Coach Chris is a skateboarder, drummer, designer, & educator from Austin, Texas. After spending a decade visiting family in Montauk and skating the old (and new) Kessler parks, he relocated with his wife Alia and dog Goose to the end in 2024.
A lifelong learner and educator, Chris’s passions lie in bringing others on the rewarding journey into the creative arts and sports that have shaped his life since a child.
Chris also teaches Drum Lessons, designs album art for some big bands, organizes music festivals, runs a record label, builds ramps, and is on a mission to help others develop their practices to lead creative, awesome lives.
📚 Level 1 — Absolute Fundamentals
(Typically first month) This is where you are just taking your first steps into the world of skateboarding, it’s time to get padded up and learn to fall! (Half the fun). We’ll start with teh absolute basics on stationary ground getting comfortable with the board, and take you through all the practice techniques you need to take that next steps into doing your first tricks.
Board basics
Standing in place
Butt-boarding (don’t knock it til you try it!)
Trucks, Wheels, Deck size & selection
Pads, Helmets and Safety Equiptment
Rolling Around on Flat
Pivoting
Falling 101
📚 Level 2 — Beginner Shredder
This Beginner zone is where we’ll concentrate on the core tenants of skating which will set you up for a lifetime of fun and easy progression by dialing in your basic navigation controls on the board, as well as diving into your first tricks, this is such a fun phase, and comes with plenty of falling and getting back up, which in itself is a core fundamental!
Pushing Styles
Rolling Up & Down Banks
Manuals
Pivoting on Banks
Assisted Drop-In’s on Small Transition
Stationary Ollie
Stationary Pop Shuvit
Stationary Kick Flip
Turning / Carving on Small Transition
180’s on Flat
📚 Level 3 — Intermediate Ripper
Now that you’ve got your bearings (pun intended) it’s time to be hitting the obstacles, we’ll introduce you to the wonderful world of transition, working first on the small ramps in the park to build confidence as you take on the intermediate tricks and learn to master the magical rolling energy of choosing lines and free flowing around the park.
Flatground Tricks while Rolling
Intermediate Transition
Rock to Fakie
Rock & Roll
50-50
5-0
Coping Slash
Disasters
Carving the Bowl
Intro to Rails
Boardslides
Ollies on Transition
📚 Level 4 — Dogtown Lord!
By now you’re approaching Coach Chris and his skills, so we’re just going to go skate together! We’ll work on large obstacles and talk through how tricks feel and how to take things to the next level. Individual attention to what areas of skateboarding you are most interested in, and we support you in changing your setup and approach to match.
Bowl / Pool Carving
Stairsets
Handrails
Reverts, Nollie & Fakie tricks
Land Acknolwedgement
The Montauk Skate School would like to acknowledge that our wonderful skatepark and opportunity to enjoy this space, exists on traditional territories of the Shinnecock, Montaukett, and Manhansets Nations.
We encourage settlers to educate themselves on the history of the land and support Indigenous communities in any way possible.
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