Know Thyself;

Know Thy Opponent.

Scouting and Strategy for the Best

Advantage in FTC Competition

Presented by The Neutrinos

Coach Paul Bresnan

Kanad Sarkar, Shrey Agarwal

Meghana Chapalmadugu

CONTACT:

CASCADE_EFFECTS@YAHOO.COM

WHO ARE WE?

No Mass… No Charge…

No Limits

Who We Are?

• 4th Year Community Based Team

• Coach with 13 years FLL and FTC

experience

• 2014 Florida State FTC Block Party

Winning Alliance

• 2014 South Super Regional Finalist

Alliance

• 2104 World Championship Captain of

Finalist Alliance Edison Division

ED JONES DOME

ST. LOUIS

EDISON FINALIST ALLIANCE –

Captain Neutrinos

‘Oly Cows Iron Eagles Optimus

Today’s Outline

• Discuss approach to the challenge

though the season

• Audience participation - Interactive

Final Alliance Pick Demonstration

• Videos of Match Strategies

• Q and A

Sun Tzu• Ancient Chinese military strategist

• Wrote The Art of War

• “Know thyself; know thy enemy. A

hundred battles; a hundred victories.”

Preparation, observation of

other FTC teams will give

you an edge in every stage

of the FTC competition.

The Four Stages of Scouting

• Early in the Season

• Early Tournament

• Mid-Tournament

• Finals

Early in the Season

• YouTube is your best friend!

– Scout what other teams are doing

• Attend local tournaments

– What wins a match?

– What were the scores?

– What Defensive Strategies were used?

Early in the Season

• Develop an overall Strategy

• Autonomous is real point grabber

• A good offence is usually better

than a good defense

Tournament Day

• Things will be crazy

• Things will go wrong

• You will forget things

Tournament Day

• Keep calm

– You have the whole day

– Other teams and Field Assistants are

there to help you

– You will learn a lot of fun neat things

– Always send someone to the field even

if the robot will not run – Ranking Points

Tournament Day Early• The Practice Field is the place to be

– Look for unusual designs

– Talk to other teams

• Use Good Scouting Techniques

– Practice Gracious Professionalism

– Beware the “idealistic” view

HOW DO YOU APPROACH

AN ALLIANCE TEAM?

HOW DO YOU

NOT

APPROACH AN ALLIANCE

TEAM?

Tournament Day

• Engage other teams

– Show me your robot

– What’s the best part?

– Wow, how did you do that?

• Beware of Youthful Idealism

– Ask for a demonstration

– Be privately skeptical

– Never ‘dis’ another team or robot

MATCH RESULTS FOR THE ENTIRE

WORLD!

theyellowalliance.net

LINK

LINK

Early Tournament - The Match

List

• Start scouting opponents ASAP

• Develop Relationships with alliance teams

• Identify which matches will be the most

difficult.

• Recruit Family and friends to scout in the

stands

Mid Tournament – A Scout’s

Tools

• Clipboard

• Field Diagrams

• Match List

• Cell Phone - Text

• A Good Attitude

Mid-Tournament - The Scouting

Matrix• Make a spreadsheet of everything

you want to know about a match

• Assign a person(s) to watch the

matches

Mid-Tournament

• Keep your eye on the rankings

• Use any new info you have on your opponents

• Make more friends!– Team spirit

– GP

• Remember Ranking Points!!!

Finals• What team do you want on your

alliance?

– Compatible Strategies

– Fun to play with

• Rank your top teams

• Remember the Power Rule

22=4 23=8

AUDIENCE

PARTICIPATION

INTERACTIVE

ALLIANCE PICKING

SIMULATION

Finals

• Not an Alliance Captain?

– Advertise your team!

– Make a good case; what benefits

would you bring?

• PRO-ACTIVE

ENTHUSIASTIC

PREPARED

SHOW PEP

Finals

• Who are your opponents?

– Did you play with/against them earlier?

– What is their major strategy?

Scouting Advantages• Early in the Season

– Knowing what to expect at a tournament

• Early Tournament– Knowing your opponents

• Mid-Tournament– Preparing for difficult matches

• Finals– Choosing your alliance