Drive team stress?

[Bob Steele]

On Friday night make a point of getting extra sleep.
I have seen so many students get excited and then have great fun with their team mates on Friday night .... staying up.... playing video games or watching tv .... This only makes the problem worse on Saturday.

Get the rest you will need for the next day. You WILL be performing well.
You WILL be picked for Elimination rounds...so prepare your body....

You certainly should have fun but recognize that the stress takes a lot out of you even if you don't really notice it.

Have fun!! Be happy!! Play Robots!!

[bEdhEd]

I remember my first time driving the robot. It was at the 2009 WRRF CalGames off season event, and I was a rookie. The only reason I was driver was because the drivers were seniors and they had some standardized testing to do, and I was the next best choice. Being a driver can be extremely nerve wracking, because your team is relying on your skill. I constantly felt the butterflies in my tummy during eliminations, and it wasn't even a full event!
I did my best to get past the stress by remembering that I've practiced for this, and I filtered out everything else and focused on my objectives. I let the coach do their job, and I communicated with my co-driver. We finished as finalists that day, and that was my first ever live match competition, and the experience of driving was very rewarding.

I was on the drive team every year since up to 2013, and the butterflies went away after my second competition. I think you have to find a way to manage stress on the field. One way to help you reduce your stress is understanding that all the pressure isn't just on you. It's also on everyone else on the entire team , from the human player, to coach, to the designers, builders, and programmers. All their work culminates towards making the robot, and their combined skills are necessary for the robot to even work. I think when you meditate on the fact that driving is an important job, but isn't the only reason why you would win or lose a match, the stress can lessen because the pressure to perform is not just on you, but on the entire team. That's how I look at it.

But the hands down best way to reduce your stress is to increase your driver confidence, and that comes from the experience of practicing and competing.

The first matches ever can be terrifying, but once you've got 10 or 20 matches under your belt, you just can't wait for the next match to start!

[yash101]

During lunch, go play games with your team mates. That will alleviate the stress. For me, I behave kinda weird, and when I become a bit hungry, I become hyper. If i eat too much, I become hyper. So, make sure you find your range and eat accordingly!

bring a good laptop and play some games during down time. I also find it very stress-removing to go and wander different pits and talk to the new friends I make

[peirvine]

I am the driver for 2175. Last year, we had some pretty high stakes matches. In our 2nd regional - Minnesota North Star Regional - we had a cRIO die randomly (nobody could figure out why...) and one of Pit Crew guys and I had to replace it in the dark in less than 6 minutes. That was pretty stressful. Then we entered the Finals matches and those were pretty nerve racking. The way I dealed with it was I just kept drinking water, and staying calm. I watched other matches, talked with mentors on the sidelines, and overall just having a good time and enjoying the experience. When the time came to drive, I zoned in and just ignored everyone but my Coach and Assistant Driver. I then focused only on my robot and its surroundings I essentially became the robot and didn't pay attention to anything else until the match is over. During that time I am the most relaxed and I don't think about anything but driving. During our time in the Galileo Finals, it was much different. I did the same process as before (hydrating, enjoying the matches, etc.) but this time there was the added pressure of maybe getting to Einstein. I know the way our Human Player delt with the stress was he started doing push-ups before each mach. It was actually pretty entertaining and helped me relax before each mach because it took my mind off the match. When match time came, I just zoned in on the robot and completed the match.

Some advice:
Keep hydrated, keep your energy up (be it with food or just excitement), never loose hope in a match (never give up), only listen to your Coach/Assistant Operator - don't worry about the fans or MC, enjoy the atmosphere - who knows if you will get to elims again, and above all have fun.

[mschwab013]

When I get stressed or nervous driving in a match I find it best to get excited. Jump around and exert positive energy. Its best to use the adrenaline released by the stress. So get excited! It also helps the other drivers around you if they see you're excited. They will feel more confident and perform their best. And so will you. Good luck this season

[themccannman]

Originally Posted by Jay O'Donnell

That's another great point. You're simply not going to win every single one of your matches.

Said no 2056 driver ever.

/s

[Chadfrom308]

I've been the driver for 3 years with the possibility of this year as well. I'm going to keep it short and simple.

You will get mad, and that's okay, that just means that you have a lot invested.

Keep calm and carry on. Yes, it is stressful and it's hard to forget why you lost a match, or think what you could've done. Don't worry about it. I have learned (the hard way) that you will do better if you keep a cool head.

