David J. Szymanski, PhD, CSCS*D, RSCC*E, FNSCA
Department Chair & Professor
Eva Cunningham Endowed Professorship in Education
Power Lift Sport Science Educational Board Member
1. Where did you grow up and what activities were you involved in?
I grew up in LaGrange, IL (southwest suburbs of Chicago) in a neighborhood with several other boys my age and older. We played outside almost every day. The sports I played in the summer and fall were baseball, basketball, football, and soccer. During the winter months, sports were awesome to play outside in the snow. Downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and hockey were some of my favorites.
2. What did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a professional baseball player. I played through college, but unfortunately, never played professionally. I never imagined being a professor, a department chair, or a strength and conditioning coach. I would like to think that if you asked my childhood friends, they would not believe what I do now.
3. What was your first job?
My first job was working as a sales associate at a sporting goods store in Hinsdale, IL. I was in charge of greeting customers, assisting customers with all merchandise, and was responsible for collecting inventory of all items for the store. I enjoyed it because I got to see all the new equipment, clothing, and shoes for every sporting activity as well as received a discount on items that I wanted to buy.
4. Where did you attend undergraduate school and what was your major?
In 1985, I first attended Indiana University for the fall semester before transferring to the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, IL (community college) where I received my Associates of Arts degree with an emphasis in Commercial Art. During that time, I was the starting short-stop for two years. I left Indiana University because the Head Baseball Coach punched me in the chest during a practice to “get my attention.” After junior college, I attended Texas Lutheran University (TLU) in Seguin, TX from 1987-89. I was the starting short-stop for the 1988 and 1989 seasons and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Art. In 1992, I went back to TLU to serve as the Assistant Baseball Coach and earned my second Bachelor of Arts degree in Kinesiology in 1993.
5. Where did you attend graduate school and your activities during that time?
While serving as the Assistant Baseball Coach at TLU, I attended Texas State University in San Marcos, TX and received my Masters of Education degree in Sports Management. The main activity I was involved with was lifting weights.
6. Where did you get your PhD?
I went to Auburn University in the fall of 1996 to begin my Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology and served as the Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach for the 1997 season. After that season, I stopped coaching baseball and focused on my academics and GTA position. However, after training the baseball players in the summer of 1998, I was asked to be the Volunteer Assistant Baseball Coach so I could train the Auburn baseball players for the 1998-1999 year. At the end of the season, I was hired as the full-time Baseball Exercise Physiologist. In that position, I designed and implemented all of the resistance training and conditioning programs for the players as well as have them perform various sports performance tests. I finished my Ph.D. in 2004.
7. What brought you to Louisiana Tech?
In 2004, I was the Sports Performance Director at Velocity Sports Performance in Broken Arrow, OK, outside of Tulsa, OK. After working 12-hour days, Monday through Friday, 5 hours on Saturday, and not seeing my family very much, I decided to apply for academic positions. One of the colleges that I applied to was Louisiana Tech University for an Assistant Professor position. I was offered the job in July and moved to Ruston in August 2005 a week before Hurricane Katrina devastated south Louisiana.
8. What are your research interests?
My main research interest is in baseball performance. After reading articles by Dr. Coop DeRenne on weighted implements (bats) to enhance baseball bat swing velocity in 1992 while a master’s student, I became interested in this topic due to my personal experiences in playing and coaching baseball. I wanted to look more closely at bat swing velocity and began formulating ideas on how I could research this topic. I also became interested in under and overweighted ball training as Dr. DeRenne demonstrated that balls ± 20% (4-6 oz) of the standard baseball (5 oz) enhanced throwing velocity. As I have mentored numerous graduate students at LaTech over the last 16 years who have been interested in other sport areas, sport science or sports performance research would be my general overall theme.
Dr. Coop DeRenne
9. What organizations are you affiliated with?
I have been a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) since 1992. I am a certified strength and conditioning specialist with distinction, a registered strength and conditioning coach emeritus, a Fellow of the NSCA, and was elected to serve on the Board of Directors (BOD) for 2 terms (6 years). While serving on the BOD, I served 1 year as the Vice President of the organization. I have also been a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.
10. Tell us about your family.
Both of my parents were born in Chicago, IL. My mother, Rose, was a crafter and created handmade ornaments and jewelry out of bread dough and then later, clay. I consider her a sculptor. After my mother retired from that business, she began her online businesses “On Stone Avenue”, “On Winston Lane”, “On Holiday Lane” on Etsy, which have become very good businesses for her and my father. My father, Norbert, was a musician (percussionist) and worked at a dinner/theater playhouse where he played numerous percussion instruments for different musicals. I grew up going to the theater and enjoyed it very much. He is now retired and works with my mother on the Etsy businesses. I have a younger brother, Steven, and a younger sister, Anna. Steven and his wife, Colleen, live in Palatine, IL and he has his undergraduate degree (BA) in business from Northern Illinois University and his master’s degree in business (MBA) from the University of Chicago. Anna and her husband, Andy, live in LaGrange, IL and have 2 children, Colin (20 yr) and Emma (12 yr). Anna received her undergraduate degree (BA) in Journalism from Ohio University and her master’s degree in marketing (MBA) from Loyola University Chicago. She and Andy own Grizz Pest Management in LaGrange, IL.
