Also, from the
FTC Ref Manual on page 17 under Pinning/ Trapping in Driver Controlled Mode:
"For pinning to occur, the pinned Robot must not be able to move in any possible direction. Blocking a Robot from traveling in its preferred direction is not pinning. Open Field contact between Robots is not pinning. If pinning does occur, the Referee must notify the offending Team and begin counting. The count should be visible, pointing fingers is recommended, and the count should be loud enough for the Teams to hear. Referees should start the count at 2, since by the time the count is started at least one second has gone by. The pinning Robot must back off a minimum of 36” (approx. 1.5 full Field tiles). If the offending Robot does not back up, the Referee should assign a penalty.
Repeated pinning for less than 5 seconds is allowed, provided the offending Robot backs up a minimum of 36” each time. If the Robot continues to violate the Rules, the Referee should disable the Robot, but only after making the Team move the Robot away from the pinned Robot." (bold added by me)
So if they pin for 4.8 seconds, they need to back up a FULL 36", or 1.5 field tiles away. If they only back up a few inches and then start pinning again, the 5 second count should not reset at 0. And if they do this repeatedly, they should be disabled and disqualified.
I suggest that teams bring this document to tournaments in case this behavior happens.