Le Nord : revue internationale des Pays de Nord - 01.06.1939, Page 235
PER HENRIK LING
225
Our country did not possess, at the time of Ling’s death, a
system of gymnastics in the proper sense of the word. To develop
his work i. e. by gaining greater experience in regard to which
exercises were most suitable and arrange them in groups, more
particularly by finding out the different degrees of energy requir-
ed in order to perform different exercises within the same group
~7 this and other systematic work became the task of P. H.
Ling’s son, Hjalmar Ling.
The systematic principle also is a leading idea in I.ing’s
gymnastics. I shall now mention in detail what that idea implies,
by analyzing a typical Swedish gymnastic lesson in a school.
The lesson is composed so that it forms a gymnastic whole. We
shall now see what this means.
The lesson begins with some order- and introductory
exercises through which the gymnasts should accustom themselves
to take correct starting positions. Then follow exercises from dif-
ferent groups, thus with different effects. Heaving exercises, for
instance, influence the muscles of chest and shoulders and the
chest capacity. The effect of Balance exercises as well as that of
double-sided Trunk exercises, is explained by the name. Another
group contains exercises for the muscles of the Back, another
gtoup for the Front muscles. Jumping includes all muscle groups.
The so called Spanbendings — the backward flexion of the trunk,
with arms stretched overhead, hands resting on some appara-
tus — affect the spine and also the chest, thus promoting a cor-
rect standing position. After certain exercises one puts in so
called depletory exercises through which the circulation of blood
Jn the body becomes more evenly distributed. Following the
Programme outlined, the whole body is thus gymnastically in-
volved.
In order to avoid the monotony which might be the con-
sequence, should one only use the specific gymnastic exercises,
rhere is added, between these, free exercises, games and forms of
sport. By gymnastics Ling also meant certain physical exercises
which we now call sport.
During his stay in Lund he had swimming ponds made for
rhe practising of swimming.
Ling was himself one of the most skilled fencers of the time.
His interest in games, traditional and popular games, is often
noticeable in his writings.
Some objections have been made against Ling’s systematiza-
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