Drive Team Training Drills

[Alan Anderson]

"Practice like you play, because you will play like you practice."

[Colin P]

Have a mentor modify a version of the code to go berserk at random. Don't tell the drivers, just say that they need to do a speed run of something and it will be timed. Eventually, the robot will stop working correctly, and they'll be distressed when their time is compromised. This will help to see how they react under pressure and when things go wrong.

My team is using mecanum drive, we're modifying the code to drop the tube whenever the robot strafes to the right. We put a number of strafing obstacles on the course so it will eventually happen, and they will have to adjust to it.

If you do this and you find out that your driver can't handle it and has a fit, it's better now than in front of thousands of people in a match.

[pandamonium]

So the driver that looks on chief delphi only strafes left...

with out the robot train by:
practicing how to develop pre match strategies
practice flash cards of tube formations on the grid and how well students figure out the score
Read the rules
watch old match videos and web casts of a regional on the weekends you are not attending one

with the robot train by:
working alone to complete as high a score as possible, then ad teammates, then add opponents
lining up on the tower
driving with a scored logo on the middle peg in front of drivers
picking up tubes
score tubes
*take time to learn the nuances of your machine*
ask your drivers what they feel they need to work on

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by Colin P

Have a mentor modify a version of the code to go berserk at random. Don't tell the drivers, just say that they need to do a speed run of something and it will be timed. Eventually, the robot will stop working correctly, and they'll be distressed when their time is compromised. This will help to see how they react under pressure and when things go wrong.

My team is using mecanum drive, we're modifying the code to drop the tube whenever the robot strafes to the right. We put a number of strafing obstacles on the course so it will eventually happen, and they will have to adjust to it.

If you do this and you find out that your driver can't handle it and has a fit, it's better now than in front of thousands of people in a match.

Wouldn't the time better be spent to minimize/eliminate failures, rather than preparing for the expectation that it will fail?

There's always a chance something wierd will happen, and who knows how (or if) you'll be able to react to it. To me, it seems more beneficial to practice the actual intended functions.

[Koko Ed]

We would love to take our 2007 robot (because it's running) and chase around our prototype so we can give the drives team a little resistance to deal with while practicing scoring because if they get good at it (and it's looking very much like that will be the case) then they need to learn how to deal with the inevitable defensive attention that comes with success.

[thefro526]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

"Practice like you play, because you will play like you practice."

Alan is right on the money.

Simulate a match to the best of your ability, and make it as difficult as possible for the drivers. Put them and your machine through all sorts of extremely difficult situations and scenarios so that they're ready for anything.

But if you're looking for a drill to try, how about this one:

Robot starts at final autonomous position

Robot gets tube.

Robot Scores Tube

Add obstacles as necessary.

Repeat as many times as needed, x2.