Adult vs. Student coaches

[Dan Richardson]

Originally Posted by abeD

This year my team 710 decided on the coaching role at the last minute. I ended up being the coach for serveral reasons.

1. This is my 6th year doing first as well as driving the robot in 2 of them.
2. My brother was the base driver for the bot and we communicate well, we also had another student driving as well and we had the same results.
3. We tried it in practice matches and we worked well together, the students responded well to my instructions and strategy decisions.

I think the number one most important thing for a coach is experience. Sometimes reactions on the field have to be instinctive and these instincts are developed over time. This is a large reason why mentors are usually adults who have been doing FIRST for a while.

I agree with abe, our coach ( George 1902 ) has been in FIRST for 9 years and experience really pays off. You have a general understanding how complicated the game will be before hand, and a good concept of how it should be played. Plus its the only place mentors get to be on the field. Inspiring students is one thing, inspiring the adults to stay on and be with the team for a while is another lol. Its good to have someone who can be calm and collected on the field. Its always good to let the mentors have some fun too, atleast I've almost always felt that way. Then again it always depends on how your team is set up.