1. Strategy 101 By Amanda Albin Team 75 Strategy Leader

2. What Does “Strategy” Mean? In Robotics, strategy has three main tasks throughout the year. 1. Learning the rules of the game and teaching it to the rest of the team. 2. Making sure that the robot’s design is best fit for the rules of the game. 3. During competitions, to study each team’s robot and determine the best alliance partners.

3. Learning the Rules of the Game As soon as Kick Off occurs, go to the following link to retrieve the Rule Book: http://www.usfirst.org/community/frc/content.asp x?id=452 STUDY THE RULES THOROUGHLY!

4. Preparing for a Competition Learn what teams are going to the competition. Make sure that the drivers and human players understand the rules of the game. Bring a binder with plenty of paper in order to take down notes for each robot, or make more organized sheets with specific information (see next slide). Make a scouting sheet for picking alliances.

5. A Sample Strategy Sheet WATCH EACH ROBOT IN A MATCH and DRAW OUT THEIR STARTING POSITION and NOTABLE ACTIONS

6. Pit Scouting At competitions, go through the pits and ask mechanical leaders of other teams questions about their robots. Examples of important questions can include: Is the robot top heavy? Does it use a camera? Is it a defense, offense, or shooter robot? **Questions depend on the game**

7. Strategy Beginnings: August-November During the summer, it is a great idea to look for different off- season events for your team to go to at the beginning of the year. At these events, you can practice your scouting techniques.

8. December Start to get a good idea of which team members will be the main drivers for the year. Good drivers are usually more experienced team members, but it is also important to train newer team members. Develop a good bond with your drivers, as you need to communicate with them during competitions as how to use the robot during the game in the best way possible.

9. JANUARY Strategy has three main duties in January 1.To learn the rules of the game 2.To teach the rules of the game to all team members. 3.To ensure that the design of the robot is best fit for the game rules.

10. February-May Do scouting at competitions During competitions, make a list of potential alliance partners based on scouting results, as well as results from watching matches.

11. Good luck! For any further questions, please contact Amanda Albin Team 75 Strategy Leader At RedDevilBabee@aol.com