Archived News
La Tech Department of Kinesiology is working the Special Olympic Athlete "Seth Hanchey" with his Power-lifting training as well as resistance training for Paralympics . Click Here
Travis Self (Sports Performance Graduate Student) and Dr. Ben Gleason present their research poster at East Tennessee State University Coaches Conference. For more details: Click here
Dr. Gleason spoke at at the American Football Coaches Association national conference in Nashville on 01/12/2020. Click Here
Dr. David Szymanski Presenting Research at the National Strength & Conditioning Association Meeting
Dr. Szymanski will be providing a research presentation the National Strength & Conditioning Association National Conference in July 2015. The presentation will focus on the relationship of anthropometric and performance variables to offensive statistics of collegiate hitters over two years. Dr. Szymanski will also be presenting a case study examining the rehabilitation of a collegiate baseball pitcher with a Type 1 SLAP tear.
Dr. Braden Romer to Present at Two International Conferences in the Summer of 2015
Dr. Romer will be presenting two research papers at the 6th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine and 62nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in San Diego, CA in May. He will also be presenting a paper at the XXV Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics Footwear Biomechanics Group meeting in Liverpool (UK) in July. More information will follow.
Dr. David Szymanski Presenting Research at American College of Sports Medicine Meeting
Dr. Szmanski will be presenting researching examining the relationshop between vision performance scores and offensive statistics of collegiate baseball hitters at the 6th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine and 62nd Annual Meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine. The research poster can be viewed here.
Ms. Melissa Uftring Completing an Eight Week Training Program
Melissa Uftring, a Graduate Teaching Assistant within the Department of Kinesiology, is completing an eight training program titled Effects of an Eight Week Self-Selecting Progressive Fitness Program on an Uninsured Population. The purpose of this study is to attempt to demonstrate the ability of an uninsured population to achieve measurable improvements when given the opportunity to participate in a self-selecting progressive physical fitness program. The exercises in the program are designed for the participants to be able to at home independently, with little-to-no equipment.
Sport & Movement Science Laboratory Open House
On April 17, 2015, the Department of Kinesiology will be hosting an open house within the Sport & Movement Science Laboratory. This event is open to the public from 11:30am - 1:00pm and will be located within the lab space (Scotty Robertson Memorial Gym Room 108). Please come on out for some good food and conversation.
Dr. Braden Romer presented at the 20th Annual Gait & Clinical Movement Analysis Society
Dr. Romer presented a poster presentation the annual GCMAS in Portland, OR on March March 18 - 21, 2015. The project examined alterations in trunk-pelvis coordination during overground walking. Dr. Romer also serves on the Board of Directors for the GCMAS as the chair of the Communications Council.
Dr. Braden Romer & Mr. Zach Harris presented at the 2015 South Central ASB
Dr. Romer and Mr. Harris, a graduate teaching assistant withing the Department of Kinesiology gave podium presentations at the 2015 South Central American Society of Biomechanics meeting in Dallas, TX on March 5-6, 2015. They each presented data from an ongoing project within the SMSL, examining the influence of heel height on lower extremity coordination during Lifting tasks. Their presentations are below:
Dr. David Szymanski, Dr. Braden Romer, and Ms. Melissa Uftring presenting at 2015 Southeast ACSM
Drs. Szymanski, Romer, and Ms. Uftring each had presentations at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Southeast Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine. Below are some pictures of the event. Dr. Romer, Assistant Professor of Kinesiology, gave a podium presentation at the meeting. Dr. Szymanski's research examined relationships between vision performance scores and in-game batting performance. Ms. Uftring's poster examined the role of kinesiotape of vertical jump performance in collegiate athletes. Dr. Romer's research examined the role of footwear and augmented plantar facilitation on stance width during walking.
Renovations to Sport & Movement Science Lab are Almost Complete
Here is a photo of the recent change and additions to the SMSL.
Dr. Szymanski at the 2015 NSCA Coaches Conference
As part of his responsibilities as a Board of Directors member for the NSCA, Dr. Szymanski was present at the 2015 NSCA Coaches Conference in Louisville, KY. Below is (left to right), Dr. Greg Haff (NSCA President-elect), Coach Bo Sandoval (NSCA Assistant Strength Coach of the Year), Dr. David Szymanski, and Mr. Boyd Epley (NSCA Founder)
Dr. Szymanski's Presentation in Japan
Below are some pictures from Dr. Szymanski's recent travel and research presentation with NSCA Japan.
September 28, 2014 - Dr. David Szymanski presenting at numerous Regional and International Conferences
As part of a busy Fall quarter, Dr. David Szymanski will be giving numerous presentations on baseball related performance and conditioning. On October 24, Dr. Szymanski will be presenting at the Central States ACSM Annual Meeting in Overland Park, KS on How Research has contributed to Baseball Performance Knowledge. In December, Dr. Szymanski will travel overseas to Tokyo, Japan to give two presentations at the NSCA Japan National Conference and NSCA Japan Special Symposium entitled Physical Training for Youth Baseball for Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement and Contributing Factors for Increased Bat Swing Velocity and Resistance Training to Develop Increased Bat Velocity.
