JIM’S GYM

Series

Series Name

Mining Review 6th Year

Issue

Issue No.

6

Date Released

Feb 1953

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1NEW YEAR HONOURS
2. 2RIGHT LINES
3. 3PRIVATE EYE
4. 4JIM’S GYM

Story

Story No. within this Issue

4 / 4

Summary

BFI synopsis: Bentley gymnasium and its use in occupational training through gymnastics.
NCB Commentary - The gymnastics at Bentley Colliery Institute is well known thoughout Yorkshire. Here they cater for all ages and all activities. Bill Coaten, the instructor, is an ex-army PT man and believes in keeping things moving. Bill also works in the colliery sawmill, but he’d cut a fine figure anywhere.
Watching a pair of promising newcomers in the ring one day was Jim Howard, manager of the training centre, with Harry Huckaby, the Institute president and branch secretary of the NUM. Most of the boys at the training centre use the gym facilities here.
Jim Howard moved on to watch the wieghtlifters across the room. Here’s 400 pounds going up, dead lifted by Jeff Butterfield, Mr. South Yorkshire of 1952. They call this 150 pounds repetition pressing. Here goes 110 pounds, one hand clear and jerk. It suddenly struck Jim that what these boys were doing could apply to their daily work down the pit. So he talked over with Bill Coaten the idea of working out some practical weight-lifting to put into the training syllabus.
Jim and Bill walked across to the surface training gallery. Watch out, here comes a tub. And someon’s got to push it, hasn’t he? That needs a certain set of muscles, and they’ve got to work properly together. See what I’m getting at? Two trainees lifting a girder were making heavy weather of it. To someone who knows how to lift weights, the job could be easy. It’s all a question of control and training - after all, training is Jim’s business.
After a spell in the gallery, both Jim and Bill decided there was more to this idea than had struck either of them at first.
So Bill Coaten worked out a series of exercises for a trial course. Pushing and pulling can be made into a game - and watch those back and shoulder muscles. All these exercises with weights involving lifting have been designed to fit in with what men do every day underground, to help them to do it more eaasily and more efficiently. And Bill decided that agility and a sense of balance are imprtant too.
Jim Howard and Bill Coaten have good reason to be satisfied with their collaboration. And just look at the beef they’re putting on to the youngsters!

Researcher Comments

BFI sources suggest that this story was filmed from the 18th to the 20th November 1952. Commentary recorded 5 January 1953.

Keywords

Sport; Education and training; Mining; Safety devices; Physical fitness and training

Locations

Yorkshire; England

Written sources

British Film Institute Databases   Used for synopsis
Film User   Vol.8 No.87 January 1954, p32.
The National Archives COAL 32   /3 Scripts for Mining Review, 1949-1956

Credits:

Production Co.

Documentary Technicians Alliance

Camera

John Gunn

Sponsor

National Coal Board

Director

Peter Pickering

Camera

Ronald Bicker