Motion Offense
Ages 13–15, Ages 16+
Zipper Cut
A baseline-to-top cutting action where a player sprints up the lane line off a screen near the free-throw line, springing a designated shooter for a catch-and-shoot look.
Reads & options
- 1. If the cutter's defender trails, hit him immediately coming off the screen for a catch-and-shoot look.
- 2. If the defense switches the screen, the cutter can slip inside for a quick post-up on the smaller defender.
- 3. This action is often used to get a shooter the ball on the move right out of a dead-ball situation or after an out-of-bounds play.
Coaching points
- · The screener should set the zipper screen with good width so the cutter has room to come off it either way.
- · Cutters should sprint the full length of the cut — a slow zipper cut gives the defense time to recover.
- · This is a great way to get a designated shooter a rhythm three right off an inbounds or after a timeout.
Running Zipper Cut?
Trade adjustments and counters with coaches running this set in the free community, or build sets like Zipper Cut yourself in the interactive Play Designer — drag players, chart cuts, screens and passes, then watch the play run.
The community is free and always will be. No card needed for either.
More motion offense
Pass and Screen Away — Motion Offense Rule
A continuity motion rule, not a fixed set: the passer screens for a teammate on the opposite side of the floor, repeated from any two spots until it creates an opening.
Flex Offense
A continuity offense built on a baseline screen (the 'flex cut') paired with a down screen for the screener, designed to spring one of the two post players open on every possession.
Princeton Backdoor Cut
A high-post entry pass paired with a backdoor cut — the signature read of the Princeton offense, punishing a defender who denies or overplays the wing pass.