September 28, 2014 - Dr. Braden Romer presenting at 2014 NSCA State Clinic
Dr. Braden Romer will be presenting on a topic titled Training Mobility through Stability: The Lumbopelvic-Hip Complex on December 6, 2014. Additional Information can be found here.
Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research Published ahead of Print
Warren, CD, Szymanski, DJ, and Landers, MR. Effects of three recovery protocols on range of motion, heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, and blood lactate in baseball pitchers during a simulated game. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Published ahead of print. DOI: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000487. 2014.
August 21, 2014 - Dr. Braden Romer featured in story on KTBS (Shreveport, LA)
Dr. Braden Romer was featured on a recent news story from KTBS of Shreveport, LA. Meteorologist Joe Haynes, an avid distance runner, was examining some of the recent information and controversy surrounding minimalist footwear, specifically the Vibram Five Fingers. The full story can be read here.
2014 National Strength & Conditioning Association National Conference
Dr. David Szymanski will be presenting a poster on the perceptions, attitudes, and vision performance scores of collegiate baseball players after participating in 3D vision training.
Ms. Anusha Elumalai will be presenting a poster on the relationship between controlled arousal levels and putting during 2 different conditions.
World Congress of Biomechanics (2014)
Dr. Braden Romer will giving a podium presentation on the footwear effects of pelvic-leg coordination during overground walking.
Gait & Clinical Movement Analysis Society Annual Meeting (2014)
Dr. Braden Romer will be giving a podium presentation on the influence of tactile feedback on stride length and step width during normal walking.
61st Annual American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting
Dr. David Szymanski presented a poster on the effect of warm-up devices on bat velocity, and perception of heaviness and speed of swing.
July 28, 2014 - Dr. Szymanski re-elected to NSCA Board of Directors
At the 2014 National Strength & Conditioning Association Annual Meeting (Las Vegas, NV, it was announced that Dr. David Szymanski was re-elected to the NSCA Board of Directors for a second term. He has also been invited to China, Japan, & Italy to conduct strength and conditioning clinics for select athletic organizations. Additional Information can be found here.
July 1, 2014 - Dr. Romer elected to GCMAS Board of Directors
At the 2014 Gait & Clinical Movement Analysis Society Annual Meeting (Newark, DE), Dr. Braden Romer learned that he had been elected to a three-year term serving on the Board of Directors where he will serve as the Chair for the Communications Council. In addition to general board responsibilities, Dr. Romer will be responsible for maintaining and updating the various electronic and social media faces of the organization. The GCMAS is a multi-disciplinary organization of physicians, allied health professionals, engineers, biomechanists, and scientists working together to advance scientific knowledge, technical capabilities, and clinical practice in the field of human movement. Additional information can be found here.
May 23, 2014 - Dr. Szymanski awarded President's Medallion
During a meeting with Louisiana Tech University President Les Guice, Athletic Director Mr. Tommy McClelland, Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Mr. Kurt Hester, and Dr. Braden Romer regarding the establishment of a Sports Performance Enhancement Consortium at Louisiana Tech, President Guice awarded Dr. David Szymanski the Presidents Medallion. The President's Medallion is reserved for individuals that have a record of distinguished scholarly, teaching, and service to their fields and the Louisiana Tech University community.
May 2014 - Mr. Tad Light awarded Prestigious NSCA Internship
Department of Kinesiology graduate student Thaddeus Light has been selected as one of three students from across the nation to serve as an intern with the National Strength and Conditioning Association in Colorado Springs, CO this summer. Thaddeus, a West Virginia native, works as a graduate teaching assistant in the Department of Kinesiology and volunteered as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Bulldog baseball team during the 2014 season, working closely with Dr. David Szymanski in training the team.
While completing his internship, Thaddeus's responsibilities will include strength and conditioning program design and implementation, lifting technique instruction and analysis, injury reconditioning, performance testing, research, and the general day-to-day operations of running the NSCA Performance Center. The Performance Center is a state-of-the-art training facility dedicated to the enhancement of athletic performance for athletes of all ages and skill levels, providing Thaddeus with the chance to work with a wide variety of different athletes.
The Sports Performance concentration in the Master of Science of Kinesiology program, along with his work with the Tech baseball team, greatly helped in securing the internship and preparing Thaddeus for his duties. In particular, the class Kinesiology 546 (Physiology of Strength and Conditioning) was able to provide invaluable information about program design, periodization, and hands-on experience that will greatly aid him in his work with athletes this summer.
Winter 2014
Dr. David Szymanski presented at the NSCA Coaches Conference on January 11, 2014 (Indianapolis, IN). His topic was the Essential Components to a Baseball Resistance Training program.
The Inaugural Department of Kinesiology Wheelchair Basketball Tournament tookplace at the Lambright Recreation Center on February 8, 2014. Four teams from the Southeast took part in the one-day tournament. Additional information can be found here.
Dr. Braden Romer presented an oral free communication on the Effect of Textured Insoles on Spatiotemporal Variables during Faster than Normal Walking at the 2014 Southeast American College of Sports Medicine Conference on February 14, 2014 (Greenville, SC).
Dr. David Szymanski presented at the NSCA Louisiana State Clinic (April 5, 2014).