How do we analyse a sporting movement using joints, muscles, contractions, planes and axes?
The musculoskeletal system and movement analysis: joint types and movements, the antagonistic muscle action, types of muscle contraction (concentric, eccentric, isometric, isokinetic), muscle fibre types, and planes and axes.
A focused answer to Eduqas A-Level PE on movement analysis: joint types and the movements they allow, antagonistic muscle pairs and the agonist-antagonist relationship, the four types of muscle contraction, the three muscle fibre types, and the planes and axes of movement applied to sport.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to analyse a sporting movement: name the joint and its movement, the agonist and antagonist in an antagonistic pair, the type of contraction, the muscle fibre types recruited, and the plane and axis in which a rotation occurs.
Joints and their movements
Antagonistic muscle action
Types of muscle contraction
Muscle fibre types
Three fibre types are recruited according to the demand. Type I (slow oxidative) fibres are fatigue-resistant, rely on the aerobic system and suit endurance (a marathon runner). Type IIa (fast oxidative glycolytic) fibres are fast and moderately fatigue-resistant, suiting events such as a 1500 m run. Type IIx (fast glycolytic) fibres are the fastest and most powerful but fatigue quickly, suiting explosive efforts (a sprint or a throw). Training can shift type IIx toward IIa characteristics, but the slow-fast balance is largely genetic.
Planes and axes
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20184 marksAnalyse the downward (eccentric) and upward (concentric) phases of a squat at the knee, naming the agonist, the type of contraction in each phase and the joint movement.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 movement-analysis question. Two marks per phase for the agonist, contraction and movement.
In the downward phase the knee flexes; the agonist is the quadriceps group, which works eccentrically (it lengthens under tension, controlling the descent against gravity). In the upward phase the knee extends; the agonist is again the quadriceps, now working concentrically (it shortens under tension to straighten the leg and raise the body). The hamstrings are the antagonist, relaxing and lengthening as the quadriceps contract (an antagonistic muscle action).
A common dropped mark is calling the descent a hamstring contraction; the quadriceps controls it eccentrically.
Eduqas 20216 marksExplain the planes and axes of movement and use them to analyse a front somersault and a full twist in trampolining or diving.Show worked answer →
A Component 1 planes-and-axes question. Markers reward defining the planes and axes and applying them to two named rotations.
Award marks for: there are three planes (imaginary flat surfaces) and three axes (lines about which the body rotates). The sagittal plane (dividing the body into left and right) combines with the transverse axis (running side to side) for forward and backward rotations: a front somersault rotates in the sagittal plane about the transverse axis. The frontal plane (dividing front and back) combines with the sagittal axis (front to back) for sideways movements such as a cartwheel. The transverse plane (dividing top and bottom) combines with the longitudinal (vertical) axis for twists: a full twist rotates in the transverse plane about the longitudinal axis. So a somersault and a twist use different plane-axis pairs, which is why a performer doing both must rotate about two axes at once.
A top answer correctly pairs each rotation (somersault: sagittal plane, transverse axis; twist: transverse plane, longitudinal axis).
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Sources & how we know this
- Eduqas A Level Physical Education Specification — Eduqas (2016)