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Original poster

PE - did it promote a life long love of sport or was it ritual torture?

636 replies

LuckyMum96 · 18/10/2020 16:03

Just that really, for me it was mixed - too much PE was focussed on the school teams though and not enough on general exercise and activity

OP posts:
grassisjeweled · 19/10/2020 01:18

38DD 's hitting me in the face, a crap Tammy bra and 10k cross country in the rain at 10 degrees?

Yeah, a real hoot mate

ShrimpSymphony · 19/10/2020 01:38

Torture. Completely killed any spark of interest in sport whatsoever

grassisjeweled · 19/10/2020 01:48

BUT I still ended up really sporty and now do daily exercise outside. Nothing that was 'taught' during PE though.

Anyone do javelin? How dangerous was that?

Also, in other news, I actually accidentally broke someone's nose during a hockey lesson whilst in Year 8! Fucking disaster

zeddybrek · 19/10/2020 01:52

Torture.

I enjoy sports and keeping fit but the way it was done was awful. Especially in years 9 to 11 in the awkward teenager years.

chickenyhead · 19/10/2020 02:00

Horriffic torture.

I was a clumsy, poor sighted nerd. I felt the ball before I saw it. Couldn't run, Couldn't catch. Always last choice. Hated the big shower room we were herded in to. Hated everything about it. Only game I was any good at was British bulldog.

Until year 6 where they put in a gym. I wiped the board on the cycling and rowing competitions. Plenty of jaws dropped.

It was just bullying, extreme bullying. Nobody humiliated the people who were bad a maths. But being bad at PE was a free for all.

Mintjulia · 19/10/2020 02:19

Having read the full thread, it makes me wonder what sort of person chooses to be a sports teacher. So much misery inflicted.

Youandmealwaysandforever · 19/10/2020 02:45

Hated every second of it in secondary school. We also had communal showers, a really terrible experience for those who are not body confident.
I hated hockey and netball, just ended up standing around so no exercise at all. Did the cross country once and never again. The last part of the course was the exterior of the school so all other year groups could laugh at the fatties.
In summer we did athletics, I was probably about 3 stone heavier than most. I was decent at 100 metres but rubbish at the rest. I did not care what the teachers said though and when asked to do hurdles or high jump, just ran slowly and stopped. Had no respect for them they were bullies. Loved tennis, badminton, rounders but hardly ever given the option.
Humiliation has never been a motivator for me.

Smileandtheworldsmileswithyou · 19/10/2020 03:25

It was awful and humiliating. From having to get changed in the dusty old changing rooms to standing on a frozen field just waiting for a hockey ball to smack me in my frozen ankle, I found the whole thing pointless. The teachers would always be bundled up in thick layers against the cold with a thermos of tea while we were shaking with cold in PE knickers and a flimsy wrap around pe skirt. I'm only 34 so this wasn't even that long ago. What would be wrong with a winter PE kit? Do they exist now? I've managed perfectly well at keeping myself fit and active without taking anything from those lessons at all, they were a waste of time. I think schools should offer a mix of competitive sports and things such as yoga that don't rely on being part of a team. I can still remember the pressure i felt to do well for the sake of the rest of everyone, and while that may be a great lesson it still felt like the teachers had their favourites and the ones on the teams were very competitive. The whole thing was awful. I hope my DD enjoys PE at school when she gets there. I will be keeping my thoughts to myself and encourage her, but I also hope she doesn't have to freeze on a field like I did!

Hopefulhen · 19/10/2020 04:11

It was crap. If the teacher of any other subject picked the two best students and got them to select their peers to form a competitive team there would rightfully be an outcry. It is such a damaging and humiliating way of letting children know where they stand in the pecking order.
Why did physical education only seem to include competitive sports like netball and hockey? Why wasn’t there an option of yoga or weights training?

garlictwist · 19/10/2020 05:01

I hated pe at school as it was always team sports in the freezing cold. Or fucking dance.

However I have always loved sport. Outside school I always went jogging as a teen or rode my bike, both of which I continue to this day (now 40). So I just did my own stuff and endured pe.

SoPanny · 19/10/2020 05:42

I hated PE but that was down to being last to be picked etc plus the general irritation of the teachers when any kid wasn’t a natural athlete.

Now we are in Covid times, the secondary schools round here make kids wear sports kit for the days they are doing PE to avoid having to use changing rooms.

