Hesketh Fletcher Gym Team

Graham,
Did you continue to go commando for PE at Boarding School, or were you encouraged to wear a jockstrap once you were older or more well developed?

At Primary School we wore shorts and a T shirt over our ordinary underwear for indoor PE (which was done in the hall as we didn't have a gym). Once we wear at Secondary School, indoor PE kit was a polo shirt and gym knickers, but outdoors we were allowed to wear a long-sleeved hockey shirt and a PE skirt or culottes over our gym knickers in winter.

We were expected to shower after both indoor and outdoor PE.

Andrea - my primary school was boys only. We had reversible two-colour rugby shirts for outdoor activities, cross-country, team games etc., but PE indoors was always topless. Going commando was encouraged, but not actually insisted on, but if you kept your underpants on for the lesson, you had to have a clean pair to put on afterwards. Most of us chose to go without. In the absence of showers, we were expected to bring a towel to rub ourselves down with on PE days, and anyone performing the towel-dance while changing was regarded as a bit of a wimp - as was anyone discovered wearing a vest under his shirt.

Graham,
Did you go to an all boys primary school or have PE separate from the girls?

My primary school, in the late 1960s, didn't have proper changing rooms, so girls and boys had to change together in our classroom. Of course we didn't have to strip right of, just down to underwear, before putting on our PE kit.

Once I was at Secondary school (all girls) we had proper changing rooms and showers were compulsory.

Although we didn't have any showers in the changing room at primary school, we weren't afraid of being seen naked while changing before and after PE classes. This was just as well from my point of view, because when I went on to a boarding school, communal nude showering was the norm at bedtime and after PE or games. Also the norm, albeit unofficially, as I've posted elsewhere, was sleeping nude, as I discovered with a certain amount of pleasure on my first night when my eight room-mates showered, dried themselves off and jumped into bed in their freshly laundered birthday suitd

John, I am in agreement with you and others about compulsory showers.After our first PE lesson aged 11 I would have done anything to avoid going nude in the showers with a lot of of other boys but I had no choice but quickly realised there was actually nothing wrong with being naked in the showers. There was no way that I felt I was being abused and after being made to sweat in the gym, where I enjoyed having to wear just gym shorts and plimsolls, I looked forward to the showers and being able to freshen up before going on to our next lesson rather than get dressed again and sit around smelling of stale sweat.

William,
Well said, I completely agree with you. Like you I was made to shower naked with a group of lads after playing sports and given a choice aged 11 would have opted to avoid them. There was actually nothing wrong with showering nude with other lads and it helped me to get over my totally irrational fear of being naked with other lads. In no way was I abused, in life fears are best confronted and not avoided.

Bernard and Roy, I agree with you. To describe compulsory showers as abuse trivialises child abuse, and having to do something you would rather avoid has advantages. Aged 11 I would rather not have had nude showers with a lot of other boys. Luckily we had no choice. I quickly got used to it, became less shy about my skinny body and didn't mind stripping for gym, swimming or showering. By having to do things I thought would be difficult I found I could cope with more than I thought - a good lesson for life.

Philip,

Roy is, of course, quite right - showers have nothing to do with child abuse. I'm sure we all had to do things we didn't enjoy at school but not liking something does not make it abuse.

Showering after PE and games is a matter of personal hygiene and has nothing to do with child abuse.

30 years ago the nightmare of compulsory physical education ended for me. It is time we ended forced showers in school. I can't believe with the passing of the Children Act in 1989 some schools still mandate this state sponsored child abuse.

A modern day example is shown below

marshfields

At-shirt appropriate to your child's "house", which is available from the office, priced £4.00

Plain black shorts

White P.E. socks

Trainers/plimsolls

Swimming trunks/costume

A towel and a change of socks are required for every P.E. lesson

A P.E. bag is available from the school office, priced £2.50

All students are expected to shower are a P.E. or games lesson.

Good for you Dave. So do I still wear one under shorts.

Hi all, when I was at school we also had the no underwear under shorts rule which was enforced until the middle school aged 15/16 after which we could wear something,most of us started to ether use snug briefs, swimming trunks or a jockstrap for support, I started off with trunks but quickly moved on to a jock initially for cross country running but then for all sports and activities.
I continued to wear one at school then college and still wear them now under shorts.

When we boys entered the 6th form we were advised to starting wearing a jockstrap. A few of us went together to buy one at the local sports shop. We felt really grown up and "manly". We continued to wear them at all sports even after leaving school.

