pic: Inverted CIM 2-Speed Gearbox

[JesseK]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

While this is a great defensive technique for many years, 2014 included, it was a better technique for years such as 2013, when one had to navigate the length of the field, around obstacles, and pushing a robot into a specific area was a liability.

In 2014, pushing was much less risky as there were no safe zones. T-bone pinning a robot had a bit more risk than "pillaring" but a lot more benefit - the robot is essentially immobile for the duration of the pin. I don't think "pillaring" was definitively better in 2014 just because of the T-bone pin and the relatively wide space to drive around. It is an important part of a defensive strategy but not the end-all.

When determining where to set low gear when executing defense is a consideration, is an effective T-bone pin mutually exclusive of an effective pillar defense?

Do (e.g.) sailcloth bumpers change this consideration at all?

This plays into the original topic a bit - shaft spacing is usually determined by the gear availability and the desired difference between high gear and low gear (e.g. the dog gear choices). School A wants a larger gearing difference, School B wants a smaller gearing difference.