Burnley Grammar School

Was it to make you look tough? Some teachers did like to do that. You're right about the variations between schools, shirts vs skins, vests vs skins, skins vs skins. Quite funny really

It's strange each school did different things. I was on the x country team and when competing we always ran in skins. Some teachers would make their team strip while others wouldn't..

I agree with Gavin and when I was at school as most boys didn't wear vests although the uniform rules for PE stipulated singlets obviously not having vests they boys went stripped to the waist.
Nothing was said and it soon became normal for all boys to be STTW for both indoor and outdoor PE.

Jason, hardly any of the kids that I went to school with wore vests and those boys would not have wanted to wear a vest or T shirt for PE. It was a good idea at your school for classes to wear different coloured shorts thereby enabling team games where all lads can stay stripped to the waist. Shirts vs skins can be bad for less confident kids, if all boys are shirtless it is fairer and all boys will get used to it and gain confidence in their bodies.

Think it was easier having everyone stripped down. We wore either black or white shorts depending on which class we were in. Those who did wear a vest under their school shirts simply peeled off and hung them on their peg.

Replying to Gavin;

I think the Teacher was trying to follow PE Uniform policy but he was ex-Army and also a Serving Police Sargeant so I think secretly he would have had us all stripped to the waist if he had - had any input into the Policy. The
Teacher was often Stripped To The Waist as well.
Quite a few of us preferred being STTW and would go to any lengths, from just asking if we could strip off, to deliberately being last into the Gym so we could take our tops off and Run the Gauntlet.

Doing that, we had to run between two lines of lads (up to about 15 in each line) who would slap us on the back as we passed them. We weren't supposed to stop and fight any of the lads in the Lines but sometimes we did,We used that to get even if we owed them one for something.
Occasionally that would descend into a scuffle between more lads and the Teacher would have to separate us.

John, having enjoyed the freedom and comfort of being stripped to the waist for secondary school PE, I cannot understand why your teacher thought that it was a punishment making the last 2 lads to emerge from the changing room take their tops off. Most lads would have hated being made to wear a T shirt or vest for indoor PE, having a hot sweaty shirt sticking to your back is really uncomfortable and unnecessary.

Reply to Andy K1;

Our kit was nominally White Tee Shirt, white shorts and Plimmies (Plimsolls)
At the start of every lesson the last 2 lads to get Changed into Kit and into the Gym were made to take their Tops off and 'Run the Gauntlet' of the rest of the class - usually around 30 Lads.
After this they stayed Topless for the rest of the lesson, and some lads were allowed to take their tops off if they wanted to -and if the Gym Master would let them.
If we played team games eg Killerball (a kind of indoor Rugby but with fewer rules and played with a Medcine Ball of a random weight chosen by the Teacher), then we played 'Skins vs. Vests').

We didn't wrestle every week, but as I said, we were always told in advance if it was, and told to wear our Swim-briefs.

Hi John, thanks for your comment about wrestling. It made me wonder if you wore shirts in the gym, with everyone going to skins and why did you need notice to fight. PE was always done stripped to the waist and by the end of session we were visibly sweating.

I wish that boxing had been part of the Physical Education curriculum at my secondary school. I needed toughening up and lads need to learn self defence.

Michael, you're probably right about the pairings I felt the same way. We all were stripped to the waist to box and I'm guessing you were the same. No one really wanted to look bad in the ring but it was a way to release frustration ect.

We didn't have wrestling at my school, but we did have boxing. This was in the days before "Elf 'n Safety", so although we wore boxing gloves we had no protection for our heads or bodies.

Although it was an outlet for the more testosterone-fuelled boys' aggression, as an oft-derided "wimpy kid" I found the amount of violence to be scary.

The bigger boys could deliver powerful punches, and I sometimes wondered if the pairings were arranged so that anyone 'out of favour' would get a beating from their opponent.

Apologies for my unfinished message.
What was most appealing was the soft,shiny material that would shimmer in the sunlight.
Although I thought they were a bit sissyish,I preferred wearing them to grey school shorts.

Peter B,I really think what is considered'cool'is what is fashionable at the time.
Shorts were much shorter in the seventies when I was at school and we had to accept that even though they would be typically worn without underwear.
When satin shorts became fashionable in the late seventies,I wore them for first time with trepidation,although I was reassured by my mother that I that I looked very smart and trim in my new shorts.
I'm sure what apea
It was the

John Lavender
Referring to other peoples comments and mine on fashion it seems that it is no longer "cool" for lads are to wear swim briefs.

