Interview with Joe Kenn
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach
Carolina Panthers
Joe Kenn is undoubtedly one of the most influential strength and conditioning coaches in the industry. The number of coaches that "House" has had an impact on stretches throughout the professional, collegiate, high school, and private sectors. Coach Kenn has been and mentor to me since I started reading his articles on elitefts™ and read The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook which outlines the Tier System; a system that I have used with my athletes with great success.
Joe has become a friend and I am able to speak to him regularly. I was honored to introduce him when he presented at the NSCA National Conference this past summer and privileged to be one of the first to review his new eBook: The Coach's Strength Training Playbook for Football before it was released. Here is my review of his manual:
In today’s saturated sports performance market, there are eBooks that surface left and right on various topics with an underlying motivation to make a profit. Most of these manuals turn out to be promotional platforms written by individuals who have never actually coached athletes in a team setting. Real coaches want to cut through the creative formatting and flashy marketing without reading through another theoretical guide based not on anecdotal evidence but on personal beliefs. This is not that kind of eBook.
Make no mistake, Joe Kenn’s “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program” is anything but watered-down and solely theoretical. Coach Kenn opens the doors to an entire off-season of training in a detailed format. This data was collected during the off-season training of a highly successful team in a BCS conference with a number of NFL drafted players. No component of preparation was left undocumented including sets, reps, percentages, target times, and performance testing data.
There is a reason Joe “House” Kenn is arguably the most decorated and influential strength & conditioning coach in the industry. His attention to detail, straightforward guidance, and unwavering integrity is evident in every one of the 280 plus pages. Coaches that truly want to help their athletes succeed on the football field and in the weight room will appreciate the effort and honesty of Coach Kenn’s writing. This is the type of information that strength coaches covet and will flourish with. A must read for any coach beyond the over-simplification of athletic performance. “The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook for Football: A Championship Program” is written from the sack. Words Win.
It was an honor to do this interview, although it didn't feel much like one; more of a conversation that we have had many times before.
Topics Covered in Part 1 of this Podcast
- Coaching in the grid of the NFL season
- The transition from the collegiate setting to the professional level
- In-season training and exercises density
- The evolution of the Tier System
- Limitations on coaching at the college level
More from Joe Kenn:
Articles by Joe Kenn
Joe Kenn’s Push, Jump, Punch e-book
Joe Kenn’s The Coach’s Strength Training Playbook
Joe Kenn’s Tier System Training System DVD
Joe Kenn’s The Sled Work Outs DVD
Joe Kenn is undoubtedly one of the most experienced and knowledgeable strength coaches in the industry. As the head strength & conditioning coach of the Carolina Panthers and founder of the Tier System, coach Kenn is one of the most sought after presenters in the country.
Over the last 20 plus years, “House” has coached athletes at The University of Louisville, Arizona State University, The University of Utah, Boise State University, and his Alma Mater, Wake Forrest University. The number of athletes and assistant coaches who have benefited from his guidance reaches throughout the profession.
The Joe Kenn File:
Year
|
Organization
|
Position
|
2011 – Present |
Carolina Panthers |
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach |
2009 – 2011 |
Big House Power Competitive Athletic Training |
Owner/ President |
2008-2009 |
University of Louisville |
Director of Athlete Development |
2003-2007 |
Arizona State University |
Head Coach of Sports Performance |
2001-2002 |
Arizona State University |
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach |
1999- 2000 |
The University of Utah |
Director of Strength & Conditioning |
1994-1998 |
Boise State University |
Head Strength & Conditioning Coach |
1991-1994 |
Boise State University |
Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach |
1991 |
Wake Forrest University |
Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach |
1989-1990 |
Pine Crest Preparatory School |
Assistant Football, Head Wrestling, & Head Strength Coach |
Awards:
- NSCA Professional Coach of the Year - 2013
- CSCCa Master Strength & Conditioning Coach – 2009
- NSCA College Strength and Conditioning Professional of the Year award – 2002
- NSCA Mountain West Conference Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year – 2000
- NSCA Big West Conference Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year – 1998
- NSCA All-American Strength & Conditioning Athlete – 1988
- Wake Forrest University Bill George Award – 1987
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