Adult vs. Student coaches

[bigboi146]

team 1660 has always had adult coaches. this year were gonna go to student choaching to c how it is

[irishninja]

This years coach is a new mentor, and a senior and co captain of our team from last year. I have never felt any intimidation by adult captains, and Ian is dead useful. I'm only the human player, so I don't know how the drivers feel, but he is absolutly great. Go Ian.

[JulieB]

Do you have an adult coach or a student coach?

Team 538 has always had a student.

Why?

Because this program is build around young people learning real world experiences. And having to deal with other alliances is truly a real world experiences.

Do you feel it increases your ranking, winning, and success in matches?

I don’t think is matters. It just depends on strategy, drivers and the robots ability

Do you feel it enhances your team as a whole?

I think having a student coach seem to begin the team closer together. Because, the coach take suggestions from the whole team on what we should do during a match. But we have one rule if a drive makes a mistake during the match the team members are NOT to take opinion to that drive they are to go to the coach first. Because, the coach is one who make the decision on the field not the drivers.

Do you feel it enhances the accuracy, precision, and speed in driving and operation?

I think this depends on the ability of the robot and how well the team works together.

What downsides are there?

I agree with Rombus

I would much rather see a student get the experience of being on the field and hearing your team cheering!

Do you feel intimidated or persuaded by adult coaches on your alliance?

At time I feel intimidated because, the adults coaches sometime have attitudes, that I don’t know what I am doing because I am a student.

Julie
Team Captain/ Coach

[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.

[Ian Curtis]

Do you have an adult coach or a student coach?
Student

Why?
First off, the mentors won't do it, and have the students pick one. When we use adults as coaches at BattleCry last year, our they didn't suggest anything, and just looked at the student drive team and said "Ask Them".

Do you feel it increases your ranking, winning, and success in matches?
I'm rather biased as I fill that position, but I say it doesn't matter, providing you pick the best person for the job.

Do you feel it enhances your team as a whole?
I guess... Makes the driveteam a far more cohesive group.

Do you feel it enhances the accuracy, precision, and speed in driving and operation?
Yes, but I'm biased.

What downsides are there? None, providing your student coach is smart and assertive enough. In every alliance teams should at some level defer to the best robot. If I'm on an alliance with a really good team, I don't wanna be the one calling the alliance shots, but I'd hope that they take into account what my team wants to accomplish and what my robot is capable off.

[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.

[Daniel Morse]

Team 213 has an adult coach at the regional competitions and a student coach at the invitationals. Our regional coach is the team advisor and is our school's freshmen football coach. He is very good at seeing where everyone is on the field and knowing where to go next. His decisiveness has helped our team win many matches. During invitationals, students can get a chance to coach in order to learn how it is done. The system works well for us.

[Nate Edwards]

I became our teams coach this year after the past few years alternating students and adults as coaches. We seem to have found the middle by having the college student, because the students can listen to them better because of a smaller age difference, but they are an adult and thus can keep cool under the pressure. We have a lead strategy student who meets with the other student drive teams to figure out the strategy and i just put it to work.

[379Robocat]

We have an adult coach. I on the other hand after being on the team for four years and a collegiate advisor for two years feel that I should be able to coach. Some of the other advisors agree with me and some disagree. I feel that being in a drivers point of view for four years, I know what it's like to have an adult behind you yelling at you and telling you what to do. Also being on the team as a student allowed me to communicate with my teammates on a one to one level instead of a student adult level. I feel that students that were on the team and back to mentor should be allowed to coach the students because of the experience they've had and they know the students better.

[Eugenia Gabrielov]

Allow me to play devil's advocate for just a moment. This post doesn't reflect my personal opinion, but just consider it.

Think about those overbearing adults. Why are they overbearing? Is it fully them being overconfident in their robot's ability, or do you think maybe they're tired of students who think they know everything going into a match over confident and trying to win with something silly? Do you think maybe they've had maturity issues on their own team with students so they don't want to see that affect the alliance?

Maybe lots of drivers and strat coaches are too cocky. I'm sure every team has had a couple cocky drivers/coaches - they have talent, just very overconfident.

Just a point to consider.

[StephLee]

Do you have an adult coach or a student coach?
We've had a student coach (me) both years we've been a team.

Why?
I was always standing with the drivers during our practices at home, and I knew the rules best, so the mentors decided to make my position official by making me coach. Plus our mentors feel the drive team should be entirely students.

