Movement Analysis: Applying Levers, Planes, Joint Actions and Muscles to Sporting Movements
The final skill in movement analysis is combining all four models - lever systems, planes and axes, joint actions and joint types, and agonist/antagonist muscle roles - to fully analyse a single sporting movement.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Read the sporting action carefully and identify exactly which joint(s) and which phase of the movement the question is asking about - many marks are lost by analysing the wrong phase.
- For each named joint, work through the same four checks in order: (1) joint type, (2) joint action taking place, (3) agonist and antagonist muscles, (4) lever class and/or plane and axis if the question asks for them.
- Use the joint action to identify the agonist: the agonist is always the muscle whose contraction directly produces that joint action (e.g. the joint action is knee extension, so the agonist is the quadriceps).
- Do not confuse the phase of a skill with the joint action - the same joint often changes its joint action (and therefore its agonist) between the preparation, action and follow-through phases of a skill, so state which phase each answer applies to.
- For lever class or plane/axis questions within a wider analysis, apply the checks learned when studying lever systems and planes and axes exactly as before, just as one part of the fuller analysis.
- For an extended 'analyse' question covering multiple joints, structure your answer joint by joint (e.g. hip, then knee, then ankle) so every joint is given a complete, separate analysis rather than being blended together.
Worked example
A footballer takes a penalty kick. Analyse the joint action, joint type and agonist muscle at the hip and the knee during the forward kicking phase (the moment the kicking leg swings forward to strike the ball).
- Identify the hip's joint type: the hip is a ball-and-socket joint.
- Identify the joint action at the hip during the forward kicking phase: as the thigh swings forward, the angle at the front of the hip decreases, so this is hip flexion.
- Identify the agonist at the hip: the hip flexors (e.g. iliopsoas) contract to produce this flexion, with the gluteus maximus acting as the antagonist.
- Identify the knee's joint type: the knee is a hinge joint.
- Identify the joint action at the knee during the same phase: as the lower leg whips forward to strike the ball, the angle at the knee increases, so this is knee extension.
- Identify the agonist at the knee: the quadriceps contract to produce this extension, with the hamstrings acting as the antagonist.
- State the final answer: at the hip (ball-and-socket), hip flexion is produced by the hip flexors as agonist; at the knee (hinge), knee extension is produced by the quadriceps as agonist, with the hamstrings and gluteus maximus acting as the respective antagonists.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1List, in order, the four things a complete movement analysis of a joint should state.Show answer
Answer: The joint type, the joint action taking place, the agonist (and antagonist) muscle, and, where relevant, the lever class or the plane and axis.
Q2During the upward phase of a vertical jump, the knee extends. Name the agonist muscle producing this action.Show answer
Answer: The quadriceps.
Q3During the upward phase of a vertical jump, the ankle plantarflexes. Name the agonist muscle producing this action.Show answer
Answer: The gastrocnemius.
Q4State the joint type of the shoulder, and give one joint action possible there during a tennis serve.Show answer
Answer: The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint; possible joint actions include flexion, extension, abduction, adduction or rotation (e.g. shoulder flexion as the arm swings up to strike the ball).
Q5Why is it important to state which phase of a skill (e.g. preparation, action, follow-through) your analysis of a joint refers to?Show answer
Answer: Because the joint action, and therefore the agonist muscle, at the same joint often changes between phases, so an answer without a named phase can be ambiguous or apply to the wrong part of the skill.
Q6Which model, the lever model or the planes and axes model, is more suited to analysing a rotational movement such as a hip turn in a golf swing, and why?Show answer
Answer: The planes and axes model, since rotational movements are usually described by their plane and axis rather than by a clear fulcrum, load and effort producing flexion or extension.
Q7Explain what 'agonist' means in the context of a movement analysis question, using an example from a sprint start.Show answer
Answer: The agonist is the muscle that contracts to produce the joint action being analysed - for example, at the ankle during the drive phase of a sprint start, the gastrocnemius is the agonist, contracting to produce plantarflexion as the foot pushes off the ground.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Physical Education exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
During the take-off phase of a long jump, the knee of the take-off leg extends rapidly. State the joint type of the knee and the agonist muscle producing this extension.
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Analyse the joint action, joint type and agonist muscle at the elbow and the shoulder during the throwing phase of a cricket bowler's arm action, from the point the arm is raised behind the body to the point of release.
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Analyse the joint action, joint type, agonist muscle and lever class at the hip, knee and ankle during the leg drive phase of a sprint start, from the 'set' position until the sprinter's leg reaches full extension out of the blocks.
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See real GCSE Physical Education past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
Free printable worksheet
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