Endgame Execution

Why the endgame is special#

In most FRC games the last segment of teleop is a high-value endgame task — historically things like climbing, hanging, balancing, parking, or a final scoring rush — worth a large chunk of points and often the margin of victory. The exact task changes every season and is defined in the Game Manual, but the principle is constant: the endgame is high-reward, time-pressured, and frequently the difference between winning and losing.

Plan the endgame before the match#

Endgame must be part of the alliance strategy meeting, not an afterthought. Decide in advance:

• Who does what — which robots climb/score in endgame and which keep cycling until the last moment.
• Where — assign positions so two robots don't fight for the same spot.
• When — agree on a time trigger (e.g., "start endgame at 0:25") and who calls it.

FIRST's coaching resource explicitly lists endgame coordination and role assignment as part of pre-match planning. A clear plan prevents the classic failure where everyone scrambles for the same climb spot with five seconds left.

Time it with a clear call#

The coach (watching the clock the driver can't fully focus on) should give a single, unambiguous call to begin endgame — for example "climb now" — with enough lead time for the robot to travel, line up, and execute. Cutting it too close risks a partial climb worth nothing; going too early sacrifices scoring cycles. Teams often drill a countdown ("15 seconds… 10… go") so the driver and operator pace themselves into the endgame.

Make it repeatable#

The endgame should be one of your most-drilled sequences because it's done under maximum stress with no time to retry. Practice it:

• Cold, from a normal cycle into the endgame, not just in isolation.
• Under a clock, so the team feels the time pressure.
• With failure recovery — what to do if the first attempt slips, and when to abandon it to avoid wasting the whole window.
• Coordinated with the simulated alliance so positioning conflicts surface in practice, not on the field.

Decide the abort threshold#

Finally, agree on when not to attempt the endgame — if the robot is damaged, mispositioned, or out of time, a failed attempt can cost more than it gains (some games penalize ending in a bad state). The coach owns this judgment call. A reliable, smaller endgame beats an ambitious one that fails half the time. Consistency, again, is the theme: a climb you hit 95% of the time wins more matches than a flashy one you hit half the time.