Burnley Grammar School

Stacey C, I personally agree with your brothers and preferred not to have to wear a vest for outdoor PE either. I was just commenting that in the present day I don’t think any school would make lads strip to the waist for PE/Games in winter.

When we were at school it was the norm for boys to be stripped down to the waist for PE/Games throughout the year. Being stripped down for outdoor fitness and xcountry runs seemed totally unnecessary especially in the snow. My brothers said they'd rather strip than wear a vest anytime regardless of the conditions...

Stacey C,

Thanks for your post, shirtless PE didn’t seem to do your brothers any harm. I don’t think any school would make lads exercise barechested outdoors in winter but with centrally heated indoor gymnasiums/sports halls there is no reason why lads need to wear tops for indoor PE. If wearing tops is optional shy lads will choose to always wear a top and this will not help them to become happy with their own self image and gain confidence.
It’s fairer to have a stripped to the waist PE kit rule for lads for indoor PE.

When I was at school the PE teacher worked us hard for gym and we sweated profusely, none of us would have wanted to wear a vest or t shirt for indoor PE. Being forced to wear a top would have made us even more uncomfortably hot.

I enjoyed seeing boys of all ages exercising stripped both in the gym and outside in winter throughout school. The gym had a huge reinforced window running length of the corridor was easy to watch. Craig A was right about sweating up, it was so common to see lads sweat in the gym and I really mean it dripping down chests and backs... Still want to wear a t-shirt? My older brothers went through the same school stripped to the waist like many lads did. I witnessed boys of all ages suffer some horrendous PE sessions stripped down during the winter months where it was literally freezing,my brothers did but accepted it had to be done,no choice other than to strip. Vests could have helped to make a difference, at least the boys could have chosen. Stripping to the waist is still the most effective PE kit though it was misused by some schools. Sensibly done it would offer today's boys with a tried and tested way, address body issues and add interest to the classes.

Eric,

What you’ve written does not sound in the least bit plausible.

So i’m not the one who was made to run bare chested. I think it is important to start without a shirt and without a safety one. It could happen on purpose or someone could “steal” your short so that you can only run bare chested in every conditions. It helped me a lot because I live in a place which is very muddy and before that experience I’ve always had to dirty a shirt. Instead, now I go through puddles and muddy fields bare chested so that my chest got totally dirty but I could save shirts.. moreover if it rained, it would clean my chest from mud and grass, like a shower ahah. Anyway I started playing airsoft shirtless too, with protection on my face but without shirt. Have you ever play air soft shirtless?

Craig - I remember cross country in a variety of conditions as you decribe - always wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. We could get cold sometimes, especially our feet if there was snow on the ground but I thought it was a very welcome break from being couped up in a stifling classroom.

I was often sent out on cross-country runs in poor weather.

If it was raining or snowing the PE teacher simply remarked that we were a bunch of softies who needed toughening up.

Maybe he was right - most of us were of an academic rather than a sporting inclination - it was a grammar school, after all.

He sometimes even drove out in his Ford Zodiac to the turning point of the run, and sat there with the engine running and heater on. Drinking from a hot flask of coffee, he ticked off our names as he watched us running past.

As we never knew on what occasions he might be there, we had to do the full run every time - no short cuts.

The girls didn't seem to feel sorry for us. Instead, I'm sure they were relieved that they weren't treated like we boys were.

We did plenty of xcountry runs at school in the pouring rain, snow, general cold stripped to the waist. I also had my fair share of remedial PE sessions, also stripped down with the rain stotting off the yard and laps around the field also barechested.

It would be interesting to hear from females who attended co-ed primary and secondary schools in the 1970s/1980s to find out what their views are regarding boys being made to do PE stripped to the waist.

Did they ever have joint PE lessons with the boys or were they always separate?

Did they feel sorry for boys when they saw them sent on a cross country run stripped to the waist

Completely agree with Roy & Sceptic!

I agree.

What a load of old cobblers!

Just to talk about pe shirtless experience
One time we were doing PE and we were playing football at sea. It was winter and we were with a vest because there were around 35/38 F. degrees. One of my friend made my a strong faul and I reacted so that teacher order me to take off my shirt and to play without it as a punishment. It was very cold but I was used to it because sometimes I run in snow bare chested. The problem was that I threw her my shirt so that she got very angry and said: “ok if you don’t want to go to the headmaster for this, just go into the sea” I was frozen, without a shirt and it also started raining, in fact my classmates went to repare under a palm, but I had to do this thing to avoid the headmaster so I entered in the sea and remained there for some minutes. When I came out she didn’t give me back my shirt so that I was shirtless with pouring rain on my chest and I couldn’t warm in any way... unluckily I reacted another time to the teacher so after we went back to school on foot, obviously I was still shirtless under rain, she said ok we must continue. She said ok I put your shirt in your class but you’ll go back school after other 2 hours of excericises. She let me run for other 10 kilometer in a park near school. It was very muddy and my chest got dirty. Then she let me made a lot of push ups near puddles so that I can got more dirty. At the end of the punishment, which lasted 3 hours, she said “ok you’re tough, you can go back school on foot, I’ll go back by car because there are 5 kilometres”... the last 5 kilometers I was too tired, it stopped raining but it started hailing and my chest was covered in mud, grass, water and other dirty things.. at the end I discovered that it wasn’t only a punishment because she also gave me 10 which is the maximum vote so that all this effort was paid.. moreover it was very exciting too and I think that in the future I could do this thing another time, maybe even more tough.

