition, we had a plan to deploy on the tower in front of us and the other team would deploy on the tower in front of them. I never saw them deploy, and I couldn’t see their minibot. The tower lights weren’t working so I had no idea they deployed. A quick field read suggested that their tower was easier to get to and so we did….and then our minibot met their minibot in a pile of smoke. Not one of my better moments, but something I stand by as my decision.


I hope that what I have learned has helped you a bit! Hopefully some seasoned pros have some better advice (especially because reading their posts has influenced me)! I apologize for the rather long post, so the things I found most helpful are bolded. Again, don't take my word for everything. I really don't have much experience and I try not to pretend I do.