This is guest post written by Saeed, The owner and writer at bestbasketballmag. Saeed has recently written an in depth guide for basketball sneakers.

Basketball is the game of strategies and tactics, without which it can be really hard for you to win. If you are a basketball coach and you follow no strategies, then you are surely going to bring loss and shame to your team.

Many coaches believe that it’s the proper dribbling technique that leads to scoring points, what they don’t know is that a simple and smart cut could destroy the toughest defense, hence, getting them the score points they need. And its just not about breaking the opponent’s defense, but also about making your defense stronger. You can only protect yourself if you’re aware of the threats, so if you have no information about cuts, well, you’re in for surprises during the game. 

If your defending players are properly trained for the specific techniques that can be used against them, it is quite sure your defense could be the strongest one a team could have but to have that, the coach needs to be aware of the cuts used to break open the defense and also be aware which one’s used when.
Correct cutting movements are the most undervalued skills in our training programs. Many at times the coaches don’t teach these cutting movements to the players thinking they’ll learn it on their own, which is wrong. Players need to be taught to get open, this is something not every player can learn by themselves, they can not make use of the screen every time to figure out the best pass, that’s why here are some of the cutting movements that the coaches should teach their players in the team:

  1. V-Cut:

    This cut is the most commonly used when the player standing on the edge is alone and needs to be free to collect the pass.
    This cutting needsthe body of one player to be in contact with the body of another player. This isstarted by making the defender movesomewhere inside the 3-point line, just to wait for the correct moment and when time comes, bursts to the ball to collect it.It works well because the reaction time of the defense will normally be notfast enough to catch or stop the player as soon as he starts moving toreceive the pass.

  2. Curl Cut:

    As the name suggests, the curt cut means to make a curl around the screen.
    This cut depends on the offensive player looking at his defender. If the defense follows around the screen, then a curl cut is the best option. But if the defense cheats on the screen and goes over it, then the best cut would be the flare cut.

  3. L Cut:

    L Cut is a smart way to become open on the edge when you are about to begin the block.
    L cut does notneed the player at the offense to be fast, instead, this cut is effective if players make a quick use of footwork and body.
    Hold your defender with  the elbow, step on their foot, give a shortpush to make space, and runstraight to the wing while also calling your player to pass you the ball.

  4. Backdoor Cut:

    The backdoor cut is used when the defender is not allowing the pass. If the offensive players on your team can make a smart move, this cut can help make a big hole in between, to cut into. If you’re not being allowed to pass, you can make the backdoor cut.
    For the backdoor cut to be effective your players must set their defender up and have a quick change-of-direction and run towards the basket.
    For this cut to take place, the player needs to have precise passing skills to make the exactly needed pass.

  5. Flare Cut:

    This cut goes along with Curl Cut.
    When in the curl cut, the defender seems to cheat and tries to cut the other player off, your team’s player should flare out to the corner.

  6. UCLA Cut:

    This cutrequires a player at the top of the key making a pass to a player on perimeter and then cutting to the block off a high post screen.
    This cut is called UCLA cut because it was introduced and popularized by John Wooden who is known to be the legendary coach.

  7. Deep Cut:

    In the deep cut, the player  will cut at the baseline from one-side of the floor and to the other side. When you are against the zone defences, this cut will be your saviour, because this cut is to mislead and occupy the defence with other players, so they don’t realise that a player is cutting through them.

  8. Shallow Cut:

    A shallow cut is used when you’re continuously changing positions with the person having the ball and is dribbling with it. It means the player has to keep the defender busy while the player with the ball fills the spot that you were in.
    This cut is a great technique if your players have the best understanding with each other. Working together helps you make miracles.

  9. Front Cut:

    In front cut, what you have to do is get on the ball-side of your opponent. This is executed by performing a small cut behind the defense to force them to move behind. When they move back, you just cut in front of them and get closer to the ball, and once you do, the game is in your hands

  10. Flash Cut: 

A flash cut is a quick cut made by a post player to the high post. For this cut, the player making the cut needs to be really quick and make a cut as soon as it sees some space and the other player having the ball watches the player making the cut and passes the ball exactly to his position. Flash cuts are unmeasurable, if you are planning to make a flash cut, make sure your player times it perfectly and you’ll get the score you need. 

Knowing all these cuts, all you need to know is when to use which specific cut and your team can become unbeaten.