If I were a teen now this would be a game changer for me and I hope encourages more people to like PE as an unexpected positive of this whole shitty pandemic.

pincertoe · 19/10/2020 05:42

Torture- bullying was ripe in the changing rooms and out on the field due to lack of supervision. I hated PE and hasn't instilled any love or enjoyment of sport.

camelfinger · 19/10/2020 06:03

It wasn’t torture for me because we didn’t have to have showers. But it was at best, something to be tolerated: it never crossed my mind that anyone could enjoy PE unless they were naturally talented. It was mostly boring - lots of waiting around in the cold for your turn. I used to try really hard but just couldn’t do it. So I quickly became disheartened and didn’t engage. I don’t think the answer is necessarily for children to avoid team sports: there must be a way that children can be taught so that it’s fun and a learning experience for everyone. Even top heptathletes have a weak spot - we still think they are amazing.

Velvian · 19/10/2020 06:42

Torture. It took me until my mid to late 30s before I realised that I was allowed to play a team sport even though I was crap.

The forced showers were horrific too.

the80sweregreat · 19/10/2020 06:51

I still recall the freezing communal showers which had a water running out of a spout out of the wall and we had to kind of run through them very quickly : all very demeaning. Added to the fact that I was rubbish at most sports , PE was a nightmare.

I hope things have improved for today's children a bit..

Mummadeeze · 19/10/2020 06:54

My sports teacher was vile and he hated me, even though I was really good at sports. He used to really take the piss out of people, including myself, for no reason. There was one girl with learning disabilities and he was awful to her, doing impressions of her. I actually can’t believe what teachers got away with in my day. It was a shame as I loved all sports.

IdblowJonSnow · 19/10/2020 06:54

Torture!

ComfortablyNumb89 · 19/10/2020 07:25

Neither, it was just a bit "meh". I was ok at all the usual school sports like netball/hockey/athletics/trampolining/rounders but didn't find any of them particularly inspiring.
When I left school I discovered I prefer things like hiking, skiing and swimming. Have also done figure skating on and off for the past 10 years. I'm definitely an individual sports kind of person.

Pavlova31 · 19/10/2020 07:40

Torture.
Summer outside playing sports we had to wear full winter kit ( thick tracksuit) baking away while the teacher stood in aertex shirt and light skirt.
Winter outside the other way round.Freezing in just the aertex blouse and skirt while the teacher stood in tracksuit ,scarf,gloves and wooly hat Sad
As an adult love to dance and swim though.

monkeyonthetable · 19/10/2020 07:41

Ritual torture. Made me think I was useless physically in every way. I was amazed a few years later when I discovered I could dance, loved aerobics, boxing, all sorts of non-team fitness and sports.

Now if I look at how I spend most of my free time: bootcamp, yoga, hiking, kayaking, climbing mountains I realise I love physical exercise, but due to poor co-ordination and bad eyesight that wasn't diagnosed at the time, I could never do team sports. Why they don't offer more inclusive options is a mystery.

Camomila · 19/10/2020 07:45

I liked it, and did GCSE PE as one of my options - I prefered gymnastics/dance/cross country/athletics to the sports where balls come at your face (glasses wearer with dyspraxia!)

lampshadery · 19/10/2020 07:47

Torture, the memory of dread has never left me

LongPauseNoAnswer · 19/10/2020 07:47

Ritual torture and humiliation as the only fat girl in my class Sad

schnubbins · 19/10/2020 07:51

PE was torture.The main game we played was Field Hockey on an All Weather Pitch which was fine until you fell and ripped your knees because we were only allowed to wear short gym slips and a t-shirt so freezing cold .By the time we were finished my legs were purple.Adding to the misery the boys from the boys school across the road as spectators every time.
Our PE teacher a complete witch .Still can see her in my face and yelling and yelling.Her abuse continued in the classroom as she taught one of the core subjects .Hate sports to this day.Hate her.

sashh · 19/10/2020 07:55

Torture and humiliation.

Outside school I was doing Ju Jitsu twice a week and swimming afterwards (well hanging around in the pool because they didn't check the ticket you had used to get in to the sports centre.)

I also did things like canoeing with the guides.

After we did options you were supposed to put PE in one of your 'free' slots. The PE teacher said to me and a few others, if you are going to forget your kit one week, have period pain the next and a letter from a parent the third I'd rather you didn't choose PE so I didn't do PR for the last 2 years.

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