A tubular transition member having an annular wall with at least one cut extending through the annular wall is disclosed for controlling a transition in stiffness of a catheter from a stiffer more pushable proximal section to a more flexible and trackable distal section and increasing kink resistance. The transition member may extend across the junction formed between the stiffer proximal section and the more flexible distal section. The transition member may be used in conjunction with any type of catheter including single-operator-exchange type catheters, over-the wire type catheters, and/or fixed-wire type catheters.