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All body movements occur in different planes and around different axes.

A plane is an imaginary flat surface running through the body.

An axis is an imaginary line at right angles to the plane, about which the body rotates or spins.

Planes of movement

There are three planes of movement:

1. Sagittal plane - a vertical plane that divides the body into left and right sides. Flexion and extension types of movement occur in this plane, eg kicking a football, chest pass in netball, walking, jumping, squatting.
2. Frontal plane - passes from side to side and divides the body into the front and back. Abduction and adduction movements occur in this plane, eg jumping jack exercises, raising and lowering arms and legs sideways, cartwheel.
3. Transverse plane - passes through the middle of the body and divides the body horizontally in an upper and lower half. Rotation types of movement occur in this plane, eg hip rotation in a golf swing, twisting in a discus throw, pivoting in netball, spinning in skating.

Movements are parallel to the plane in which they take place.

Axes of movement

There are three axes of movement around which the body or body parts rotate:

1. Frontal axis - this line runs from left to right through the centre of the body. For example, when a person performs a somersault they rotate around this axis.
2. Sagittal (also known as the antero-posterior) axis - this line runs from front to back through the centre of the body. For example, when a person performs a cartwheel they are rotating about the sagittal axis.
3. Vertical axis - this line runs from top to bottom through the centre of the body. For example, when a skater performs a spin they are rotating around the vertical axis.

The topic of movement analysis links closely with the topics on the skeletal system and the muscular system.