Are referees required to tell you what they are warning you about? Or can they just start counting down from 5 without the team knowing what they are doing wrong?
Referees are instructed and highly encouraged to help competitors avoid breaking rules by issuing warnings or other cautionary notes during a match. Counting down from 5 is a standard visual and vocal warning, laid out in the Game Manual, that a robot is Pinning or Trapping. Pinning / Trapping is the only thing that a count down from 5 could indicate. It is the teams’ responsibility to be familiar with game rules and rectify their situation once a warning has been given (or, in the case of Pinning, before the 5-count has been completed).