linebacker build

Question
Hello coach.My question is conserning linebacker build.I'm a freshman linebacker for my high school football team this spring and will be a sophmore next year.I'm 5'9 and I weigh about 175.The problem with that is that I sorta have a gut.I have some muscle but I think this gut of mines over shawdows it, because I'm a little slower than my fellow linebackers, who all have a six-pack or close to it I have yet to figure whether I will be playing Mike ,Sam,or Will Linebacker.My question is do linebackers all have to have washboard abs to be good?

Answer
B -

I think you know the answer to this question without getting my response.  Having a certain "look" does absolutely nothing in terms of physical ability.  Why would having washboard abs help a linebacker, in terms of just being able to see the abs?  What if that player's abs were just as strong, but not as visible.  

I think you are confusing having visible abs like that with the function of abs.  Athletes work out / get in shape to help their performance in the sport they play.  A side effect of working out / exercising is that the muscles get bigger and more lean.  So it isnt the look they are going for, it is the function of that muscle.  But there in lies a good thing to look at.  Why do all of the LBs in your school have that?  Well, because they know that working out their midsection or "CORE" is very important.  It helps with speed, strength, and the ability to hit.  So they work hard on their abs and lower backs, and because of this hard work, have developed the abs you speak of.  

So make sure and take a good look at what I have said here.  If you have a gut, how does that help you play better football?  Would you be a better player if you did more cardio, and worked your midsection more?  Are those guys faster because they are faster, or because they arent carrying as much bad weight on their frames? Could you be faster if you worked on the correct muscles, and did proper cardio and speed exercises? And if you did that work, would your gut go down and look better also?  Here is an even better question.  What if the more you worked out, the bigger your gut got (doesnt really happen, but stick with me for arguements sake)..  Would you still be that interested in having a six pack?  What if having a six pack meant you would not be as good at football?  Still want one? Think of a SUMO wrestler.  They grow big guts because it helps them in that particular sport. But if it didnt, do you think they would still get that fat? It isnt the SIZE of the sumo wrestler's gut, it is the weight that gut puts on them that gives more force and power.  If they could be as powerful without it, they would, but they cant.  And in that little circle, its all about power. See what I am getting at here?  Dont worry so much about the look, worry about the function.  It just so happens that the better shape you are in, the more functional you will become.  And the better shape you are in, the better your body will look.  They go together, even though you arent necessarily training for both.

Think about it.

Best wishes

Coach Perl