Match Strategy

We've made the robot and have made our playbook, now it's time to use it. But how?

The playbook was made to be used as our team's main strategy during the competition

Remember, the playbook should be a living document that adjusts to new observations after every match
Note portions of this page are Courtesy of FRC 4607 Alumni Ryan Swanson

To communicate our strategies to your alliance members you should have some way to visualize the field:

The Strategy Board

It can be simple or complicated!
The strategy board doesn't have to have the whole playbook or even extra information about the game
All it NEEDS is a laminated picture of the game field with some dry-erase markers to draw and erase on it

Traditionally our team has used a strategy binder

See the photos for examples from other teams

Use the strategy board to communicate with your alliance partners before a match! It's really useful to communicate your team's strategies and listen to theirs.

Pre-match Strategy

Your strategy team (typically the drive team since they need to know the strategy book) should always look to discuss with alliance members before your match

Figure out robot roles and tactics

Use scouting notes to learn about not only your opponents but also your alliance partners

An all too common situation: Team A wants to shoot in the high goal but your data says they shoot at 30%. Don’t. Let. Them. Shoot. Figure out a compromise that maximizes points.

Have a couple of backup plans for when you or your partners inevitably fail a strategy

Drive Team Roles

Driver:

Focus on your robot and execute the pre-match strategy
Often controls the drivetrain as well as primary manipulators
- Like intake mechanisms

Operator:

Focus on your robot and execute the pre-match strategy
Control secondary manipulators i.e. shooter, arm, flywheels, catapults

Human Player:

Get game pieces to the robot as efficiently as possible
Listens to Drive Coach for changes in strategy

Drive Coach:

Focuses on the whole field, maintains strategy, and communicates with other drive teams
A good Drive Coach can lead a poor robot to be an Alliance Captain

In-match Strategies

Completely dependent on the game
Defense heavy? Pure Offense? So many options!!
Strategies need to be flexible to work
Leave everything on the field - go 100% for every match to win
- Don't play scared and try to avoid damage

Alliance Selection

See the video to the right for how FIRST defines how alliance selection works.

If in a picking position..

Discuss with the teams above you and try to figure out who is picking whom
Talk to desirable teams below you about possibly teaming up
Try to figure out who you will be with, and discuss with them

If NOT in a picking position..

Have team members talk to all the top teams and sell your robot
Make personal connections with some of the top teams
- Possibly a team that you had a match with

General Guidelines

Selection is serpentine order (1-8, 8-1) (in video)

Different strategies for different picking positions
Factor in how well you work with certain teams
- Are they calm, cool, and collected?
- Will they follow your strategy?
- If they break down, will they be able to recover?
Saying “No” is sometimes a good strategy
Make sure your Alliance Captain has incredible knowledge of all the teams in the event
- Should never, ever call out a team number that isn’t attending the event

Scouting

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