FTC Strategy …probably more important than you thought
Why Strategy? Doesnt that only happen when Im in a match? Strategy is a full season element! NO!
Why Strategy? Strategy is the main driver of your competition team. Strategy drives your robot design, not the opposite. But the robot…
Why Strategy? How does it actually take all season to do this? Unless you're only going to one tournament, which no one is…
Welcome to the League Info taken from FL FTC blast on June 20 League play – Meets Only match play – No elimination matches – Average qualifying points earned per match played at all Meets attended over the course of the season will make up 50% of the team's Florida state ranking.
Welcome to the League (contd) Judges – Judges will create score cards for every team – Regular awards will not be awarded at meets – 25% of your State Ranking Video Judging – Mid-season video 25% of your state ranking League Championships – Same as outlined in Tournament Day section of manual – Affect State Ranking
Welcome to the League (contd) How you qualify into state championship – Minimum Three league competitions – 50% Match Performance – 25% Average judge score – 25% Mid-season video Rank regularly updated on Florida FTC website Top 24 teams qualify into State Championship
So how does this change strategy? Average qualifying points earned per match played at all Meets attended over the course of the season will make up 50% of the team's Florida state ranking. Every Match Counts. What do you think?
A season of strategy What happens all season for strategy
Kickoff Hit the ground running Learn the rules Analyze the game
Robot strategy You can change your robot between tournaments First tournament bots dont usually win state championships Evolve your bot through the season to get to the ultimate strategy. Field the best bot you can The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. - Michael Porter
Pre Tournament Scouting – Facebook – Websites – Forums Gameplay strategies – What kind of bots might be out there? Plan B Practice Coaching is key
Tournament day Scouting – Matches – Pit – Scouts talk to coaches Welcome to the realities of your robots capabilities – Adapt game play Talk to alliances ahead of time Each match is different You have to be fast on your feet and adaptive or else a strategy is useless. - Charles de Gaulle
Post Tournament What worked for us? What didnt work for us? What worked for others? What didnt work for others? What changes do we need to make to the bot? Is our strategy working? However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results. - Winston Churchill
…rinse, repeat. For every tournament.
Good luck!