National skateboard instructor and coach training and certification, designed for people, schools, and programs helping others grow through skateboarding.
Pathways available for: Parents, Teachers, Instructors, Coaches, and skaters of all ages and backgrounds.
Five USSEA-certified pathways for skateboard educators: organization membership, PE teacher accreditation, instructor certification, coach certification, and the Skateboard Basic registration. Pick your role, review the requirements, and register or book a discovery call to begin.
Membership
For anyone who wants to learn how to skateboard or learn how to teach skateboarding. All ages, all abilities, no experience required. Kids, adults, parents, volunteers, and people in programs whether you are learning to skate or helping someone else get started.
Certification
For anyone who teaches skateboarding: private lessons, skateboard schools, camps, municipal parks and rec, and after-school programs. If you teach skateboarding and you are not coaching competitive athletes, this is your certification.
Certification
For those who develop competitive skateboard athletes: training programs, team coaches, and anyone focused on athletic development in skateboarding. Built to meet World Skate and IOC requirements for coaches on the field of play.
Endorsement
For skateboard schools, camps, competitive coaching programs, and any organization that teaches skateboarding. Get your program endorsed by USSEA and show your community it meets a national standard.
Endorsement
For public schools, private schools, and any educational institution implementing skateboarding as part of a physical education program. USSEA provides the training, accreditation, and curriculum. Your teachers run the class.
"To grow skateboarding through skateboard education."
We do this by empowering people. USSEA has created certification standards for coaches, instructors, and PE teachers so they can pursue professional development with the support, endorsement, and credentials they need to be successful with their students and athletes. Whether you've never stepped on a skateboard or you've been skating your whole life, we are building pathways for everyone who wants to teach, coach, and grow skateboarding.
Physical literacy through progressive, age-appropriate movement. The foundation every PE teacher already teaches.
Mental and emotional resilience. Persistence, courage, and the confidence built through learning to fall and stand back up.
A community of skateboarders focused on helping each other learn, and a community of people committed to developing skateboard education.
Since building his first skateboard in 1976 from repurposed roller skates and a splintery piece of cast-off ¾ inch plywood, Joe has had a passion for skateboarding. When Joe moved from Tacoma, WA to Beijing, China in 1986, his trusty skateboard went with him. In 2001 Joe founded Iconx, China's first Snowboard and Skateboard School.
Chris is a passionate action sports coach who has spent over 25 years developing innovative ways to empower people to achieve their goals. He has had the opportunity to work with, develop, and push skateboarding and snowboarding methodology and tactics to the highest levels, all the way through to the Olympics and X-games.
Five principles taught in every USSEA certification. The framework coaches, instructors, and PE teachers use at parks, schools, and partner programs across the country.
Wear a helmet. Warm up. Learn skills first. Get a lesson.
Be patient with yourself. Progress with caution.
Think it through. Skate with purpose.
Look for other skaters. Inspect the condition, shape, and intensity of the park.
Understand how others use the park. Wait your turn. Help others.
The pathway varies by role. Below is the general flow for Coach and Instructor Certification. PE Teacher Accreditation is shorter and skips most external credentials (see card above).
Register directly through SportsEngine, or book a 15-minute scoping call first. Discovery call is optional, not required.
SKATE Safe and How to Teach Skateboarding. Self-paced, approximately 10 to 15 hours. Coach and Instructor candidates also submit a skateboard assessment video at this stage, prior to the practical exam.
Coaches and Instructors: SafeSport, First Aid/CPR, Concussion training, and background screening. PE Teachers: covered through existing school district requirements. All credentials must be complete before the practical exam.
Verbal coaching exam conducted live with a USSEA examiner. Skateboard not required: the assessment evaluates teaching ability and reviews your submitted skate video. Pass to certify.
USSEA Skateboard PE delivers a complete instructional package for K-12 physical education programs. Curriculum is mapped to SHAPE America national standards and aligned with the three pillars every physical educator already teaches.
PE Teacher Accreditation requires approximately one hour: SKATE Safe and How to Teach Skateboarding. No background check is required for active K-12 PE staff. Standards alignment and lesson plans are designed to expedite administrative and district approval.
The transition from subculture to sanctioned sport is underway. Organized youth league skateboarding is projected to follow within one to two years. When it arrives, every coach working with youth athletes will require a credential to operate within the field of play.
USSEA is establishing that credential now. Programs and educators who certify in this period will be positioned as the early-adopter standard for the era ahead.
The USSEA skateboard PE curriculum is built for educators with zero prior skateboarding experience. Coordinators, classroom teachers, and K-12 PE staff can lead with full confidence.
