Compete

Preparation guide

How to prepare for FIRST Robotics Competition

Build a 125-pound robot in six weeks, then compete in a stadium alliance game.

Competitive · Grades 9 to 12

Competition details and how to enter Official website

Where the points actually are

Nothing about FRC can be prepared alone in the six-week build season. Teams that do well have already decided their drivetrain approach, trained their programmers and built their fundraising before the game is revealed. The pre-season, from September to December, is where the season is actually won.

Topic breakdown

01Drivetrain
The one subsystem every game needs. Teams that can build and program a reliable drivetrain in week one buy themselves five weeks for the game-specific mechanism.
02CAD and design process
Onshape and Fusion 360 are the common tools and both are free for teams. Designing before cutting metal is the single largest efficiency gain available.
03Programming and control
WPILib in Java, C++ or Python. Learn command-based programming, sensor feedback and autonomous routines in the pre-season, not in week three.
04Business and outreach
The Impact Award is the highest honour in FRC and is judged on community effect, not robot performance. It is also the most winnable award for a small team.
05Safety and inspection
Robots fail inspection for predictable reasons every year. Read the rules on wiring, bumpers and weight before you build, not after.

A study plan that works backwards from the date

  1. September to October Train new members on tools and software using last year's robot. Secure sponsors and submit grant applications. Assign subteam leads.
  2. November to December Build a practice drivetrain from scratch as a training exercise. Programmers write and test autonomous routines on it. Study previous games to learn how mechanisms recur.
  3. Kickoff weekend Read the whole game manual as a team before anyone sketches anything. Decide what you will not do; scope discipline beats ambition in a six-week season.
  4. Build weeks 1 to 3 Prototype mechanisms in cardboard and wood before metal. Get the drivetrain driving by the end of week two so programmers are not blocked.
  5. Build weeks 4 to 6 Stop adding features. Drive practice, reliability fixes and driver training win more matches at this stage than any new mechanism.

Tips that come from the format itself

  • The rookie registration fee is higher than the veteran fee because rookie teams receive an additional kit of reusable parts. Budget for that difference.
  • Grants and rookie subsidies exist specifically because the cost is a barrier. Ask your regional organisation directly; most have funding that goes unclaimed.
  • Chief Delphi is the community forum where teams publish designs, code and post-mortems openly. It is the best free resource in FRC.
  • The Impact Award route rewards documentation and community work over robot performance. A small team with a modest robot can win the highest award in the programme.
  • Driver practice is the most undervalued activity in the sport. Two hours of driving beats another mechanism in the final week.

Practice resources

  • FIRST Robotics Competition official site Official · free

    Registration, the game manual, calendar, costs and the scholarship directory.

  • FIRST cost and registration page Official · free

    The authoritative page for what registration includes and what it costs each season.

  • Chief Delphi Community · free

    The FRC community forum. Teams publish CAD, code and season post-mortems openly here.

  • WPILib documentation Course · free

    The official free programming library and tutorials for FRC robots in Java, C++ and Python.

  • Onshape for FRC Tool · free

    Free browser-based CAD for teams, widely used across the league.

Past papers and official materials

Videos worth your time

Skills this builds

  • Mechanical design and CAD
  • Machining and fabrication
  • Programming in Java, C++ or Python
  • Control systems
  • Project management
  • Fundraising and outreach

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