John, I find ironic the girls couldn't wait for us to be stripped to the waist and sweating freely, a very regular feature of our PE/Games lessons.

I agree with Rob and Craig that it’s better to do PE stripped to the waist. Feminists are doing harm to males by suppressing normal masculine development. Most lads prefer to exercise shirtless if they are given the chance.

Craig A, sorry, I meant to type 'communal showers'.

Craig A, I agree with you entirely.When we arrived for our first PE lesson we were told to go to the changing room and strip off completely,including our pants and socks and to come back into the gym wearing just shorts with nothing on underneath and plimsolls. On the way to the changing room some lads were asking whether we were allowed to wear a T shirt and we said 'no, just shorts and plimsolls'. That was how it always was for us indoors and out, including cross country running and it was most enjoyable. At the end of the first lesson it was a shock being made to go naked into the open corporate showers but we soon got used to it as we all progressed during our time at the school from being boys to become confident young men.

We were made to strip to the waist a few mins into the first lesson and made very clear that we would strip off for all exercise, indoors and out. This was indeed the case for us. There is no reason not to have the lads stripped indoors it's the feminist brigade stopping boys becoming young men. I'm sure the majority would embrace it too.

A few years ago the current mantra was:- "Stranger Danger" resulting in people being afraid to help a child in difficulties for fear of being accused of being a paedophile. In fact children are often more in danger from close associates even family members.

Bernard has prompted me to comment that I too thought Ambrose's remarks were exceptionally good. No doubt many of the measures taken today to protect children are well-intentioned but the cumulative effect creates the impression that danger lurks everywhere. No wonder children worry more than they did 50 years ago.

It has been a while since I looked at the comments here and I was interested to see those about boxing. When my older brother started at Grammar School the p.e. kit list included a pair of red shorts specifically for boxing though this sport was never encountered and the shorts never worn. When I started at the school two years later I was not bought a pair. We only ever wore the black or white shorts.
Ambrose - you comment on 8th June was absolutely spot on! I can relate to all your points having been born in the early 50s. Times were so much simpler then and common sense more abundant rather than the hysteria we see these days about the stupidest of things.

Hi GSB, It was but you soon got used to the extra time. I lost my first fight but at least went the distance. I remember taking some real beatings and stripping to the waist for PE, making up excuses for the bruises. Always apologising if I did knock anyone out.. no idea why! Giving prizemoney to my gran which always went towards housekeeping.

Hi GSB, It was but you soon got used to the extra time. I lost my first fight but at least went the distance. I remember taking some real beatings and stripping to the waist for PE, making up excuses for the bruises. Always apologising if I did knock anyone out.. no idea why! Giving prizemoney to my gran which always went towards housekeeping.

Hi Andrew

Many thanks for your reply. That must have been a bit of a shock going from 3 x 70-second rounds to 5 x 2-minute rounds when you turned 13!

Any memorable bouts you can tell us about (either your own or those you watched)?

Hi John, Not sure about respect but never had a problem with bullies after I started to box. Most fights were in various farmsheds so not to attract attention. I only ever fought one lad who only left his vest. His mum wanted him to wear it being his debut fight. . It was sticking to him at the end of second round. After that he stripped off like the rest of us.

Hi Andrew,
At least you had the opportunity to box whilst you were still at school, I bet you got a lot of respect from other lads of your age when they found out that you boxed. I can’t understand why any male would want to wear a vest or shirt to box in, it just feels natural as a male to strip to the waist to box and most lads would think any lad was soft if they wanted to keep their shirt on.

Hi John, Boxing was done away from school in what could be best described as a fight club. It was hard but we had more respect fighting stripped to the waist as everyone sees how you take it and watch you sweat up.

Hi Andrew,

You were really lucky that you had the opportunity to box whilst at secondary school. I would love to have had the chance to try boxing, I think that it’s good for lad’s confidence and should have been on the PE curriculum.

Hi GSB, The fights were held privately and on the QT in remote spots and lads were from age 10 upwards. For your debut you could wear a vest, though most didn't, after that you stripped off. U13s fought a max of 3x 70 second rounds,13+ fought 5x 2 min rounds,16+ fought 6x 2mins 30. The pot was split 3 ways to the lads who'd put up the best fight. Hope this helps.