In our gym sessions at Grammar School (1963-68) we didn't wear supports but some of us used to put our Swimming Trunks on underneath our Shorts instead if we needed to.
We also used to do Wrestling sometimes as well and if this was the case, our PE Master used to tell us in advance, so that we could start the lesson with them under our Shorts, and then slip off our shorts and just wrestle in the swim-briefs.
There were two "Houses" at the School and it was always one Boy in Green Trunks against one in Navy-Blue. We didn't use a Ring, just an exercise Mat in the Middle of the Gym Floor. Any of the Lads who weren't already in "Skins" had to take their Tee-shirt off, of course.

Hi ,if anyone would like to chat more about supporters and athletics kit please feel free to Email me I would be happy to talk further.

I was not aware that jockstraps had gone out of fashion, but the I am not athletic. Due to the fact that most lads are allowed to wear under under their shorts these days and given the fact that they all seem to wear boxers not briefs, you would think that they would need some sort of support for PE or games

Peter B
At the school that I attended during the seventies,we also had a strict'no underwear policy'which was rigorously enforced.We too would wear just our shorts with no vest or socks.No distinction was ever made by the boys'ages and like you we would wear the same brief shorts in the fifth form as the first formers would wear.
I found it far more traumatic wearing these shiny little numbers for cross country where we could be seen in public rather than other outdoor pursuits.

William
I was st school between 1968 and 1974

Arby
I totally agree that is a shame they went out of vogue

Hi , the period I started wearing a supporter was mid 70`s, maybe before that time they were not very common

I went to an an all boys school in London (1961 to 1966) The top form was the 5th form when we left in July 66 at the age of 16. We had a strict no underwear policy and no tops indoors and no socks. Athletic supports were nerve mentioned and so we went through all years with no support. In the summer when we played cricket during the games period we never knew about boxes and so did not wear them.

Having read some of the previous contributions about swimming with out trunks at least we did wear these for our lesson but of course in those days we all wore the briefs type, not the long shorts that our now worn for swimming.

The school my Ex went to (in the 1970's) was a boys grammar, not a public or boarding school. As mentioned previously it was their PE teacher who suggested they start to wear a supporter, rather than it being on the PE kit list.

When my son was about 11, he wanted to play junior cricket and a 'box' was on the compulsory kit list. That was the first time. I came across a jockstrap with a pouch - my Ex didn't play cricket.

Hi , interesting comments from both of you , I think it must have been down to school policy or the head of sports as to what underwear boys should or should not wear.
My school was a mixture of day and boarding and it was a boarder who I first watched wearing a supporter.

Strangely, like William, I can't remember anyone at my boys' grammar school in the 60s wearing jockstraps either. Could it be a demographic/cultural thing?

I went to a State High School in the 60s. Most boys by the time that we reached the 6th form wore a jockstrap for PE and games. Yes they were Litesome jockstraps. I remember two of us going to the local sports shop to buy them for the first time. We felt very grown up at the time. Afterwards it just became quite normal to wear them. The sports teaching staff encouraged us to wear them, particularly as we eventually realised that they wore them too. In my view it is a great pity that jockstraps are no longer in vogue.

Jon and Dave

I wonder exactly when you were at school. At a boys' grammar school in the '60s I never saw or heard of jock straps. We never wore anything under our shorts, not for gym, athletics, rugby or hockey. In retrospect, jock straps would have been welcome in the sixth form.

And on the thread in December, no-one tried to get round the "no pants" rule. I made the mistake of wearing pants at my first gym lesson - I was absent for the "no pants" order - and was screamed at by the master when we stripped for the showers. It made an indelible impression on me and probably on everyone else.

Dave
Yes very similar experience. I went to a public school in Hertfordshire. I was a boarder and would say that we practically all had jockstraps (athletic supporters) by the time we'd reached sixth form, whereas the day boys weren't so enthusiastic. Don't know why that was really. Perhaps boarders were more inclined to follow the lead boy for fear of being seen out of line/ fashion. I only ever geall remember there being Litesome jockstraps with or without pouches (with for sport like cricket to carry a box). Most boys had both types.

Hi Andrea and Jon , after I had seen the other boy wearing his jockstrap I wanted one so went on my own to a local sports shop and bought an athletic supporter as they were called along with a new running vest and shorts. I remember being very excited and rushed home to try them on , it did take some time and nerve to wear them at school for the first time. My games master did comment that it was good to see I was wearing proper athletic`s kit !!
Jon I went to a public school here in Somerset.

Hi Dave,
If my memory is correct, I think my Ex said their PE teacher advised all the boys to purchase a 'Litesome Supporter' when they started their 3rd year at secondary school (so aged about 13). Before that they weren't allowed anything under their shorts.

He got his dad to go with him to buy one; did you do the same or did you buy it yourself?