SHAPE-aligned skateboard PE curriculum and standards-mapped lesson plans designed to expedite principal and district review.
Every skateboard lesson reinforces social-emotional development alongside motor skill acquisition. Built for measurable school program reporting and grant outcomes.
Self-paced skateboard coach certification, drop-in PE lesson plans, and flexible programming structure support a phased rollout on your school's timeline.
Every kid moves at their own pace.
Skateboarding delivers measurable physical education and youth development outcomes: balance and kinesthetic sense, full-body mobility, persistence under failure, and peer-supported community building.
For schools, USSEA's skateboard PE curriculum addresses underserved physical literacy gaps in K-12. For after-school programs and youth skateboarding programs, it offers a cost-effective, high-engagement activity that reaches students who opt out of traditional team sports.
USSEA-aligned skateboard programs report stronger participant retention, higher engagement from non-traditional athletes, and outcomes that hold up to district reporting and grant-funder requirements.
Start a Program"You don't need to be a skater to teach skateboarding. You need a defined curriculum, verified safety training, and a credential that holds up to administrative review."
Most schools and programs do not have skateboarding in their existing budget. USSEA provides region-specific funding guides, grant application support, and letters of partnership to help offset certification, equipment, and programming costs. Available funding programs are reviewed and updated regularly.
21st Century Community Learning Centers. Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment. WIOA youth programs. State PE innovation grants.
The Skatepark Project (Tony Hawk Foundation). Vans Checkerboard Fund. FirstPush Grants. Nike Community Impact and Nike SB.
Good Sports. Leveling the Playing Field. DonorsChoose for teacher-led campaigns. Local skate shops and community trusts.
USSEA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donate to help us change lives through skateboard education.
Mail a check payable to USSEA. Contact us for the current mailing address.
Many companies match charitable contributions dollar-for-dollar. Ask your HR team and use EIN 82-2720402.
Donate skateboards, helmets, pads, and other equipment to help us put gear in the hands of students who need it. Contact us to coordinate a donation.
USSEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. EIN 82-2720402. All donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. You will receive a written acknowledgment for your tax records. No goods or services are provided in exchange for contributions.
Currently, no national credentialing standard exists for skateboard coaches. As organized youth league skateboarding develops over the next one to two years (the same structural transition baseball underwent with Little League), coaches working with youth athletes will be required to hold a credential to operate within the field of play. USSEA is establishing that credential now. Programs and educators who certify in this period will be positioned as the early-adopter standard for the era ahead.
Coach Certification is for the competitive pipeline: coaches working with athletes of all ages on a path toward local, regional, national, and Olympic skateboarding. It meets World Skate compliance standards. Instructor Certification is for camp staff, after-school program leaders, park and rec instructors, private lesson instructors, skateboard school instructors, and independent instructors. Both credentials include SafeSport, First Aid/CPR, Concussion training, and background screening.
Because PE teachers are already certified educators. Adding skateboarding to their classroom should not feel like starting a second career. Our PE Teacher Accreditation is a light, hour-long add-on: SKATE Safe and How to Teach Skateboarding. The intent matches the time we ask of you.
Approximately 10 to 15 hours of self-paced digital coursework, a skateboard assessment video submission, completion of external credentials (SafeSport, First Aid/CPR, Concussion, background screening), and a live virtual practical exam. Candidates may complete the program at their own pace.
Organization Membership is the all-in-one annual subscription for any school, club, or youth program. It includes one Coach or Instructor Certification (your pick), two PE Teacher Accreditations, five free Skateboard Basic slots, the full library of standards-aligned lesson plans, the SKATE Safe and How to Teach Skateboarding modules, and a USSEA program endorsement for qualifying organizations. Qualifying means you have at least one USSEA-accredited PE teacher (for schools) or a USSEA-certified coach or instructor on staff.
USSEA does not currently operate a direct equipment supply program. Equipment partnerships are in development. In the interim, USSEA connects programs with vetted funding sources, equipment grant programs (Good Sports, Leveling the Playing Field, The Skatepark Project), and local skate retailers to outfit programs cost-effectively.
USSEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 82-2720402). The organization is in active development of its certification framework and operating ahead of pending NGB (National Governing Body) status alignment with U.S. Olympic skateboarding pathways. Early-adopter programs participate directly in shaping the operational standard for the field.
Schedule a 15-minute discovery call to review USSEA's skateboard coach certification, instructor training, and PE accreditation pathway requirements for your school or program. Our process is consultative, not transactional. We'll identify whether USSEA is the right partner for your skateboard education goals and timeline.
USSEA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
