Resources
The best official and community resources for learning FTC programming.
FTC Programming Resources
No single resource contains everything you'll need to know about FTC programming. The best programmers learn from many different sources, including official documentation, community guides, YouTube tutorials, and open source projects. This page highlights some of the most valuable resources used by competitive FTC teams.
FTC Docs
Website: https://ftc-docs.firstinspires.org/
The official documentation for FIRST Tech Challenge. It covers Android Studio setup, the FTC SDK, hardware configuration, VisionPortal, AprilTags, TensorFlow, and much more. Whenever you're looking for how something works in the SDK, this should be your first stop.
FTC SDK GitHub
Website: https://github.com/FIRST-Tech-Challenge/FtcRobotController
The official FTC Robot Controller repository. It contains the latest SDK releases, sample OpModes, release notes, and source code. Every FTC team starts from this repository.
Game Manual 0 (GM0)
Website: https://gm0.org/
Game Manual 0 is the gold standard of community-written FTC documentation. It covers programming, hardware, localization, odometry, electrical systems, CAD, strategy, and much more. Even experienced teams frequently reference GM0.
CTRL ALT FTC
Website: https://www.ctrlaltftc.com/
One of the best resources for learning advanced software concepts. Topics include PID control, feedforward, localization, state machines, finite state machines, motion profiling, and controls engineering explained in an FTC context.
FTC Resources
Website: https://ftc-resources.readthedocs.io/
A curated directory containing hundreds of FTC resources from across the community, including programming guides, CAD tutorials, hardware references, and software libraries.
Learn Java for FTC
Website: https://github.com/alan412/LearnJavaForFTC
A beginner-friendly Java guide written specifically for FTC students. If you're new to Java, this is an excellent place to start before diving into robot code.
REV Robotics Programming Docs
Website: https://docs.revrobotics.com/duo-control/programming/hello-robot-java
REV's programming tutorials cover Android Studio installation, robot configuration, writing OpModes, and using REV hardware. Their guides are especially helpful for new teams.
Learn Road Runner
Website: https://learnroadrunner.com/
The definitive tutorial for Road Runner. It explains localization, trajectory generation, tuning, motion profiling, and autonomous programming in a beginner-friendly way.
VisionPortal Documentation
Website: https://ftc-docs.firstinspires.org/en/latest/apriltag/apriltag-intro/apriltag-intro.html
The official documentation for VisionPortal, AprilTags, TensorFlow Object Detection, and camera setup within the FTC SDK.
OpenCV Documentation
Website: https://docs.opencv.org/
The official OpenCV documentation. While not FTC-specific, it is an invaluable reference for teams building custom vision pipelines.
YouTube Channels
FIRST Tech Challenge
Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FIRSTTechChallenge
Official webinars, kickoff presentations, software walkthroughs, and season updates from FIRST.
CTRL ALT FTC
Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CTRLALTFTC
Excellent videos covering controls engineering, autonomous programming, and software architecture.
REV Robotics
Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@REVRobotics
Hardware tutorials, programming walkthroughs, wiring guides, and product demonstrations.
goBILDA
Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@goBILDA
Mechanical design tutorials, build tips, and detailed product explanations for one of FTC's most popular hardware suppliers.
Communities
FTC Discord
Website: https://discord.gg/first-tech-challenge
One of the largest FTC communities online where students can ask programming questions, troubleshoot issues, and discuss robot design.
r/FTC
Website: https://reddit.com/r/FTC
An active Reddit community covering programming, hardware, competitions, and team advice.
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