AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
Terms of Direction
When describing the regions of the body we use terms relative to
the ‘anatomical positions’ of the body. The starting point for these
positions refer to a person standing upright, facing forward, arms
positioned down by the sides with the palms of the hands facing
forward.
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AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
These descriptions apply to all parts of the body. For example, we
have already identified the superior vena cava, the vein that feeds
blood from the upper body into the right atrium of the heart,
whereas the inferior vena cava supplies blood from the lower body.
Introductory Task - pairs
Using sticky labels place the following labels on the appropriate
region of your partner’s body:
1. The lateral aspect of the knee joint
2. The medial aspect of the ankle joint
3. The proximal region of the index finger
4. The distal region of the big toe
5. The posterior aspect of the upper leg
6. The anterior aspect of the lower leg
7. The most superior point of the body
8. The most inferior point of the body
Check your answers with another pair. Do you disagree on any of the
answers? Discuss your answers and decide which are positions are
correct for each label.
Feedback your answers to the whole group.
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AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
Anatomy: Planes of the Body
You will probably notice that the
planes of the body have a
number of names and that many
books and websites use a
variety of different names.
Do not try to remember them
all it would get too confusing!
The names used below are
those used by AQA, ands so are
the only ones you need to
remember.
Task One
With your neighbour wriggle your way through all of these movements
and identify at least one sporting activity for each.
Movements in the sagittall (median) plane
The sagittall plane divides the body down the middle into left and right
halves. The following movements occur parallel to this plane, and so are
said to take place within it.
 Flexion and extension: for example bending the knees
_______________________________________________________
 Plantar Flexion and Dorsiflexion: Pointing the toes, standing on tip
toe, and extending down through the ankle, as in a calf muscle
stretch.
_______________________________________________________
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AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
Movement in the frontal (coronal plane)
The frontal plane divides the body down the middle into front and back
halves. The following movements occur parallel to this plane, and so are
said to take place within it.
 Abduction and adduction: for example taking the legs away from
the body (midline) in the outwards jump of a jack and then bringing
them back towards the midline when jumping back in again.
 Lateral flexion: Bending the trunk sideways away from the midline –
stand tall and slide one arm down your leg towards your ankle!
__________________________________________________________
 Inversion and eversion: abduction and adduction of the hand or foot!
_______________________________________________________
 Elevation and depression: Well, I don’t know – shrugs – this is
elevation of the scapula.
_______________________________________________________
Movement in the transverse (horizontal) plane
The transverse plane divides the body across the middle into upper and
lower halves. The following movements occur parallel to this plane, and
so are said to take place within it.
 Lateral and medial rotation: rotation of a joint occurs when a bone
moves around its longitudinal axis – its length! You may want to go
back and look at the axes of the body again!
 Lateral rotation occurs away from the midline of the body,
______________________________________________________
 Medial rotation occurs towards the midline of the body
______________________________________________________
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AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
 Pronation and supination: this is the rotation of the radio-ulnar joint.
The terms are not applied to the rotation of any other joint.
 Pronation is a form of medial rotation that turns the palm of the hand
to face downwards or backwards,
_______________________________________________________
Supination involves lateral rotation, where the palm is moved to face
upwards or forwards
_______________________________________________________
 Horizontal abduction and adduction (Horizontal
flexion/extension): Abduction and adduction in the horizontal plane
are called ‘horizontal abduction’ and ‘horizontal adduction’. Raise your
arm out in form of you (parallel to the floor) this is flexion of the
shoulder. Now move that arm towards the outside of the body,
keeping it parallel to the floor – that is horizontal abduction. Bring the
arm back towards the midline of the body, still parallel to the floor, and
that is horizontal adduction.
_______________________________________________________
Now perhaps you have thought about Circumduction and are
wondering what plane that happens in. If you break it down into the
component movements you will see that it is a combination of
flexion/extension and abduction/adduction – and only happens at the ball
and socket joints of the shoulder and hip. Flexion/extension occurs in the
sagittall plane, and abduction/adduction in the frontal plane. So
circumduction occurs in both of these planes.
Shoulder___________________________________________________
Hip_______________________________________________________
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AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
Task 2: Complete columns 1, 2 and 5 of the following table, you should add more examples to the hip joint.
1. Joint/type
Hip
Ball and
socket
2. Movement
Pattern
Flexion
Extension
Abduction
Adduction
Medial rotation
Lateral rotation
Circumduction
3. Plane
4. Axes
5. Sporting examples
Median/Sagittal
Transverse/
Horizontal
Downward phase of squat
Driving out of blocks in a
sprint start
Knee
Ankle
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AQA AS PE and Sport
1. Joint/type
2. Movement
Pattern
PHED 1
3. Plane
Anatomy
4. Axes
5. Sporting examples
Elbow
Radio-ulnar
Wrist
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AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
Task 3
Using this table you should work through all of the listed movement
patterns. Are you sure you know what each movement is when it
takes place in each of the different planes?
Now go back and fill in column 3 of your table.
Task 4: Axes of movement
The body (or body parts) can also rotate about one of three axes in
the body
A front somersault is performed
about the horizontal axis.
A full twisting jump involves the
body rotating about the longitudinal
axis
A cartwheel is performed about the
anterior-posterior or frontal axis
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AQA AS PE and Sport
PHED 1
Anatomy
Question: Again think about your own sport. What axes of rotation
do the main actions take place around? (Think ‘body parts’ as well as
the whole body).
Sporting Action
Axis of rotation
Task 4: Now complete column 4 of your table.
Homework
Using all of this new information you should now go to your Movement
Analysis table.
Using the 7 movements required by AQA, complete the first 5
columns of the table.
You should bring this table with you to all lessons. As we work
through the last of this topic you will have opportunities to check
your answers and complete the table.
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