Court Cutting (Offensive Strategies)

I lack court vision and can't pass the ball very well. In pick up games I often turn the ball over about 5 times or so (in an 11 pt. game). Wat could i do to improve my court vision? Btw, all I do on the court is shoot and rebound, i'm a wing player.

Last edited by tee-pane on Sun Oct 12, 2008 7:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

You just need to improve your awareness of the players around you. Look for your teammate before passing instead of rushing or forcing your pass. If he's covered by someone else, don't pass. It's pretty simple once you're able to differentiate between your teammates and your opponents.

Try to relax when you have the ball. Don't force passes into the key and don't just try to get assists. Pay attention to what your two closest teammates are doing. If you are in trouble is one moving to get open with his hand up looking for your pass? If you are on the wing, is a post player posting up waiting for the pass?

Thx guys for ur responses but guys i play with often swing the ball around and when the ball gets to my hands, i'm often in the corner (barely anyone posts up). I'd either shoot if i'm open or i would struggle getting rid of the ball. There r guys cutting, i do try to get the ball to a player cutting, a defender would come out of nowhere and steal the ball! So all the pases i could make r stupid passes that i pass to the guy on either side of me. Often miss a player who made a beautiful cut to the basket! Seems hard to make eye contact.

Try to relax when you have the ball.

Exactly, it comes naturally for some people, even at a young age, but for others (including me when I was younger), it's always either about shooting the ball right away or trying to get rid of it with passes that will often be risky. Try to get more comfortable with the ball, you don't have to be a PG to actually create something offensively for your team. If there's not much that can be done, don't start dribbling just for the heck of it.
If you tend to play with the same people, you'll start learning from your mistakes very fast, because you'll learn to anticipate what each one of them may do, and that will allow you to avoid bad passes and have a better court vision overall.
But all in all, I think trying to be more comfortable with the ball without wanting to get rid of it right away is the best tip in your situation.

Making eye contact with another dude is gay anyway. Next comes a little smile, wave, and before you know you're having the "coming out" talk with your parents. Try to not go down that road. Just try to relax, basically what el badman recommended.

Maybe your passes are weak and you think there is an opening when there isn't. Get out of the corner, there aren't as many passing angles. If nobody posts up, maybe you should be going down low or to the high post. There are tons of passing angles at the high post. You can also shoot there. You could learn how to pass better if you get some screen and roll plays from your teammates while you have the ball.

Passing used to be the weakest part of my game now it's one of my strongest, you should do dribbling techniques, cause when you move the players around you move, and someone is probably going to be open. Just look around you and make sure you and your teammates are on the same page.

PS: Don't you guys hate when your teammate has a wide open cut and you think they are going to cut? So you pass it and they just stand there and look at the ball. Ugh..

I agree with what's been said so far, first and foremost you need to keep your cool and not panic. If you panic you're more likely to throw a risky pass just to get rid of the ball and likely end up turning it over. Keep your head up and stay alert; if you're a competent ballhandler you won't be looking at the ball while you dribble which means you can survey the court and see where your teammates are and what's going on.

You mention eye contact. It's certainly important to know where your teammates are and a quick glance can let a teammate know the ball is coming their way but make sure it is only a quick glance otherwise the defense can follow your line of sight and will know exactly where you're passing the ball. Telegraph your passes and you're going to commit a lot of turnovers. This is also where a no-look pass is actually practical and not just fancy but you shouldn't throw too many of those unless you have a good feel for where your teammates usually are and have already quickly surveyed the court to see where they are before you make the pass.

I agree with all these point that have been made.
Passing and court vision is easily the best part of my game. It comes so naturally to me, and always has. The biggest point is to play smart and also simple. You don't have to make fancy passes, sometimes a simple chest of bounce pass gets the job done.I always say, when passing to a teammate, put yourself in their shoes. Meaning if you where going to receive the ball, where would you want it? Obviously this can change because of player tendencies, but if you make the textbook basic pass, then thats a great start.
No need to rush anything, an effective passing opportunity will ALWAYS be there if you are patient, you just have to look for it.

