How to Earn More Playing Time?

Every young athlete knows the feeling—watching from the sidelines, eager to get into the game, wondering what it will take to earn more minutes on the field, court, or ice. Whether you’re a parent supporting a frustrated child or an athlete hungry for more opportunity, understanding the path to increased playing time is essential in youth sports development.

The Playing Time Paradox

Playing time in youth sports presents a challenging balance. Athletes need game experience to develop, yet coaches must consider team success, safety, and development needs of all players. This creates what I call the “playing time paradox”—you need minutes to improve, but often need to improve to earn minutes.

Breaking this cycle requires a strategic approach that goes beyond simply being the most naturally talented player. Even when natural ability varies, coaches consistently reward certain behaviors and attitudes with increased opportunity. Let’s explore the actions that consistently translate to more time in the game.

Master the Fundamentals First

Before seeking highlight-reel moments, focus relentlessly on the fundamental skills of your sport. Coaches trust players who can execute the basics consistently under pressure. This means different things across sports:

In basketball, can you make the simple pass, maintain defensive positioning, and set solid screens? In soccer, can you maintain possession, complete basic passes, and fulfill positional responsibilities? In volleyball, can you serve consistently and maintain proper court positioning?

I’ve watched countless young athletes try to earn playing time by attempting spectacular plays while neglecting fundamentals. Coaches quickly recognize this pattern and typically respond by reducing playing time rather than increasing it. The path to more minutes starts with becoming utterly reliable in basic execution.

Demonstrate Coachability

Nothing earns a coach’s trust faster than demonstrating genuine coachability. This quality manifests through:

• Maintaining eye contact when receiving instruction
• Implementing feedback immediately in practice
• Asking clarifying questions instead of making excuses
• Taking responsibility for mistakes rather than blaming others
• Showing willingness to adjust technique or strategy

Athletes who demonstrate coachability give coaches confidence that playing time will translate to development—the primary goal in youth sports. When coaches see that minutes invested in you generate growth, they’re naturally inclined to increase that investment.

Maximize Your Current Minutes

How you use your existing playing time dramatically impacts whether you’ll receive more. Young athletes often make the mistake of trying to pack all their effort into compressed minutes, leading to forced plays and errors.

Instead, approach limited minutes with a quality-over-quantity mindset. Execute your specific role excellently. Focus completely on the task at hand. Show discipline in maintaining systems and strategy rather than trying to stand out through individual heroics.

I’ve seen bench players earn starting roles simply by making zero mistakes during their limited opportunities. This approach builds a coach’s confidence that you can handle expanded responsibility.

Contribute Beyond the Stat Sheet

Coaches value contributions that may never appear in traditional statistics. These include:

• Setting the emotional tone at practice through consistent energy
• Supporting teammates with specific, encouraging communication
• Understanding and executing strategic adjustments quickly
• Demonstrating exceptional effort in less glamorous aspects of your sport
• Contributing to positive team culture on and off the field

These “intangible” contributions often tip the scales when coaches make playing time decisions between athletes of similar skill levels. They also demonstrate a team-first mentality that coaches inherently want to reward.

Develop Your Physical Tools

While natural athleticism varies among young people, every athlete can improve their physical preparation. Increased playing time often follows improvements in:

• Sport-specific conditioning and stamina
• Flexibility and injury prevention
• Strength appropriate to your sport and development stage
• Recovery habits and nutrition
• Sleep quality and consistency

Coaches notice athletes who take physical preparation seriously. When you demonstrate commitment to maximizing your physical tools, you signal readiness for increased demands that come with more playing time.

Communicate Appropriately

Learning to communicate with coaches effectively is an underrated skill for earning playing time. This doesn’t mean demanding minutes, but rather:

• Asking specific questions about areas for improvement
• Seeking clarity about your role and expectations
• Expressing desire for opportunity through work ethic rather than words
• When appropriate, having private, respectful conversations about goals

Communication should focus on development rather than playing time itself. The question “What specific skills would you like to see me improve?” will take you much further than “Why don’t I play more?”

The Patience Principle

Finally, understand that increased playing time rarely happens overnight. Development occurs in stages, and minutes typically increase incrementally as trust builds. The athletes who eventually earn significant playing time embrace incremental progress, celebrating small increases in responsibility while continuing to work toward larger goals.

Youth sports participation builds far more than athletic skill—it develops character, work ethic, and resilience that serve young people throughout life. The process of earning playing time, with all its challenges and occasional disappointments, may ultimately provide more valuable life lessons than the minutes themselves.

By focusing on fundamentals, demonstrating coachability, maximizing current opportunities, contributing beyond statistics, developing physical tools, communicating effectively, and practicing patience, young athletes put themselves in the best position to earn the playing time they desire—and to make the most of it when it comes.

About the Author:

Amy Masters is a proud sports mom, seasoned coach, and dedicated club administrator with over a decade of experience in youth athletics. She launched Jr Lions Field Hockey in Hunterdon County, growing it from just 40 players in its first season to over 150 by year three. Fueled by the growing passion and competitive spirit of local athletes, she went on to found Omega Field Hockey Club, now serving players across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

A former collegiate athlete herself, Amy played field hockey at Lock Haven University, where her love for the game truly took root. Off the field (and somehow still finding time), she leads marketing for iSport360 and co-edits the Youth Sports Survival Guide—the largest youth sports newsletter in the world.