FLL Weekly Practice Structure for Coaches

Overview: Structuring the Season with Three Phases

To help teams stay on track and ensure steady progress, practices should follow this three-phase program. Each phase builds on the previous one and gradually introduces more advanced concepts in robot design, coding, mission strategy, and the innovation project. This structure helps avoid last-minute cramming and promotes meaningful learning and teamwork. At the same time, teams should work consistently on Core Values, the Big Board (see section Judging sesson information for Big Board description), and Presentation Skills, which are integrated throughout all phases.

Phase 1: Team Foundations & Robot Basics

Goals:

  • Build team chemistry and introduce FLL expectations.
  • Teach how practices work, including setup/cleanup and where materials are stored.
  • Introduce and reinforce:
    • FLL Core Values
    • Continuous Innovation Loop:
      • Identify – Understand the problem or challenge
      • Design – Brainstorm and plan a solution
      • Create – Build or implement the solution
      • Iterate – Test, evaluate, and improve
      • Communicate – Share results, progress, and ideas
  • Begin construction of the LEGO game board stations.
  • Build a simple, square robot base:
    • Compact design for maneuverability
    • Drive motors on the bottom
    • Accessory motors mounted on top
  • Introduce basic coding concepts (e.g., block coding or early Pybricks logic).

Phase 2: Coding & Mission Strategy

Goals:

  • Advance coding skills with a focus on Pybricks programming.
  • Explore each mission station:
    • Understand scoring opportunities
    • Begin strategic planning—missions to target and in what order.
  • Discuss competition rules:
    • 2.5-minute run time
    • How the team interacts with the robot and board during a match.
  • Start designing and testing attachments for selected missions.
  • Apply the Continuous Innovation Loop:
    • Identify – Challenges with movement or accuracy
    • Design – Attachments or changes
    • Create – New code or hardware
    • Iterate – Testing and adjustments
    • Communicate – Share ideas and results

Phase 3: Refinement & Optimization

Goals:

  • Optimize robot design, attachments, and code for accuracy and consistency.
  • Improve point scoring strategy and mission execution.
  • Run practice matches to simulate competition conditions.
  • Fine-tune attachment switching and pit crew roles to save time.
  • Use the Continuous Innovation Loop regularly:
    • Identify – What needs improvement
    • Design – A solution or change
    • Create – The update in code or hardware
    • Iterate – Testing and refining
    • Communicate – Success or remaining needs

Ongoing Throughout All Phases

Core Values:

  • Assign each student one of the six values to champion.
  • Recite and reflect on values during team discussions.
  • Reinforce behavior that demonstrates Discovery, Innovation, Impact, Inclusion, Teamwork, and Fun.

Big Board:

  • Create a two-sided visual display showing both the robot game and the innovation project.
  • Represent the Continuous Innovation Loop visually:
    • Identify, Design, Create, Iterate, Communicate
  • Use pictures, notes, sketches, and documentation from actual practices.

Presentation Skills:

  • Draft and refine team speeches for judging.
  • Ensure every student has a role and practices public speaking.
  • Prepare for judge Q&A with mock interviews.

Continuous Innovation Loop:

  • Encourage every activity (robot work, coding, innovation project, and presentations) to follow these five steps:
    • Identify
    • Design
    • Create
    • Iterate
    • Communicate
  • Reinforce that this loop is not linear—teams should revisit steps as needed.

Notebook Journaling for Big Board:

  • Every student should keep a practice notebook.
  • Encourage frequent notes, sketches, code logs, and diagrams.
  • These will become critical source material for the Big Board display and help students explain what they did and why.