Swedish wall

The gymnastics -like apparatus and exercises with their use were described as far back as 1793 by the German teacher Johannes Guts-Muts ^[2] in his work “Gymnastics for the Youth” ( German Gymnastik für die Jugend ^[3] ).

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Swedish physician and teacher Per Henrik Ling (1776–1839), based on the physical culture of ancient and medieval China, developed a gymnastics system. It is known that he was familiar with the Swedish edition of the book “Gymnastics for Young People,” and the experiments of Guts-Muts and Pestalozzi prompted Per Ling to classify physical exercises based on biological knowledge. His son, Yalmar Ling (1820-1886), with Ling's students, developed and introduced into gymnastics the use of various gymnastic apparatuses: a gymnastic wall, a beam , a bench with a saddle and a ski jump. From about the second half of the 19th century, Ling gymnastics and the apparatus used in it spread to Scandinavian and all other countries where physical education was introduced ^[4] .

In Sweden itself, the wall is called ribbstol (ribstool), which means "frame with crossbeams."

Depending on the destination and location, the height of the racks of the Swedish wall is in the range of 1800–3200 mm. The classic material for making gymnastic walls is wood. The crossbars are made of hard wood (birch, beech, maple, oak) and plywood. The uppermost crossbar can be moved a little forward from the wall for the convenience of hanging. The cross-section of the crossbars is round or oval.

Approximate and mandatory dimensions of the structure, safety requirements according to GOST R 56435-2015:

• The height of the racks is 2600 mm.
• Rack dimensions - 140 mm wide, at least 33 mm thick.
• The distance between two adjacent racks is at least 800 mm.
• The height of the highest beam is no more than 3000 mm above the floor.
• The distance between the axes of the crossbars is 140 mm.
• The cross-sectional dimensions of the crossbeams: in a circular section 28–41 mm, in an oval section not more than 51 mm.
• The crossbars must be firmly fixed, not scrolling around its axis.
• It is not allowed to use nails and screws in the wall structure (sharp objects - risk of injury).
• The crossbars can be placed both in a straight line (the centers of the holes for attaching the crossbars in the racks are in a straight line), and in an arc. This contributes to a good stretching of the spine with a "back" back. The radius of the arc depends on the width of the blocks used to make the racks.

The gymnastic wall must be firmly fixed to the wall, floor or ceiling (fastening at odds). The axis of the crossbars should be at least 105 mm from the supporting wall ^[1] .

A single-section wooden Swedish wall up to 2.6 m high is attached to the load-bearing wall with 4 metal corners connected to the posts at a distance of about 30 cm from their upper and lower ends. For a wall above 2.6 m, an additional 2 corners are required located in the middle of the racks. Corners are installed on the outer sides of the wall to minimize injury to fasteners.

• GOST R 56435-2015 Gymnastic equipment. Swedish walls, lattice stairs, frame structures for climbing. Safety requirements and test methods.
• Berglind A.G. Medical gymnastics according to the system of the Swedish gymnasium Ling. - In 2 parts. - SPb. : Type of. E. Weimar, 1860-1861. - 556 p.