We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Coach Evan The “Shred Sensei” a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Coach Evan, appreciate you joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

I feel as though the world is moving towards a popularizing of skateboarding as a normal American pastime, especially with the recent inclusion of it in the Olympic Games, but for decades the hyper default cliche has always been “I’d Skateboard, but i can’t afford to get hurt.” Or, “Skateboarding, oh that’s too dangerous.” Who DOESN’T know someone with a skateboarding story about a fall, a sprain, or a bad experience? Plenty of first timers hop on a sibling’s borrowed board incorrectly and right away are put in their place by gravity. That’s unfortunate, simply because I’ve seen first hand that the enjoyment of skateboarding isn’t proportionately tied to the level of riskiness or recklessness you choose when attempting it. In nearly twenty years of professional skateboarding coaching and instruction for thousands of students, I can count on one hand the number of minor broken bones, and never broken any myself despite maintaining a competitive level of skill and noteworthy sponsorships. On the other hand, the amount of smiles, high fives, milestones achieved, memories made and tricks learned SAFELY in that time is innumerable. It’s unfortunate that the narrative hasn’t shifted completely towards understanding that skateboarding doesn’t have to include major risk to be accessible or fun for the averagely athletic participant. I’ve mentored 50 year old lawyers in the art of numerous skate style disciplines, lingo and skate culture, taught new moms to ride a half pipe, and helped fathers and sons bond through simple bowl riding. The fact that football or soccer are still as popular as they are with the all too common regular concussions and costly bodily toll for many participants is truly shocking if you compare that to the droves of skateboarders who never seek to forcefully collide with anything… on purpose! It’s interesting to consider that the best skateboarders are those who get impressively comfortable navigating failure and nimbly dancing through tumbles hundreds of times over in pursuit of the perfectly balanced execution of a desired trick. The fall actually becomes the trick most practiced and avoiding the injuries is the proof of mastery. I consider myself a skateboarding master in the sense that I can teach anyone to engage with physics using a skateboard- while walking them through the common fearful cultural assumptions, to show that it’s not a guaranteed liability to stop on a board.
People drive cars every day despite the common amount of collisions. Kids still get concussed brains in football and plenty of people stick with skateboarding beyond the first year with the steepest learning curve. There must be something about it that transcends the risk into the realm of reward. When you have a teacher shopper you the Art of the Board properly, skateboarding has a statistically low injury rate, but a 100% success rate in providing some fun, occasional exciting adrenaline rushes. and meaningful outdoor exercise for brain and body. That’s math that might be swinging this relatively rebellious sport into a favored regular pastime for the ages.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

There are common daycare style camp counselors who will watch your kiddo for a few hours during spring break and keep an eye on them at a local skatepark, and there’s well meaning 20 year old dudes who will attempt to articulate the steps of popular tricks in a lesson through half hearted communication with some demonstration, but then there’s a rare teacher who constantly, obsessively hones the craft of making skateboarding as accessible as possible, even if every common instruction method gets bucked in the process. The skatepark and greater skateboard culture has consistently been traditionally guarded by tough guys who haze newcomers in a sense. The barrier for entry is most often a painful one because instead of a thoughtful, guided playbook, most newbie skaters are offered an overly simplistic and macho trick tip that often sounds like, “Just commit!” Or “just do this-” followed by a physical demonstration instead of a skillful explanation leading the newbie through the best ways to learn without risking life and limb just to do a single, often terrifying “beginner” move.
I think we can do better. In fact, I’ve made it my life’s work to simplify the process and gift my students the surprise of win after simple win.
I call myself the “Shred Sensei” because skateboarding, aggressive, confident skating is called shredding, and within Japanese martial arts, a Sensei is a teacher who has gone before. I make it my mission to pass the next generation of skaters insights that took me twenty five years to unearth. Although I could teach the traditional way, what sets me apart as a skateboarding educator is my obsession with proving that the simplest movements, tricks or experiences can bring the most complex feelings of joy.
For anyone who has even the slightest curiosity or interest in riding skateboards for fun, just know that the Shred Sensei has a proven track record of pulling parents or even grandparents into the lessons with their kids and setting them both off on a trajectory of active family bonding and skatepark exploration. It brings me so much joy to show people the safe aspects of riding.
I’m not just an instructor, but a child at heart who delights in the entire process of building trust and confidence through overcoming constant mental and physical challenges. Wether it’s someone’s first Ollie, kickflip, basic turn, or the life long bucket list accomplishment of picking up the skateboard for the first time since high school, I’m exceedingly grateful to have had influence on the perspective of new skaters- showing them the childlike innocent fun instead of scaring them and making them feel inferior like those who “welcomed” me in.
My custom hashtag motto is #SkateboardSafelyFaster as well as #Skateboardfunnerfaster and I strive to eliminate common terrors for my students. If it’s a camp, private or group lesson, you are guaranteed to be pleasantly surprised with your own abilities given the Sensei’s playful guidance. Let’s play skateboarding!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Darren Doane is my social media guru with his Doaneit podcast. “Don’t be precious!”

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When the events 2020 interrupted our lives, I was faced with the tough decision to quit my long time job and pursue my entrepreneurial dreams. With a family, it was risky, but ended up being my best year. I made amazing connections, served more clients and learned a lot about what I’m capable of. I’m so thankful that providentially, the risk worked!

Contact Info:

• Website: Rmshredschool.wixsite.com/skate
• Instagram: @rockymountain_shredschool
• Facebook: Facebook.con/rmshredschool
• Youtube: @shred-sensei
• Other: Tiktok: @shred_sensei email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Photos shot by me with tripod.