[Lil' Lavery]

I've been a drive coach on and off since 2006 (mostly on), so I'll do my best to answer your questions. Let me know if you have any others, or if you'd like any more information.

Generally before each match teams will go around and attempt to talk with the other drive teams on their next alliance, in order to discuss the strategy they will follow. Figure out who on your drive crew, whether it be you, your drivers, your scouts, or some combination of the above, will engage in these discussions. Sometimes, when matches are close together, this discussion will get pushed back until you're in the queue line right before a match. But generally try to do it at least 10 minutes ahead of time, to give teams time to communicate the strategies to their drivers.

More often than not, I find that teams are willing to cooperate on what strategy to employ. Most teams know what their role is, even if they exaggerate their capabilities. Teams are also pretty understanding and flexible about other teams wanting to get their mechanisms working on the field, and show off their capabilities to scouts. Granted, with only one ball on the field this year, there may be a little more contention for Aerial Assist. But overall, I only remember a couple of heated discussions about what strategy to use in a match. Late in quals, if a team is particularly high seeded, usually they're going to be very focused on continuing to win matches to become an alliance captain. This may be the hardest time on attempting to determine a strategy, as they are going to be very win focused while other teams may be trying to make a final push at showing off their robot.

Both you and the drivers need to be very familiar with the rules. If there are any you're unclear about, check the FRC Q&A. You'll also have a drivers meeting before qualifications matches, and you should have an opportunity to ask the head ref questions about how they'll be calling certain rules. It may be handy to have a binder with the rules handy, or to have it on your phone, in case an alliance partner is unsure of something or you need a refresher. There will be a question box where a student can ask the head ref about a ruling during the match that just transpired, should you be unsure of where or why a penalty was called.

Work with your drivers on some practice drills this week. Work to get a concise set of communications that can be relayed easily. Saying vague phrases like "go around" or "left side" may result in the driver reacting in a way other than what you intended. Come up with some simple sayings to communicate certain maneuvers clearly. Better yet, train those maneuvers until they're second nature for the drivers. The less you have to micromanage your drivers, the better off you will be.

Communication with other teams during a match is always tricky. The coach will often have to walk near their team to do so. Speak up, but try to avoid sounding angry. Don't touch them on their shoulder or do anything to take their attention away from the field. Speak clearly and explain quickly what needs to be communicated. Quick, one sentence instructions. "Help in red zone!" or "our arm's broken, you guys shoot" are the types of communications you should give.

In the eliminations, usually the alliance captain (high seed) is given the final say on the strategy. That isn't always the case, as some may chose to defer to other teams or get a group consensus. But assume the alliance captain is getting the final say, unless they say otherwise. After alliance selection, each alliance will gather and discuss strategy. Since alliance selections usually happen before lunch, make sure you find time to eat! Don't skip out on getting food to talk strategy. Many alliance's drive teams may chose to eat lunch together and discuss strategy, depending on how much time they have, what repairs need to be done, and the venue's lunch situation. Expect for more attention to be paid to scouting information and the other alliance during eliminations than was spent during qualifications. More defensive strategies, and higher risk maneuvers, may also be used more often.

Overall, remember to keep your cool. Other teams are people, who can make mistakes. Your drivers are people, who can make mistakes. You can make mistakes. It happens. Take each one is stride and move on to the next match.

Andy Baker once said that the coach should always give credit to the drivers, and take the blame for whatever goes wrong. I agree.