Quote:
Originally Posted by markulrich
Thank you all very much for the advice. I think the most important thing I've learned from all of your comments is, "make sure the drivers know the rules!"
Thanks for the specific advice. I guess I've now got a couple more questions for everyone who creates courses to decide who drives.
1) When do you decide who drives? Would you suggest narrowing it to the top 3-4 drivers before kickoff?
2) Do you simulate competition with loud music and spirit teams?
3) Do you have other robots playing defense?
4) Should the "course" be based off of this year's game, or can a general obstacle course with cones and a few complex rules that give it a little more strategy work?
Thanks again for all of your input!
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1) It depends on the year, but we definitely make the final decision at least two weeks before our first regional, so that the drive team gets some "unlimited" practice time. If you don't have a practice robot, I'd say that you should make the decision by no later than week four of the build season.
I think narrowing the playing field before kickoff sounds like a good idea, since basic driving doesn't change from year to year. This way, your drivers get more practice time in.
2) Like I said before, we do simulate the competition with loud music, spirit, etc. It's good for the spirit team because it gives them a chance to practice, and it's also good for the drivers to get used to the competition environment.
We first started to do this for the 2007 season. In 2006, before the competition simulation, we were ranked 34/41 at our regional, and our spirit team was shy and timid. In 2007, during the first year of simulation, we were ranked 8/49 at our regional, and our spirit team was decently loud. In 2008, during the second year of simulation, we were ranked 1/62 at our regional, and our spirit team was one of the loudest and boldest in the house. I can't promise that the practice is what did it, but they sure seem linked to me.
3) We have other robots playing defense, but not 100% of the time. It's good to let the drivers get the controls down before you throw defense at them. Once they've gotten proficient, slow them up with some increasingly tough d. It pays off bigtime at the regional. Last year, I'm convinced that the only reason we could dodge/fend off other robots and place tubes in <2 seconds was because we
practiced it. As the adage goes, practice makes perfect.
4) A general obstacle course with some rules works very well for a driver who controls the base of the robot. We do drills like this to help with agility and speed training. It's great if you've got limited space, too. At the very least, you should try and use a makeshift object so that your "arm" driver can practice their tasks. You want to have done at least some practice on the current game before you show up at your first competition.
Finally, something I realized I forgot to add to my first post- remember to have fun! That's what the
FIRST experience should be for you- a lot of fun while doing a lot of learning. (Simulating competitions is especially fun.)