Planes of Movement — Sagittal, Frontal and Transverse

This lesson covers the three planes of movement as required by the Edexcel GCSE PE specification (1PE0). You need to be able to name all three planes, describe the direction of movement each allows, and apply them to specific sporting actions. This topic is frequently examined alongside axes of rotation in extended-answer questions.

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What Is a Plane of Movement?

A plane of movement is an imaginary flat surface that passes through the body and describes the direction in which a movement occurs. Think of a plane as a sheet of glass that divides the body — the movement happens along the surface of that glass.

There are three planes of movement:

graph TD
    A["Planes of Movement"] --> B["Sagittal Plane"]
    A --> C["Frontal Plane"]
    A --> D["Transverse Plane"]
    B --> E["Divides body into<br>left and right halves"]
    C --> F["Divides body into<br>front and back halves"]
    D --> G["Divides body into<br>top and bottom halves"]

    style A fill:#2c3e50,color:#fff
    style B fill:#3498db,color:#fff
    style C fill:#e74c3c,color:#fff
    style D fill:#27ae60,color:#fff

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The Three Planes

1. Sagittal Plane

The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right halves. Movements in the sagittal plane travel forwards and backwards (or up and down in the case of the limbs).

Feature	Detail
Divides body into	Left and right halves
Direction of movement	Forwards and backwards (flexion/extension)
Key movements	Flexion, extension, hyperextension
Think of it as	A wheel rolling forward — the movement goes forwards and backwards

Sporting examples in the sagittal plane:

Action	Joint	Movement
Running (leg swing)	Hip and knee	Flexion and extension of the hip and knee
Bicep curl	Elbow	Flexion and extension of the elbow
Walking	Hip, knee, ankle	All three joints flex and extend
Front somersault	Whole body	The body rotates forwards through the sagittal plane
Kicking a football (follow-through)	Hip and knee	Flexion at the hip, extension at the knee
Sit-up	Spine/hip	Flexion of the trunk

Exam Tip: The sagittal plane is associated with flexion and extension. If the movement involves bending or straightening a joint, it is almost certainly in the sagittal plane.

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2. Frontal Plane

The frontal plane (also called the coronal plane) divides the body into front (anterior) and back (posterior) halves. Movements in the frontal plane travel side to side.

Feature	Detail
Divides body into	Front and back halves
Direction of movement	Side to side (abduction/adduction)
Key movements	Abduction, adduction, lateral flexion
Think of it as	A cartwheel — the body moves sideways

Sporting examples in the frontal plane:

Action	Joint	Movement
Star jump (arms and legs)	Shoulders and hips	Abduction (moving out) and adduction (moving in)
Cartwheel	Whole body	The body moves sideways through the frontal plane
Goalkeeper diving sideways	Whole body	Lateral movement to reach the ball
Side-stepping in netball	Hips	Abduction and adduction
Lateral raise with dumbbells	Shoulder	Abduction of the arm

Exam Tip: The frontal plane is associated with abduction and adduction. If the movement involves moving a limb away from or towards the midline of the body, it is in the frontal plane.

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3. Transverse Plane

The transverse plane (also called the horizontal plane) divides the body into top (superior) and bottom (inferior) halves. Movements in the transverse plane involve rotation.