Im not very good at reading cut time music. And I got peice of music today that is in cut time. I know that you play it twice as fast but I still dont understand. Are there any tricks to understand it better???

Don't think of it as twice as fast. Makes it harder. Think of it this way. 2/2, half note gets the beat. So much easier. So each step you take marking time or marching is two 1/4's and 1 1/2.

If I remember correctly, cut time is just like counting in 4/4 time at twice the normal speed. An easier way to understand it might be to set your metronome at twice the posted cut time speed. For example, if the cut time speed is a quarter note = 100 bpm, then set your metronome to quarter note = 200 bpm and just play with your metronome.

i have the same problem, i know how to read it, how its faster but it still messes me up all the time, its my least favorite time signature.

Like a lot of other things about drumming, the more you practice and repeat it, the more comfortable you get with it.

Like Apollo said, don't think of it as twice as fast, because it does make it harder (at least for me). If you can read 6/8 (where the dotted quarter gets the beat) you should be able to pick up cut time rather quickly. Think of it as the half note getting the beat (it's just another way to write music). If a half note is 1 beat, then a quarter is half a beat, eighth notes are 1/4 of a beat, and so on. Cut time is used when the music is simply too fast to write in 4/4. Hope I helped at least a little, this was the way it was explained to me. Keep workin' and you'll get it.

I think the only way that you can get used to cut time is if you just keep practicing them. Also another thing that you can do is try writing yourself an exercise in cut time. Mix it up by putting both eighth notes and quarters to get you used to the fact that they will now equal sixteenths and eighths respectively. Hope this helps!

Try to find some community band that plays a bunch of marches. There are so many in cut time that you could get a LOT of practice with it there.

To expand a bit on Dave's suggestions, try taking an exercise or sheet music that you already know (and is in 4/4 time) and rewrite it in cut time. I used to rewrite time signatures in this way back in my high school days (4/4 to cut time, 6/8 to 3/4, etc). It's a fun way to work on theory and a great way to see how and (more importantly) why different time signatures are used.

Or, even better:

Just double the tempo and practice it in four.