I agree with Chris that they are great to wear under shorts in hot weather. Much better that sweaty briefs. In fact I have just bought 2 on line to wear this summer. I may be old fashioned but hopefully will be comfortable.

Chris G
Yes, my husband will only wear a jockstrap for running and tennis ... nothing else does the job ... to paraphrase him :=)

June, funny you should mention tennis, as my first experience of wearing a jockstrap for more than a couple oh hours was when we had an all-day tennis tournament at school. Much more comfortable than clingy sweaty cotton briefs on a hot summer afternoon!

Only to reiterate what June says, and that is that a jockstrap's chief purpose is that of a genital support - l can vouch for that as can many other school boys and men

Hello Andrea
A jockstrap can be used to hold a cup for protection against a kick or a hard ball, but its main purpose was as a very satisfactory genital support used in any sport be it running or tennis ... my boys typically possessed two jockstraps, a standard jockstrap without a cup pouch, and one with cup for games like cricket or field hockey.

June & Chris G

When he was in the 3rd year at secondary, my Ex and his classmates were told by their PE teacher that wearing a jockstrap would reduce the chances of them 'doing themselves an injury' now they were starting to mature.

However I wouldn't have thought a jockstrap alone would offer much protection against a kick in that area!

Alfie, the kit we wore indoors was perfectly fine of course girls were allowed and expected to wear a tee shirt but us boys didn't care. The girls were also barefoot.

Ross, although you changed separately from the girls was doing mixed lessons in the kit you describe ok?

Personally, I cant remember anyone mentioning jockstraps to us so we managed without all the same, with just shorts and pumps on. Incidentally, I presume when people say 'pumps' they mean plimsolls?

Was anyone told the reason why underwear was banned?

Alfie, middle school was ages 9 to 13 and all PE was in mixed lessons and yes we had separate changing facilities. In reality the rule wasn't enforced and was there for hygiene reasons.

Chris G
You are right in that a good PE master would advise on the dangers of going commando and to wear either supportive underpants or a jockstrap.

Secondly, my boys' classmates wore a jockstrap in preference to briefs, not only for PE but for all games. My understanding is that most men who've worn one see the value of a jockstrap.

Ross
what age range was the middle school. Was PE a mixed lesson or separate and if mixed did you have separate changing facilities as you had to remove underwear

Chris G,
We switched to topless PE in second year of Junior School, my older brother was already doing topless PE at Senior School which I was aware of. It made the transition to Senior School PE easier by already being used to being stripped to the waist. At Senior School we were not allowed to wear any underwear for PE, only shorts and pumps and it was never suggested that we should purchase a jockstrap. It seems that topless PE was being introduced in many schools when we were at school, Education advisors must have decided that this would be better for boys and I personally agree with them.

Jockstraps were never a thing in my school years. Probably quite the opposite and in middle school we were told to remove our underpants. Our indoor kit was white shorts, shirtless and barefoot. Outdoors we were allowed a rugby shirt and boots when required.

We didn't have to go without underwear for PE at secondary school, but most of us did. At some time in my third year there, just after we switched to going topless, one lad got kicked in the "privates" during a rather boisterous team game session, at which point the PE master warned us about the dangers of going commando and advised us to either to wear supportive underpants or a jockstrap. I do'nt think any of us had ever heard of such a garment before, and none of us owned one at that point.

I didn't get one until a few years later, when I moved to another school for my 6th form years, and found that most of my classmates wore them in preference to briefs, not only for PE and games, but also as everyday underwear in hot weather.

Andrea - Jockstrap was on our school games kit list.

Rob - Yes we showered naked (how else would you shower!).

Dan, same with me; jockstraps were never mentioned at school and certainly not by our PE teachers and we had to continue wearing our shorts with nothing underneath until we left after sixth form. That was the way things were and we just accepted it and got used to it and I'm also sure no-one suffered in any way as a result. After all we were all boys and saw one another completely naked in the showers after each PE lesson. Dan,did you have to shower naked after PE and also take your jockstrap off?

Dan,
Your experience sounds the same as my Ex. He said their PE teacher advised them to purchase a jockstrap at the start of their 3rd year.

Was this how you were told, or did they appear on a uniform list sent home to parents?

Dan - No-one ever mentioned jockstraps at school - I didn't know what one was until some while after I left school. We wore just our shorts with nothing underneath - it was just the way things were and I'm sure no-one suffered as a result.