Skip to content
IncredibotsAcademy

Start here

You do not need a robot, a mentor, a workshop, or a budget to begin. You need about an hour and a browser. Work down this list in order — it is the same order we walk rookie teams through in person.

Before anything else

  • Download this season's Game Manual Part 1 and Part 2 from the FIRST website. They are free and they are the rules.
  • Find two adults willing to be listed as coaches. You cannot register without them.
  • Do not buy anything yet. The FIRST track explains what you actually need first.
  1. 1FIRSTWeek 1Understand what you are signing up forWhat a match looks like, what a season costs, what the deadlines are, and how to register. Do this before you spend a single dollar.
  2. 2MechanicalWeeks 2–4Learn how robots actually moveDrivetrains, gear ratios, and the handful of mechanical ideas that every FTC mechanism is built from.
  3. 3ElectronicsWeeks 3–5Wire it so it survives a matchControl Hub, motors, servos, sensors — and the wiring mistakes that cause more lost matches than bad code.
  4. 4ProgrammingWeeks 4–8Make it driveJava from zero, then TeleOp and autonomous, written and tested in your browser against a simulated robot.
  5. 5CADOngoingDesign before you cutOnshape from your first sketch to a full assembly, so you stop wasting aluminium on parts that do not fit.
  6. 6BusinessStart in week 2Pay for all of it, and survive year twoBudgets, sponsors, the pitch, and the team structure that keeps you alive when your founders graduate. Start this earlier than feels natural.