Driver Tips

[LightWaves1636]

So for the people who have already competed, think you guys got any tips to give to the people who haven't competed yet?

[Rich Ross]

Just win. I've seen tons of drive teams (and i've been on a few as well). and the thing that i've learned is this. Just win. No matter what happens out there, you have to stay calm, listen to the coach, and look for openings in the D while you're playing your offense. If you're on D, watch out and make suer that you arent only defending the robot that is about to score, try to make it so you'll be ready for the one 15 feet away thats picking up a ringer.

as my drive team's slogan (#2) used to say:
JUST WIN, BABY!

[Pavan Dave]

Not a driver but I can suggest looking at semifinal and final round matches and put yourself in the shoes of every robot (yes, watch each match 6 times) and look for openings etc, that the driver did not see. It will give you a more open mind when you are on field and you should remember many of these "slips" of the D when you are behind the station.

[Dominicano0519]

as a coach/driver for 381

we have one suggestion

(in the words of the head driver Keith)

!!!DRIVE IT LIKE YOU STOLE IT!!!

no Im serious just drive, don't ram, but don be scared to swap some paint( or bumper in this case)

[s_forbes]

After seeing the first couple of regionals, I think people are going about this defense thing completely wrong. Most of the matches I see, the defender tries to harrass the scorer the entire time, which often gives the scorer a chance to fake them out and get around the defender. Not only is this obnoxious, it doesn't work very well!

Team 60 in the Arizona regional played the most effective defense I had seen yet, and their robot has 6 skinny drive wheels and weighs only 84 pounds. All they had to do was sit in front of the rack and take up space, and it worked beautifully.

[ballgame21]

When robots that are playing D back off and then come for U, U can throw a spin move to get around them. Most important, stay calm and communicate with your coach and alliance partners.

[BRAVESaj25bd8]

Play to your strengths. If you are on defense and are faster but weaker than who you are defending, get in front of them wherever they are going. If you're slower but stronger, push them. If you're stronger and faster, see if there is another robot you can simulaneously defend. If you're slower and weaker, ask for your alliance partners' help. If you're on offense, do the same things only backwards.

Also, NEVER play defense with your arm out. It's an easy way to get a yellow flag. Every match is winnable so do not ever give up. Have the coach give you time updates so you can keep your eyes on the robot. Once the human player is done throwing tubes, have him or her be a second coach for you. Avoid penalties before, during, and after the match. Control your excitement so that you do not cross the driver line, play defense too aggressively, run out of your alliance station too early, or go on the field before the referee gives the signal.

Finally, when you receive a penalty or yellow flag or a ruling you feel is incorrect, don't go yelling at the referees, they know what they're doing. Instead, politely ask what you did wrong until you fully understand so that you will not make the same mistake again.

Good luck and I hope these tips help

[Commanchetruck]

As a driver be careful driving around the rack, especially on the sides. A little miscalculation and the rack will reach out and grap your robot. This ends up in either a time consuming entanglement or a tip over. If you are on defence defending the rack watch out when the offence is scoring. In the semi finals a robot on our team flipped over when they had a ringer on the rack but still attached to their arm and another robot tried to push them away. Be aware of your center of gravity when reaching for the top ringers if you can. If you grab a tube and pop it it's probably easiest just to grab another, they are extremely hard to score when popped from what ive seen.

[Greg Marra]

Have a bottle of water if you're going into elimination matches.

You'll want it.

[b-rant]

Originally Posted by Greg Marra

Have a bottle of water if you're going into elimination matches.

You'll want it.

AMEN! and everybody wonders why i wear my backpack on the field...It's my stash

[triggerhappy336]

Don't be twitchy, be smooth, calm and collected. Do your best, but don't flip out if something breaks or doesn't go as planned. Your team will support you no matter what.

Be a part of the pre-match strat meetings. It will really help out on the field if you have a really good fundamental understanding of the strat instead of just following coaches orders. From my and my co-driver's huge involvement in the strat meetings, we really didn't need our coach for a whole lot, just when something went horribly wrong he was there to tell us what we needed to do and also keep on eye on the clock.

[Dave McLaughlin]

Dont be afraid to samsh and bash a little... if youve got bumpers use them, at the PNW regional our team collided with another robot so hard it bent in there front bumper and we still didnt get called... Drive hard but drive cool... and watch the rack, when your not looking itll reach out and grab you!

Dave McLaughlin, Team 1983 Driver

[1902_Battery_SGT]

as my coach has said to me on many a time, don't be afraid to break something.
you can't reverse time if you lose a match but you can almost always replace or fix a broken part.

[JBotAlan]

Well, I don't have any tips specific to this year, but I have a few generic tips coming from a programmer:

If you see any strange lights light up on the controller, hit "ROBOT RESET".

If you find that you can't control the 'bot anymore, hit "ROBOT RESET".

If the 'bot is drifting away, hit "ROBOT RESET" and if that didn't fix it, check the calibration of the joysticks (or have your programmer do it for you ) and then put duct tape over them so they don't get bumped.

Power-cycle the 'bot when you put it on the field (unplug the battery, make sure the robot controller turns off, then plug the battery back in). This will make sure auton actually executes.

And if you see a "Code Error" light turn on, hit "ROBOT RESET" and let the programmer know.

Don't shake the joysticks violently when you lose control of the 'bot. Do a quick check of your lights and calmly let your programmer know what happened.

And most of all, have fun!

JBot

[geeknerd99]

When I drive, I enter this sort of trance-like state where everything just kind of blurs together. You know, almost to the point where I'm driving by smell and taste. But that doesn't help other drivers very much.

When we were just speeding about the field, my coach and operator acted as another two sets of eyes and ears. More specifically, my operator kept an eye out around the robot and our coach kept an eye out on the field. When paired with mecanum drive, we were able to slip in and out of holes in the defense (or just the mess of the field) with ease.

Also, each person should keep an eye out for their positions. I paid attention to things like the drivetrain working properly and which way the robot was pointed (it's pretty hard to tell which way is "forwards", especially after our flag fell off.... again). My operator kept track of whether the arm was tucked in (for lowering the ramp or defending), arm extension, etc. Our coach kept track of the field, noting where we'd been, where we are, and where we need to go.

On a tangent, I just realized that our coach's mentality is exactly like figuring out fingerings for piano. You need to know where your hand was, where it needs to be, and where it's going afterwards.

Above all, you need to remain cool. I worked with one team at VCU whose driver had the shakes so badly while trying to rewire their robot in the queue that I had to tell him to calm down and step away while I brought in the electronics guru on my drive team to finish the job. You need to not only remain cool on field, but also off the field, and hey, why not, in life too. Don't fret about bad matches and such. Sometimes, @#$! happens. Instead, quickly get necessary repairs and modifications done and start prepping for the next match. We started off Friday at VCU by losing 3 in a row. As disappointed as I was, I found that I actually didn't even have time to fret over losing (especially when it wasn't our fault each match).

This post is getting kind of long-winded and everybody drives differently, so I think the best way to sum things up is this:

"Feel, don't think. Trust your instincts." (And your drive team and your alliance).