[BrendanB]

A few tips:

*Note this is upon determining who is the final drivers which is done by a different metric*

We typically will give our drivers some time to adjust to the controls and get used to what they are doing. For me as the drive coach I typically will spend my time standing in the room watching not saying a word unless they are about to break something. Giving drivers time to learn on their own and see how they communicate without a drive coach is essential. It also gives the drivers an easier/less stressful environment to get used to the robot without a drive coach over their shoulder.

Once I see our drivers are at a comfortable level we start running practice matches (auto + teleop). Again I still do not "coach" but instead watch. After each match we discuss what they did good, what they did well, and what they should improve upon/watch for in the next match. We usually run 2-3 matches then have a 10 minute cool down.

We keep running these practice matches as much as we can each time trying something new. Last year I would call out what side of the pyramid they needed to line up on as they were doing each cycle or change the feeder station. I also like using trashcans/old robots as best I can. We never get a chance to get a defense robot running so instead I would change up the field between each cycle so our driver got a good taste for picking a new route and always had a new obstacle to get around.

In addition to on field practice I like to sit down with the drivers to discuss the rules, strategy, game play, contingency plans, communication, etc as well as getting their opinions/thoughts on how we should approach a match/tournament. I also encourage our operator to take home a gamepad and imagine the robot in a match and what buttons they have to practice for "virtual simulations". I find for our operators this is a good way to really nail down the controls as they need to get to a level where they don't need to think about what to press they just do it.

Oh, and the most important is to make sure they not only read but UNDERSTAND the rules.