Joe Belden is in his seventh season on campus with the title of Assistant AD of Athletic Performance after a four-year tenure as the Powerlifting and Strength and Conditioning coach.
Belden made an immediate impact on campus, leading the program to multiple individual national championships, personal records along with a fifth place overall finish nationally for the Falcon Women in the raw division at the USA Collegiate Nationals in 2021.
No stranger to the Wichita area, Belden served as the strength and conditioning coach at Wichita North High School for the past 17 years. He was also a Kettlebell Consultant for the University of Kansas Strength and Conditioning program in the spring of 2018.
Belden boasts a wide range of athletic experience, including two stints as the Head Football Coach at Wichita North from 2002-05 and 2013-16. At At Wichita North, Belden helped orchestrate one of the biggest turnarounds in city league history, improving to 8-3 in 2003 following a 1-8 mark in the 2002 season. Overall, Beldon has amassed 30 years of coaching experience over eight different sports. He also brings a familiarity to Friends University, with a one-year stop as the assistant football coach and strength coach in the 1993-94 season.
Belden's versatile career has also included stops at Bishop Carroll High School (1991-93) as the assistant football coach and strength coach and at Wichita East High School (1988-91), where he was the assistant coach for football, wrestling, softball and the assistant coach at the Kansas Elk Bowl.
He has also taught weight training and conditioning at Wichita North since 2002 and is a certified International Kettlebell Federation and Maxbells, Kettlebell and Body Weight instructor.
He has achieved multiple strength and conditioning certifications, including Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), USA weightlifting certification (USAW), World
Kettlebell Federation (WKC), Maxbells, and a Body Weight/Joint Mobility certification from Steve Maxwell.
Belden has also trained numerous college and professional athletes, law enforcement officers and a current Navy Seal, while also developing, organizing and implementing speed development and hybrid training programs for The Adams Course and Belden Performance.
Belden completed his Bachelor of Science in Health, Physical Education and Recreation at Southwestern College in 1987.