11. What do you like to do in your spare time to unwind?
I love spending time with my wife Jessica and our 2 boys, Dawson (17 yr) and Justin (16 yr), in my spare time. Being outside with them (especially in our batting cage or on the baseball field) just makes me very happy. I love that they want to put in the extra time to practice and that I can be a part of their athletic development. My wife and I also love traveling to see family in Chicago, IL and Seguin, TX as well as taking the boys with us when we travel to conferences or go on vacation. It is very special to experience a new place with them for the first time.
Another activity I really enjoy doing in my spare time is art work. With my first degree being in fine art, I try to either draw or paint a few pieces throughout the year. As Department of Kinesiology Chair and the Director of Baseball Performance, I do not have a lot of spare time to paint; however, I completed two paintings of our boys hitting when they were younger as well as a portrait (watch painting) of my wife. Drawing and painting take me to another world where time does not exist. I highly recommend that people find something that allows them to feel the same way. It is very relaxing and rewarding.
12. Why did you want to be department chair?
I’ve had conversations in the past about being a department chair at some point in my life, but I did not know when it might happen. I’ve held leadership positions in the past and enjoyed those roles because of the people I was working with at the time and the ability to implement improvements. When this opportunity presented itself in 2017, I felt as though it was the right time to accept the Interim Department Chair position. After serving in that capacity for a year, I was offered the full-time position and as of February 2018, became the Department Chair. My reason for wanting to continue serving in this position is because I look forward to furthering our growth and success in this department and working with our faculty, staff, and students to see this happen.
13. What is your vision for the Department of Kinesiology?
My overall vision for the Department of Kinesiology is for it to be an outstanding department that has a strong identity on campus (within the College of Education and at Louisiana Tech) as well as off campus for teaching, research, and service. I want us to have excellent undergraduate and graduate academic programs that educate our students and prepare them for life after Louisiana Tech. To me, that means preparing them for graduate programs or jobs. I want our faculty to be recognized for the outstanding work they do with our students, the department, college, university, the community, and their research. This will raise awareness of the Department of Kinesiology around the state of Louisiana and hopefully beyond. I want to actively recruit students for both our undergraduate and graduate programs so they can be informed of all that we have to offer in our department. I want to create partnerships with outside organizations to improve service, teaching, research, and funding opportunities. Most recently, I have proposed that the Department of Kinesiology have a Sports Performance Institute where faculty and students work with athletic teams at Louisiana Tech to assess and monitor the various sports performance skills of athletes. This should help with athletic and academic recruiting, enrollment, research, and partnerships. I have also proposed the creation of a Sports Performance business run by the Department of Kinesiology to test, monitor, and train local and regional athletes. This would provide real-world experiences for students as well as provide revenue to maintain the Human Performance Laboratories in the Department of Kinesiology and pay faculty and students for their services.
14. What is your favorite quote?
Quoting movies in class is something I do on a regular basis. As I get older, students do not always know what movie quote I am saying, but I enjoy providing quotes or analogies because I believe it makes class more interesting while at the same time providing another way of explaining a challenging exercise physiology topic, for example. Some may even wonder if I do have a favorite quote. I can honestly say that I don’t think about favorites all that often, but if I were to pick one quote that stands out in my head it would be from the movie “Gladiator” with Russell Crowe. “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”
15. Anything else you would like for us to know?
When I first came to Ruston, LA in 2005, I lived in my office for 4 months until we purchased a house in December after Hurricane Katrina. I was away from my family and worked 12-14 hour days. It was an interesting way to start my professional academic career at Louisiana Tech.
I haven’t paid for a haircut in 39 years. I figure that I have saved anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000. You might ask yourself “Why would you cut your own hair?” The answer is simple. When I was 15 years old, I didn’t want to pay for a haircut anymore because I felt I could do it myself. Needless to say, I did not do a good job the first time because I did not use the guards that come with electric shears. Once I learned how to use the guards properly, I did a much better job and was happy with the results. When I was in college, I even made some extra money because I cut some of my teammate’s hair on a regular basis. As of today, I still cut my own hair, but I now have 2 new clients. Every 3-4 weeks I cut our boy’s hair because they want a “cool fade”. I enjoy doing it because I get to spend more time with them and there is something artistic and satisfying about giving a good haircut.
Because of my art background, I also have a great appreciation for architecture and interior design. Often, when I step into a room, I find myself redesigning the entire space in my mind to make it more functional and appealing to the eye. I have recently designed a contemporary home that we hope to build some day.
Finally, I just co-edited and co-authored my first book titled “Strength Training for Baseball” published with Human Kinetics. It took 1 ½ years to complete. It was a very fulfilling accomplishment and collaboration with 12 other authors. I am proud of what we produced. I hope it is well received and used by those who train baseball players.
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The Exponential Factor 