Wrestling Coach Hosting Basketball Camp? How J Robinson Does It
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- J Robinson is the University of Minnesota wrestling coach committed to some written in stone philosophies, so much so he believes what he teaches is applicable to all sports.
So this summer, he's trying an experiment and leaving his arena for another kind of sport.
J Robinson is a national champion wrestling coach. His belief: Be tough.
"If you want to talk about mental toughness, you can't have mental toughness until you have some sort of endurance training," Robinson said. "Until you really get to the edge, you can't really develop mental toughness."
That's why he started this: That's right, a basketball camp lead by a wrestling coach. Because he sees commonality.
"Well it came from the idea of an intensive camp. We kind of came up with an idea of how we can impact kids' lives and it's all dependent on discipline that kids are willing to invest in it. It really doesn't make any difference what the discipline is. It's that when kids really want to be good at something, it's amazing the amount of work they'll put in," Robinson said.
Because what he's learned in wrestling is there are four parts to optimum performance.
"Technique, strength, endurance and mental attitude or toughness," he said.
In Robinson's world, it becomes simple: If you want to get better. his job is to make you see the light.
"I have a definition of hard work and they have a definition of hard work, and they're miles apart," Robinson said. "And the object is to move them here by them actually doing it."
And in Robinson's world, there are seven pieces that will define you, and it matters not the sport.
"Discipline, dedication, sacrifice, hard work, responsibility, accountability and service. Six of the skills are about you, the seventh is about once you figure out who you are it's helping other people," Robinson said.
