Joe Kenn

Having written the book, Joe Kenn (aka ‘House’) takes us through the philosophies that helped create the Tier System of training athletes. From how to most effectively put together a staff, to using the Tier System foundation to create your own programs, House delivers quotable ‘food for thought’ throughout the entire episode. It’s his way of paying it forward by teaching strength coaches around the world ‘how to fish’ rather than feeding them for a day.

Show Highlights

Coach Joe Kenn began by acknowledging having a lot of people who helped put him in a position to reap the benefits. This profession is so different from many others because of the physicality required – it is physically taxing to practice this craft. That very fact makes longevity in the industry a bit elusive, but if you’re able to surround yourself with people who complement you, longevity becomes more attainable.

Good coaches who care makes all the difference in training athletes as well. You will not be able to connect with every single athlete so having other good coaches who care will help your athletes find more success. That and having a sound foundation on which to build each of your programs. They should not all be the same, and don’t give the volleyball team last year’s redshirt football program.

This topic of having a foundation is what spurred the conversation of how Coach Kenn decided to write his book. It began with an article describing the step by step of how they were training athletes. This, in its day, was unheard of – everyone was keeping their secret sauce secret. But he saw the value in sharing the knowledge and teaching the foundations on which they program. The expectation was for other coaches to take it and run … develop it into their own, with their own situation and set of circumstances. It’s his way of paying it forward and he hopes it continues serving strength coaches long into the future.

You can find Coach Joe Kenn on his website or on Instagram or Twitter @bighousepower.