Do you feel it increases your ranking, winning, and success in matches?
I really don't know. That involves so many factors and I really couldn't analyze them enough to know for sure.

Do you feel it enhances your team as a whole?
Definitely. Students are more comfortable talking to other students most of the time, so if one of our team members has a concern or an idea, they don't feel like they can't approach me to discuss it. Plus, the drivers feel like they can be more frank with me than they could with an adult, which really helps with communication within the drive team.

Do you feel it enhances the accuracy, precision, and speed in driving and operation?
The driving is up to the drivers. I'm there to communicate with the other teams and to plan strategy beforehand. I help them keep track of time and what mode we should be in, but any coach, student or adult, could do that.

What downsides are there?
Being a student coach has few downsides except when it comes to coaches who don't want to listen to your ideas and come up with a mutually beneficial strategy. Whether or not they mean to, some coaches automatically try to take charge when the other coach is a student. So long as the mentors are willing to work together (which the majority of adult and student coaches alike are) and the student coach is assertive enough to speak up, there should not be any problems.

Being a sophomore and having coached for two years (as anyone at Pittsburgh during the finals or awards ceremony will know, thanks to Wayne ), I think it's a great experience for the student if there is a student competent enough to handle it - or willing to become competent enough. I was really shy last year, but being thrown into the coaching position as a freshman on a rookie team was the best way I could have ever asked for to break my shyness. I'm much more outgoing and assertive now, because of coaching. However, if no students step forward, I don't see anything wrong with having an adult coach.

[379Robocat]

StephLee you are absolutely correct in your post. I couldn't have said it any better. The robot functioning is up to the drivers. You as a mentor are there to guide them in the right direction. As for when you said that it is easier communicating with other students then adults, you are correct. My team tends to approach me more when they need to talk then go to an adult. I was on the team as a student/driver for 4 years then a mentor/advisor for 2 years and i feel that I am able to talk to them in a way that they understand. If adults on other teams could see that we as younger adults are just as capable of comming up with the same ideas and strategies and listen to each other then things would be better.

[Steph]

Our team prides itself on being student-run, so we will always have a student coach, but I personally feel an adult or student can be successful with the task. I've been our coach for two years now, and am one of only two students that have been on our team throughout its existance, so in a sense I am similar to an adult coach. I have seen as many matches and participated in as many regionals as any adult on our team.

To me, the key to coaching is communication. The drivers need to be able to trust your judgement, but at the same time be comfortable contributing their ideas. Communication with other coaches is also vital; being assertive but flexible seems to work best for me.

With regards to adults doing well at keeping students calm, I personally feel that on our team anyway a fellow student is more successful. We are able to laugh and joke around as friends before matches, but snap back into serious mode as soon as the match begins.

As a student coach, I do sometimes get adults that try to force their opinions and ideas on me, and at first was intimidated by it, but with a little more experience and confidence I have learned work with those coaches. There is still the odd person who tries to dominate strategy sessions, but that person seems to be a fellow student as often as it is an adult. Our first regional of this season was Arizona, and not once did I encounter a forceful or bossy coach. As an alliance captain and student coach who chose two teams with adult coaches, it was a wonderfull experience talking strategy and developing a game plan because the entire drive team from all three teams was involved, and all team members were listened to and respected.

I too am of the opinion that each team should choose the person right for the coaching job on their team, regardless of age, but never hesitate to approach them with ideas or concerns. I love getting input from adults on my team about my decisions on the field.

[Jill1022]

My team has always had student coaches.

I think its better that way because FIRST is about students. Mentors are there to do exactly that...mentor. They show kids how to build the bot, help them to strategize and fundraise, but when it comes to the actual competition, I think its the students turn to show what they learned.

[David55]

Do you have an adult coach or a student coach? Student

Why? We feel that the project is for the students and the students should do everything, and the teacher/mentor is there just to help out and give advice... (and weld)

Do you feel it increases your ranking, winning, and success in matches? I don't think it really matters if the coach is a student or an adult. The coach, anyway, should have good understanding and knowledge of the game and the rules.

Do you feel it enhances your team as a whole? Yes

What downsides are there? Maybe the lack of experience, but I don't think that really effects his functioning if the coach has a good understanding of the game.

Do you feel intimidated or persuaded by adult coaches on your alliance? No