While coaching my 7th grade daughter's volleyball team, I needed to address the question of playing time. 7th grade seems to be a pivotal year between everyone playing equal amounts of time and the better players starting to play a larger percentage of the time. Each player does get playing time, but it is not equal. It is a transition year, and the players should understand why. By high school, the teams will be streamlined to included only those players who will play and help the team win as many games as they can. That is the nature of competitive sports. In the earlier years of youth sports, players all get fairly equal time in the game. As they get older and games get increasingly competitive the stronger players spend more time in the game to help the team win. There are many lessons to be learned and decisions to be made during this transition phase. You can work really hard and be good enough to make the team, or you may work really hard and still not be good enough to make the team. You can also have a great attitude and be a positive, supportive teammate and be a player cheering for your team from the bench most of time. Coaches love those selfless players who put team before themselves. That takes a mature attidude, and usually that player will earn more playing time because of it. A positive team player will get more out of her teammates and be more valuable to have in the game. Through good team meetings where coaches share their reasons for making the decisions they make throughout the game, players at this pivotal age can learn why they play or don't play. They can understand how to accept coaching, not criticism, and know what they have to do to improve to be more valuable to their team. I believe the players need encouragement and also honesty about their skill level and what they can do to work on their game and improve. They need to know that they are playing a competitive team sport. They are competing for a spot on the team and at the same time they need to be positive and encouraging to their teammates for the good of the team. I think group and individual meetings with players is necessary to maintain open lines of communication. You don't want any talking behind the back to start on your team. Please write back with any comments or observations.