And in that respect, communication and teamwork is the key. Talk to each other out there, call for the ball, listen for your teammates. If you're playing like a bunch of individuals rather than a cohesive unit, making the pass only because you're in a bad spot and need to get rid of the ball, you're all going to commit a lot of turnovers.

Im tall and i usually play in the paint when i play with my buddies and i pass really bad but when i have the ball in my hands to work with i pass pretty descent.

- Make sure you love your handle.
Be comfortable with handling the ball. Dribbling, passing, even catching.
- Try to think a step ahead.
If you pass it to someone, what are the possible consequences? Is it too close to the sideline to be catchable? Are there too many defenders? Is it better if I just dribble and look for another teammate?
- Don't be predictable.
You're saying you get picked five times a game? They probably know you're not going to pass fake, or if you get trapped, they know you're going to pass it in their hands, stuff like that. Once you become a little more confident and skilled and your turnovers slowly go down, you'll see a big change in the defense's behavior.
- Don't sweat it.
Don't let turnovers get to you. If you missed a guy cutting for the basket a play beforehand, don't keep looking for him just so you're sure you'll find him. Play basketball. Shoot the ball if you're open, pass if you're not. It's only pickup, anyhow. Have fun.

This used to be one of my main problem, and I have to agree with the other guys by saying that the most important thing is to relax. If you start thinking that you'll lose the ball, you won't have enough confidence and you'll throw an imprecise or weak pass, thus making it easy to get stolen.

The other thing I would say is to make sure the guy you're passing to is waiting for the pass and is concentrated on that. Sometimes you just pass it to someone when he wasn't at all looking to get the ball, and that surprises him sometimes. And most importantly, don't rush your passes. If you feel you're stuck, just wait for a solution, and some players will make themselves open so you can get the ball to them.

So I would say : relax, take your time, and think before passing (which means eye-contact and all that)

For some reason, I've always thought court vision is gained through experience playing and also watching the game. So I would suggest you watch how other players play and see if you can see things on the court that you probably don't see at the moment as a player and once you're on the floor, you might have a good idea of what you are looking to see.

Improve your handles and with passing, just don't rush as everyone has said. A good pass is a pass that anyone can catch. Don't 'exaggerate' the pass by throwing it too hard or too high. Always pass to the chest. The simple fundamentals like that.

If you don't want to turn the ball over, make sure you use your head fakes, pass fakes. Don't waste your dribble and try not to get caught in corners of the court.

That certainly ties in with knowing your teammates. Most people have a favourite area of the court to work in and a spot on the floor they feel most comfortable shooting from, which is where they'll gravitate to a lot of the time. Conversely, some players might move around a lot. Knowing what your teammates do and where they like to get the ball will help you keep track of where they're likely to be when your team is on offense.

And just a final thing to add, it's all about your mentality.

Thx for all advices! I think i have improved somewhat in recent games! Although not getting assists and still commiting turn overs once in a while but definately improved. I've got another problem now, I need to make better cuts, i have always ran and stopped and as a result pass by teammate and i am not there. More suggestions on cutting and getting open. Thx in advance!

just be confident. dont restrict your moves because u think u will fail. just go at it with all u have

Keep cutting/moving. If you are cutting to the basket and the pass can not be made, continue cutting to an open spot on the floor, no matter where it is. Try to use a teammate as a pick even if they aren't setting a pic and cut behind them. If you defender cheats around the other side, change direction and cut back to where you were coming from. You can also fake a cut back and then continue your original cut to fake you defender out.

Keep an eye on your defender. If he turns his head and looks away from you while your cutting, or even when you are just standing in you spot off the ball, make a quick cut in the opposite direction and put your hand(s) up calling for the ball. If you time it right, your defender won't be able to adjust fast enough.