Though regulations will usually remain consistent from one competition to the next within one particular company, when switching organizations or companies that often times is not true. Most regulations by different organizations or companies will have the same basis for their rules, but have subtle alterations that can affect your overall score depending on your performance or choreography.
Example:Always compare all the individual regulations of each and every competition to highlight and prepare for those variations. There are often times choices you can make to adjust appropriately. You can choreograph one routine based on the regulations you prefer and only register in competitions that meet those regulations or create a base routine that can be easily molded into both styles, in essence creating two different routines that are almost identical with minor adjustments that remain compliant with either style and competition.
Each company or organization has its own method of judging. Categories may vary and the point values for particular skills performed may also have different point values associated with them.
Example:Choreographing a routine that will score really high at one competition may score mid-range at another, therefore choreograph a routine with a variety of skills in each category that will allow it to score well under any system.
Competitions will often vary in the size break and age requirements for their divisions. This will require adjustments in your routine from one competition to the next.
Example:Know these variations in advance so you can choreograph a routine that is easily adjustable. Meaning, your routine is designed to compensate easily if you add or subtract a team member. Another option is to adjust your tryout process, changing the number of team members you accept on the competition team according to the most common division rules you will compete under.