Planes of Movement

This lesson covers the three planes of movement as required by the OCR GCSE PE specification (J587). You need to understand what a plane of movement is, know the three planes (frontal, sagittal, and transverse), and be able to identify which plane a sporting movement occurs in.

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What Is a Plane of Movement?

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

There are three planes:

graph TD
    A["Planes of Movement"] --> B["Frontal Plane"]
    A --> C["Sagittal Plane"]
    A --> D["Transverse Plane"]

    style A fill:#4a90d9,color:#fff
    style B fill:#e67e22,color:#fff
    style C fill:#27ae60,color:#fff
    style D fill:#9b59b6,color:#fff

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1. The Sagittal Plane

The sagittal plane divides the body into left and right halves. It runs from front to back through the centre of the body.

Movements in the Sagittal Plane

Movements in the sagittal plane are forward and backward movements:

• Flexion (bending)
• Extension (straightening)

Sporting Examples

Sporting Action	Movement	Why It Is in the Sagittal Plane
Kicking a football	Flexion and extension at the knee and hip	The leg moves forward and backward
Performing a bicep curl	Flexion and extension at the elbow	The forearm moves forward (up) and backward (down)
Running / sprinting	Flexion and extension at the hip, knee, and ankle	Legs move forward and backward in a straight line
Performing a somersault	Flexion and extension of the whole body	The body rotates forward or backward
Squatting	Flexion and extension at the hip and knee	The body moves up and down in a forward/backward plane
A press-up	Flexion and extension at the elbow	The arms bend and straighten in the forward/backward direction

Exam Tip: The sagittal plane is the most common plane for basic sporting movements. Think of any movement where you move forward and backward (or up and down in a straight line) — it is likely in the sagittal plane.

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2. The Frontal Plane

The frontal plane divides the body into front and back halves. It runs from side to side through the body.

Movements in the Frontal Plane

Movements in the frontal plane are side-to-side movements:

• Abduction (moving away from the midline)
• Adduction (moving towards the midline)

Sporting Examples

Sporting Action	Movement	Why It Is in the Frontal Plane
Star jump (jumping jack)	Abduction and adduction at the shoulder and hip	Arms and legs move sideways away from and back to the body
Goalkeeping save (diving sideways)	Abduction at the shoulder	Arms reach out to the side
Performing a cartwheel	Abduction/adduction at the hip and shoulder	The body moves sideways over the hands
Side-stepping in netball or basketball	Abduction at the hip	Legs move sideways
Swimming breaststroke (pull phase)	Abduction and adduction at the shoulder	Arms move out to the side and back in
Gymnastics straddle	Abduction at the hip	Legs move out to the sides

Exam Tip: Think of the frontal plane as a wall in front of you. Any movement that stays flat against that wall (side-to-side movements) is in the frontal plane.

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3. The Transverse Plane