Things to remember: You represent your team, and no matter what, keep your head up and carry on, Be respectful when you win, and drive it like you stole it.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

Drink plenty of water
Remember to eat/Keep your blood sugar up
Find a moment to get outside
Watch some other teams' matches
Joke with your teammates
Queue for matches during the first call, if possible, to avoid having to rush to the match
Let the pit crew handle their jobs

All this, and: get about a foot of surgical tubing and keep it in your pocket. When you're feeling stressed or tense, stretch it. I still have the piece that got me through drive coaching 2815's Cinderella run at Peachtree 2011.

[Lydia Yeckley]

Just focus. I for one keep a small piece of a lucky robot in my pocket (for me its a bearing from the 2013 robot). Doesn't hurt to be a bit superstitious. In addition to this, I also keep a tin of Altoids in my back pocket, it calms the nerves on both psychological and physical levels. Finally, don't be afraid to ask for some help. I know my first year as driver, I didn't hydrate or eat anything, and by 2pm I was about to pass out.

Hope this helps, and good luck.
-Lydia

[Keegbot]

I relieve stress by winning. Just kidding, but I like to win.

But on a more serious note...
Be rested and ready. Before a match I like to take a little time to "get in the zone" and focus. Also, it helps to have a plan for what you are going to do. If you are the driver, have your coach try and tell you what to do before teleop starts. And if you're the coach, tell the driver what to do so he/she clearly knows what to do (right at the end of auto is good). Preparation is a huge stress reliever.

[Pratik Kunapuli]

I've been Team 341's driver for about 1.5 years now, and although that may not be a lot of time, there is an immense amount of things I've learned about managing stress. Like lots of people mentioned already, you are here to have fun. Although you and many of your team mates are so invested in this robot, if you aren't having fun is it really worth it? Another thing is that your job is to drive, and just drive. If the robot breaks, you should be comfortable knowing that you have your entire pit crew behind you that will fix the robot in time for the next match. Something that my drive coach always tells me is to leave the pit and eat, relax, go potty etc. As silly as it may seem, just occupying yourself with non-robot related things will help you clear your mind and get you in the position to do your job to the best of your ability.

[Akash Shah]

Originally Posted by Pratik341

I've been Team 341's driver for about 1.5 years now, and although that may not be a lot of time, there is an immense amount of things I've learned about managing stress. Like lots of people mentioned already, you are here to have fun. Although you and many of your team mates are so invested in this robot, if you aren't having fun is it really worth it? Another thing is that your job is to drive, and just drive. If the robot breaks, you should be comfortable knowing that you have your entire pit crew behind you that will fix the robot in time for the next match. Something that my drive coach always tells me is to leave the pit and eat, relax, go potty etc. As silly as it may seem, just occupying yourself with non-robot related things will help you clear your mind and get you in the position to do your job to the best of your ability.

This is so true. Just put your heart into driving and you won't be that stress out. My drive coach always tells me as well as my old team mates that you should drive the robot like I stole it, don't care about what happens to it because you should have trust in your robot and your team.

[Anthony4004]

I was thrown into driving last year with no practice time with the robot at all! When it comes down to it, try not to stress! I know this may seem impossible, but embrace the stress instead! Use it to get pumped about the match and simply try your best, i know this can be hard with a drive team couch yelling behind you, but it works out in the end!

Best of luck!

[minidave910]

This will sound weird, but bear with me.

When I was on the drive team, I found that both my driver and myself performed best when we were loose. To get loose before a match if we felt the stress coming on, we would grab each others' arms, wiggle them back and forth, and repeatedly say "loosey goosey, loosey goosey." Start with your arms and really get your whole body into it, until you're both sitting there wobbling like idiots. It was amazing how much better our driving got once we started staying loose. Now it's somewhat of a tradition on my old team for the drivers to get "loosey goosey" before matches.

You will look ridiculous in front of everyone. You will feel stupid. However, you will not care because now you are loose and in a better mood, capable of focusing on the task at hand.

[sodizzle]

Originally Posted by PayneTrain

The first thought you should have in your head isn't "the team is counting on me," but "the team believes in me." It's a subtle difference in writing but the second one instills you with confidence instead of enabling fear.

I was the driver last year, and our first match ended, well, not as expected. If I remember correctly, after the fall, my drive coach took the other driver and me aside and told us almost the exact same thing. That changed my attitude for the rest of the year.

It's already been said in this thread multiple times, but just have fun. After all, it is just a game.