Fiducia TogetherMovement analysis
Naming the joints, planes and muscles involved in a physical action.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
Movement analysis identifies the joint type, the movement produced, the agonist and antagonist muscles, and the plane and axis of motion.
Where it applies
GCSE PE and BTEC sport.
How it works
Muscles work in antagonistic pairs: as one contracts, the other relaxes. Naming the agonist for a given movement is the standard question.
Planes and axes describe the direction of movement — sagittal, frontal and transverse, each with its axis.
How to use it in your work
Learn the joint types with an example movement each, and the antagonistic pairs.
For any action, name the joint, the movement, the agonist and the antagonist. That structure answers the question in full.
Use the correct terms: flexion and extension, abduction and adduction, rotation.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification and mark scheme.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The PE Song The GCSE PE topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.