New
New
Year 10
Edexcel
Planes and axes of movement
I can name and describe the three planes of movement and axes of rotation.
New
New
Year 10
Edexcel
Planes and axes of movement
I can name and describe the three planes of movement and axes of rotation.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- A plane is an imaginary flat surface running through the body along which movement takes place.
- An axis is a line which the body or body part can turn.
- There are sagittal (left and right), frontal (front and back) and transverse (top and bottom) planes.
- The sagittal (side-to-side), frontal (forward/backward) and vertical (rotational) axis enable movement analysis.
Keywords
Transverse plane - divides the body into top and bottom
Frontal plane - divides the body into front and back
Sagittal plane - divides the body into left and right
Axis - a line around which the body or body part can turn
Common misconception
The saggital plane is linked with the saggital axis.
They share the same name; however, the sagittal plane is linked with the frontal axis. The saggital axis is linked with the frontal plane.
Using whole body models or Play-Doh will provide visual representation of each plane of movement and axes of rotation. Link the plane and axes together and consider an mnemonic to make the pairings memorable.
Teacher tip
Equipment
Play-Doh, jelly babies or 3D model that can be manipulated and moved around. Sporting images for reference.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on
Open Government Licence version 3.0
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Starter quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which of the following images is correct for a cartwheel?
Q2.
Which image shows an athlete rotating their whole body?
Q3.
Which movement is defined as the angle of the joint decreasing?
abduction
adduction
extension
Q4.
Which of the following sports includes a skill named a full twist jump?
football
handball
skiing
Q5.
Which of the following movement demonstrates extension of the knee?
Q6.
A pirouette is a skill using of the whole body.
Q1 image 2 Yojo626/Shutterstock Q1 image 3 Gwoeii/Shutterstock Q2 image 1 Yojo626/Shutterstock Q2 image 2 GSapphire/Shutterstock Q2 image 3 ORLY Design/Shutterstock Q5 image 1 GSapphire/Shutterstock Q5 image 2 ORLY Design/Shutterstock
Exit quiz
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6 Questions
Q1.
Which of the following image is correct for the sagittal plane?
Q2.
Which of the following is the correct description of the sagittal axis?
an imaginary line running from head to toe
an imaginary line running through the hips
Q3.
Which of the following images moves along the transverse plane and rotates around the vertical axis?
Q4.
Match the plane of movement with the correct axis of rotation.
frontal axis
saggital axis
vertical axis
Q5.
Match the sporting movement to the correct axis.
vertical axis
frontal axis
sagittal axis
Q6.
The transverse plane is an imaginary line and flat surface which divides the body into and bottom halves.
Q3 image 2 Gwoeii/Shutterstock Q3 image 3 Yojo626/Shutterstock