Drive team stress?

[IronicDeadBird]

Play "Catch don't catch!"
Simple game that reflects this years rules it is like playing catch but you say either catch or don't catch.
Since you aren't supposed to ever possess the opposing teams ball we just throw the ball at each other and say catch or don't catch to simulate weather an allied ball is coming or an opponents ball is coming.
Being honest it does one important thing and shows me which team members hold grudges, if I notice one person saying "don't catch" a lot and putting a ton of force into the throw towards another person this could be a sign of hostility.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

[Justin447]

I drove for 3 years on my team and I just had fun with it. Win or lose it was fun. No stress at all

[Kevin Selavko]

SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP, and a little bit more, SLEEP.

Remember to eat and stay away from the caffeine.

[ZeroGAdam]

Last year, I drove our robot and I found that the absolute best way to cope with the stress is to just take a breather and leave the pit for about five minutes... I always found a quiet place to relax and clear my head like many others have suggested. It's foolproof!

And also listening to your music to get you in "the zone" may help to get your mind off of other things... For me it's Rush, Rush, and more Rush....

[rkbot]

I find humor helps our alot in the driver station, if you are laughing or smiling in the driver station you dont feel as stressed. I see most people say drink lots of water and stay away from caffeine/sugar but i usually chew gum or eat wintergreen lifesavers (gives me something else to focus on) all day at competition. I am usually also loaded on caffeine all day. This year i am on drive team but, not in a drive role, the drive coach and i give driver info on what to do and communicate with the other teams along with how much time is left and such which also keeps the driver from having to think to much. I also know the wintergreen mints work well for other people on our driver team (fox46). good planning before matches also keeps stress down by everyone know what is supposed to happen rather than the match being a confused mess.

[fox46]

You can be in a semi final round with the odds stacked against you with one loss and a sudden death round while having to pee really bad and "rkbot" looks at you and offers you a mint.... makes everything better!

THESE:

[Canadian]

Being a 1st year drive team member last year was really stressful especially since the drive team was doubling as the whole pit crew, but what I really think helps is when you have bonded with your fellow drive team members so that even after a bad match you can talk with each other about it and learn from any mistakes made. Its important not to keep the stress from it all bottled up. Being good friends with our driver and human
player made us work better as a team and recover from any problems more easily

[ATH1RSTYM00SE]

What everyone has been saying so far is pretty much all true. A few things i found that worked for me:
1. I kept something in my pocket to fiddle with. Whether it be beads, my leatherman, a nut, or whatever, i helped me calm my nerves because i could take it out and play with it which distracted me.

2. Don't watch the matches of teams you are worried about. This is especially true in elims where having a clear head is extremely important. I learned that if i watched matches of teams with better robots, or of people we were about to play against, i would psyche myself out and it would throw me off my game.

3. Water = winner. Whether or not you want to believe it, doing even the most trivial tasks such as drinking will distract you and you will feel better.

4. Take a walk outside! I know this sounds extreme because most of us are afraid of the sun, but fresh air will help you think better and more clearly. I remember distinctly last year at MAR championship we lost either 3 or 4 matches in a row where we scored just about as many points as we could have, including a match where we scored 105 points by ourself and still lost. I was really upset and stressed because i thought everyone would be angry at us for losing but then i went for a walk outside and calmed down. We played well the next match and won and everything got better.

Point being if you ever feel too stressed out, kick back for a bit, go outside, take a deep breathe, and just chill. Good luck!

[Kelly180]

TL;DR: My only advice to you, is not to sleep in during qualifications!

In 2002, at National Championship, our Student driver was still asleep in his room, and our mentors went crazy, trying to find him, and wake him. It was interesting to say that I think that mentor is bald now from him stressing to find our driver. lol

Don't stress, you got the part, and just do your part as best as you can. :-)

[JTEarley]

I am human player on my team and in many practices, I worked on avoiding G40s. In semifinals at Alamo, it was called on me for the first time. It really started getting to me, and I put pressure on myself. We still won the match, but I felt bad about getting a penalty that has been deciding many matches.

Right after the match, the other students on our drive team told me not to let it get to me since it was the first and only one. Even 118s human player came over and told me that I was good and that I shouldn't fret.

It is good to have people backing you up.
But always try to take things that happen as a learning experience and if necessary, go somewhere where you can just sit down, drink some water, and take a few deep breaths

[Christopher149]

Originally Posted by ZeroGAdam

And also listening to your music to get you in "the zone" may help to get your mind off of other things... For me it's Rush, Rush, and more Rush....

I like Rush and all, but your profile pic would lead me to believe you're more of a Pink Floyd fan...

[BobbyVanNess]

Celebrate your wins and don't dwell on the losses. Things will likely go wrong at some point, but keep level headed and stay hydrated.

Spend time preparing for matches by watching and strategizing. Make sure that game plans are worked out ahead of the match, and get to queue early enough to prepare with the alliance.

If you feel yourself losing grip off the field, take a quick break if you can. Avoid panicking at any costs. You're in trouble the moment you lose the ability to think on your feet.

During the match, things will go wrong eventually. The strategy might fall apart, or your shooter or even drivetrain might fail catastrophically (been there, done that...), but you need to focus, and do the most you can to help the alliance. Be ready to roll with mid match strategy changes if something simply doesn't work.

Overall, enjoy the experience! If things aren't going well, step back and get some perspective. I love every part of being the driver for my team. I turn the stress into positive energy and am always focusing on the next match that we play.

[Spatel7793]

Remember Terriermon

[JesseK]

Become besties with your second driver. Develop a language so you can talk to each other. Yell at each other when you're upset and lean on each other when you need it. Let your coach in on some of the dialect so he/she gets the inside jokes and isn't concerned with your overtly inappropriate analogies. It's not like anyone is recording audio behind the glass. Don't think about "failures" of any magnitude because plenty of other people will do that for you. Most of all celebrate, thrive and become immediately motivated in the moment by the successes - even the tiny push to get a first assist. To me, that is what is meant by 'leave it on the field'.

Funny how it also works with co-workers.

(second Bob's note about sleep)