Cut to the Basket
Teach the most underused move in youth basketball: cutting hard to the rim.
- Duration
- 8 min
- Steps
- 4
- Equipment
- 2 items
- Difficulty
- Beginner
How to run it
- 1
Stand on the wing; partner has the ball up top.
- 2
Take your defender away, then cut hard straight to the basket.
- 3
Partner leads you with a pass; catch and finish.
- 4
5 reps each side, then add a defender to make the read live.
Coaching points
- Cut at full speed — a jog is useless.
- Take the defender away first, then cut back — the V-cut.
- Show a target hand and call for the ball.
Equipment
- Basketball
- Partner
Why it works
Young kids stand and watch when they don't have the ball. The nugget: half of offense happens without the ball, and the easiest basket in basketball is a hard cut to the rim that the defense doesn't expect. A kid who learns to cut hard gets open layups all game without needing to dribble. The V-cut (take them away, then cut back) is how you get open against any defender, and it's a skill that scores points at every level.
Cut to the Basket
Purpose: Teach the most underused move in youth basketball: cutting hard to the rim.
▶How to run it
- 1Stand on the wing; partner has the ball up top.
- 2Take your defender away, then cut hard straight to the basket.
- 3Partner leads you with a pass; catch and finish.
- 45 reps each side, then add a defender to make the read live.
✓Coaching points
- ✓Cut at full speed — a jog is useless.
- ✓Take the defender away first, then cut back — the V-cut.
- ✓Show a target hand and call for the ball.
▢Equipment
★Why it works
Young kids stand and watch when they don't have the ball. The nugget: half of offense happens without the ball, and the easiest basket in basketball is a hard cut to the rim that the defense doesn't expect. A kid who learns to cut hard gets open layups all game without needing to dribble. The V-cut (take them away, then cut back) is how you get open against any defender, and it's a skill that scores points at every level.