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

[LuckyMum96]

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

[MillieEpple]

Tortue. It systematically de-skilled me too.

[StanfordPines]

Hated it.

PE knickers and a tennis skirt with an air tex top. No tracksuit top or anything like it.
My school was right out in the country so our cross country runs were up country lanes. Our PE teacher would drive behind us in her open top sports car.
Hockey and net ball with no explanation of the rules.

[Loncan]

Absolute torture. I was a competitive gymnast training 12+ hours a week by the time I was 6 or 7, so I was very strong and coordinated, but I am just awful at team sports and sports involving balls, which is all we ever did in PE. It didn’t help that most PE teachers I had seemed to get joy out of ridiculing those who struggled in class. As an adult, I’m still wary of partaking in things that I don’t excel at, because I get so anxious that I’ll be made fun of for sucking.

[Veryverycalmnow]

Torture. I used to hide in the locker rooms. Absolutely hellish.

[GinWithASplashOfTonic]

Torture. Especially the getting changed bit

But some sports were worse than others. Netball and rounders were much better than hockey

[LoveFall]

PE was awful. From the team picking where I was always last, to the sports skill drills that I just could not master. And the changing rooms! Horrifying. I remember a day I put my tights back on and somehow one leg was crooked. No time to fix it. The thing was uncomfortably twisted all day. The worst was "dodge ball." Terrifying.

[dramaqueen]

@nancy75

Torture. My school Pe field was out of the school and 5 mins down the main road. Memories of walking down that road in nylon pe Knickers & an tight t shirt don’t fill me with joy.
The horror of the pe teachers watching us undress and have a shower was not great either.
Freezing cold cross country (in afore mentioned pe knickers) yep, didn’t love that much.

I think we must have gone to the same school ...... hideous experience

[TheProvincialLady]

Humiliation and utterly pointless at teaching fitness or healthy lifestyle. I Danced 5 nights a week and walked miles. I was much, much fitter than the popular girls who were good at hockey, and I was strong and flexible. No one gave a shit - it was all about running around in a field wearing a pervert’s wet dream outfit. All whilst being shouted at by fat women who smelled strongly of fags.

In one memorable occasion aged 16 We actually had to measure our fat percentage using callipers. As I was anorexic by then that was the one PE activity I excelled at.

[Mischance]

Yup - torture, humiliation, fear .............the only thing PE taught me was ingenuity, as I had to find ways of getting out of it.

Why are children put through this hell when it puts them off exercise to the detriment of their health? They just need non-competitive physical activity: dancing, hill walking etc.

My school never noticed that I was almost permanently menstruating and that my grandma died more times than is possible for one human being!

[kowari]

We did one afternoon a week doing out of school sport like roller skating, rockclimbing, ten pin bowling and so on. It was at group rates but there was also free team sport options available at school to choose from. That got me interested in sport much more than PE where you don't have a choice.

[Mischance]

I remember reading a book with a character who hated school sports and he said "If I accidently finished up with a ball in my hands, I would just stand there till someone came and took it away." Made me chuckle.

[eurochick]

Torture. I hated (and still hate) team sports and ball games, which were a large part of it. Sadistic teachers and all round shitness.

In my late teens I got into swimming, which it turns out I'm quite good at. And then at university got into the gym and yoga. Other than a couple of years of difficult pregnancy and newborn, I've been a regular exerciser all my adult life (I'm in my 40s now). Very much despite, rather than because of, school PE.

[ginghamtablecloths]

Torture and humiliation. It wouldn't have been so bad if we could have done activities like aerobics, had it been invented then. Team sports like netball and tennis tend not to be enjoyable if you're crap at them. Swimming - loathed it and the smell of chlorine almost makes me gag.
Having a psychopathic bully of a teacher is enough to put anyone off. I can still see that bitch's pinched and mean little face to this day. I often wanted to beat her to death with a hockey stick but nice, quiet people like me don't do things like that. We just had to put up with it. For some reason she didn't like me and although she was nasty to everyone she saved the worst for me. Adolescence is bad enough with all its problems and I felt suicidal and helpless.
When you were off games once a month you had to gather in the hall to sing hymns. Yes, really. Almost blissful by comparison.

[LuckyMum96]

@kowari

We did one afternoon a week doing out of school sport like roller skating, rockclimbing, ten pin bowling and so on. It was at group rates but there was also free team sport options available at school to choose from. That got me interested in sport much more than PE where you don't have a choice.

That sounds amazing!!!

I think there is a difference between "Sport" and "PE" but often the two are confused.

Dance was always an interesting one for me, not my strongest but at least it involved some self-expression. Having to do it with the boys was a whole other story though!!

[CaptainMyCaptain]

@Ohalrightthen

I'm always astounded by how polarising PE seems to be. I didn't really enjoy it, but that's because I'm lazy. I didn't really enjoy maths either.

There was no humiliation or torture, we weren't forced to parade around in our knickers or watched in the showers (what the actual fuck), we had weather-appropriate clothing options and were never forced outside if it was grim. Everyone participated at their ability level and no one was pushed past their comfort zone.

Who the fuck was teaching you guys PE that it's had this psychological impact?

This was normal in the 60s/70s.

[donkey86]

It was awful until year 11, when they just gave up on the least sporty group of the year (me included) and just stuck us in the hall with a workout video on. We alternated between Geri Body Yoga and an Elle McPherson aerobics one all year. I quite liked that!

[tsmainsqueeze]

A bit mixed but more torture , liked rounders , loved hockey , hated netball with a passion.
All the pe teachers were atrociously bad , they appeared bored ,
were impatient and totally uninspiring
It was the 80,s they probably would get sacked now .
How on earth did any one think it was a good idea to enforce communal showers for kids of that age?
I find sport completely boring other than watching tour de france and winter Olympics ,nothing else .

[SniffyMiffy]

Torture, humiliation and completely put me off competitive sport for life.
I see the same happening with my DD and think what a shame it is. I don't think she'd mind going for a walk or even a swim but no, she has to be humiliated with other girls who moan at her each time she fails to the catch the ball or misses a goal. School PE makes her really unhappy.
Based on my experiences, I think it's at least partly responsible for the obesity epidemic in middle aged women.

[Movinghousewoes99]

Torture!
I wish school PE had been more about finding exercise you enjoy. Team sport aren’t my thing.

[savetti]

God I loved it. But it came quite naturally and I practised constantly
My brother and sister were the same, anything, netball, football, tennis, basketball, skateboarding

[Angel2702]

It put me off any form of exercise. I still wake up in a cold sweat if I have a nightmare it’s PE the next day. I loved school but PE days were unbearable.

[LulaLuna]

Alot of body issues came from bad p.e teachers and mean girls.

[Movinghousewoes99]

They shouldn’t make sports compulsory. It should be an option for teens. But exercise should be with swimming, dance, yoga featuring more heavily.

[derxa]

This was normal in the 60s/70s. Not really

[iklboo]

It was torture. I hated it. My teacher told me if I 'forgot' my PE kit one more time I'd have to spend the lesson in the library. Like that was a punishment?