I feel like this has turned into "who is a good choreographer"
I still want to know more about other choreographers and what they do
I know when I do a routine for a team that is within driving distance I do several things. I go a few weeks before choreography and will work with them for a practice. Give them a few stunts to work on for their level and get an idea of tumbling and jumps etc. This makes it easier when I go in a second time. If I can't do that, I try to get a video of some skills and understand what they are working on. When I go in, I will ask to see what they have worked on then start with the routine. I like to make the coaches feel involved while not letting them dictate every move. I ask them opinions about who they want there and if they have a preference between 2 options. A week or so after choreography, I follow up to see how the girls are doing with it. If they can remember it all, etc. About a month later, I will call to see if they are having any trouble with the routine, if there are any issues that I can fix etc. Then after a few small competitions, I go back in before they have a major competition to tweek the routine based on judges comments and how it is scoring.
I also give the coaches ideas on how to improve things in the routine. Some coaches prefer watered down routines with options to add in harder skills. In that case, I make sure there are enough counts for a harder stunt, pyramid, etc. If coaches prefer to get the harder routine, then I also tell them what they should water down first to still allow things to score in top ranges. I know a lot of people say "if they were a good coach...", but lets face it, how many coaches out there know everything. I believe it is better to give them more information.
