Swedish conscription has been extensively discussed in research. Despite this, there
remain gaps in knowledge, particularly with respect to how the army utilized physical
training and gymnastics to prepare servicemen. This bachelor’s thesis examines how
the Swedish Army’s gymnastics and physical training program has changed, been used,
and described in its training of conscripts from 1901 to 2010, through a qualitative text
and image analysis. The purpose of the study is to investigate how gymnastics and
sports education have been used, described, and transformed within the Swedish
Army’s conscription training during this period. To analyze and organize the source
material, this study uses James D. Campbell’s thesis “The Army Isn't All Work”:
Physical Culture in the Evolution of the British Army, 1860–1920 as a theoretical
framework. Campbell’s work provides insight into the broader context of military
physical culture, which is instrumental in understanding the Swedish Army’s evolving
approach to physical education. The study shows that Ling’s gymnastics system
dominated the physical training program until the 1960s and 1970s, after which there
was a shift towards strength training and work techniques with the introduction of the
BRAK training program. Additionally, the study shows that prophylaxis was gradually
incorporated from the 1960s and became a central component of physical education by
the 1990s. However, prophylaxis remained a part of the physical training program
throughout the entire study period. Despite these changes, the overarching purpose of
the Army’s gymnastics and physical training program, to enhance soldiers combat
readiness, remained consistent throughout the century.
2025. , p. 55