First, will you be driving the wheels, or operating the mechanisms of your robot?

If you're driving the wheels:

My best advice to you is stay focused on the robot and the goal at that moment. You have a coach an operator to tell you what to do, you just need to think and focus on the robot. Where it is, where you need to be, how you're going to get there, and of anything, robots or obstacles, in your path. Basically, if you're driving the wheels and you're looking around for balls or other robots not in your vicinity, you're doing it wrong. Like I said, 100% focus on the robot. Mechanisms don't always go all the time. The robot itself needs to move every second of the match, and that's your job. Practice with loud music, people yelling at you, stress, and most of all, distractions. Whether it be other robots on the field or team members running around sometimes getting in your way, you need to focus on the robot. Since I wear glasses, my safety glasses have a huge side panel on them that I block out with black marker. The same way you limit the field of vision on a racing horse, doing this helps me focus on the robot, and only where the robot is. No side distractions, no reason for your eyes to look away.

If you're operating the mechanisms:

Mechanisms, while always very important, are never run 100% of the time. You won't always be shooting balls, or picking up tubes, or lining up to hang on the bar. On 256, we treat the operator as a pseudo-coach. The operator's job is to help the driver know where they need to be. If you're playing a game this year and you're operator, you need to A) Find balls on the field (Driver is focused on driving), B) tell the driver where to go in a way they can understand (No saying "over on that side", or "near xxx's robot"), C) Control the mechanism(s) to pick up the ball, and eventually shoot. Notice how controlling the mechanism is last, since you're the only one with time to think, you can comprehend the field and what to do. When shooting, etc., you need to be able to know what the driver is doing. Great drive teams will be able to work with little words spoken to each other, since they already know what the other person is doing.

All in all, drivers and operators have two distinct, very important jobs, which must be practiced and rehearsed in order to get right.


Good luck this year!