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Originally Posted by ghoffman
what do the coaches do and what arte thier age requirments ect...?
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This will be a varied answer from every team.
I believe that coaches can be either high school or adult team members.
Coaches bascially help the driver/operator/HP during matches. Some coaches develop all the strategy moves, and negotiate with alliance partners. Some coaches step back and let their student driveteam do all the negotiating and strategy development. Some balance it well.
During a match, a coach can be yelling out the time left, the score, what the driver should do next. The coach helps oversee the entire field, much of the time watching what the opponents are doing. The coach can yell "block the goal", or "cap the ball now!", or whatever else relates to the game/strategy. The driveteam students are focused on what they are doing most of the time, and completing their tasks. The coach should oversee the entire field, and can make second by second strategy changes if necessary based on what's happening all around. The coach must be able to communicate with alliance coaches - if partner 1 breaks down and can't do their task, you have to communicate that so decisions can be made.
The coach cannot touch the drive controls at any time. Sometimes the coach helps put the robot out on the field while the driver hooks up the controls. You try to help the driveteam make good decisions. The coach takes input from the scouting team and other team members on what other robots can do, so you can all develop a working strategy.
Bottom line - I personally think some of the important attributes for an effectice coach is...
-communication (you must be able to talk with partners before/during/after matches, and w/your own team)
-quick decision-making, things change rapidly during matches
-good relationship with driveteam
-cool under pressure
-handle input and constructive criticism from people
-able to make compromises with other teams
-strategy logic
-have a good focus on scouting and strategy development (I think coaches should make time to watch many matches themselves during a competition)
-have understanding of robot functionality and performance capabilities
-be a good loser and winner, stay positive, and motivate driveteam
-KNOW ALL THE RULES
Many of these things will help earn respect from other teams, as well as your own. Every coach on every team is different.