[Johnbot]

A good defense robot should be able to push opposing robots, but not be pushed itself.
A good defender should be able to take discs on its opponents side and shoot them to its team's side of the field.
A good defender must have drivers that are aware of the penalties in the game, and they must be sure that they do not violate any rules.

This year, we were toying with the idea of using a high-airflow fan to deflect opposing shots, but we decided against playing defense. Due to the lower height limit while defending, some defenders might not be able to block shots, so a way to block the shots without being really tall may prove useful.

It helps for defenders to be able to maneuver quickly to prevent opposing robots to get around them, though having a high power drive base is the higher priority if you can only have one or the other.