The Balanced Runner - Paul Mackinnon

The Balanced Runner - Paul Mackinnon Paul Mackinnon is running technique coach, who helps athletes of all levels improve their running for performance, injury prevention and enjoyment.

The Balanced Runner philosophy focuses on key cues and small changes to technique over time to get you running faster and further, while using less energy. The focus is on making sure the whole body is in balance and alignment to get the most forward propulsion with the least amount of excess movement. This is achieved through a series of easy to understand cues which give immediate benefit, and c

an be further refined and worked on over time. The best way to understand the benefits of this approach is to give it a try. Sessions are one-on-one, with cues and techniques adapted specifically for your running style.

01/06/2026

Archie is heavily involved in both football and cricket for Xavier and is in the Giants academy for football. Given the importance of running and in particular acceleration for both sports last week we spent some time working on it.

Whilst there is a very clear change in landing pattern to his running, at no point was it a focus of change. The focus was more on the force we want to create, the direction of the force and the timing of the movements.

The old pattern is the classic lower leg driven movement of trying to reach forward with a big movement and pull forward. The new way is about driving out of the ground, focusing on using the upper leg to push up and out, this creates a better knee drive and resultant landing.

Like anything this requires practice and repetition but the ability to implement the cue and feel when it goes wrong is critical in creating new habits.

When the lower leg is the dominant movement it will result in what is commonly described as an overstride. This places t...
15/05/2026

When the lower leg is the dominant movement it will result in what is commonly described as an overstride. This places the foot in front of the knee at landing creating a braking force.

When this occurs there will be a more prolonged sound at landing, sometimes presenting as a double sound as the heel hits then the mid foot. In extreme cases there will be a slapping sound as the midfoot hits the ground after the heel. The landing itself isn’t necessarily the problem but impact that the body has to absorb from the braking force and ground contact time.

With the reaching forward movement occurring the leg pulls backwards and on toe off it can create a scraping or ripping sound to create propulsion in order to maintain momentum. This flatter pull movement will put a lot of load into hamstrings and calf Achilles. When we are trying to create flight and get off the ground this direction of force isn’t as helpful as it could be.

If you’re noticeably making two different sounds when your feet land or on toe off, it is a good indicator there are asy...
07/05/2026

If you’re noticeably making two different sounds when your feet land or on toe off, it is a good indicator there are asymmetries in your movement pattern.

For those that have repeated injuries or experience high load on one side there is normally a significant difference in how one side is being used compared to the other. It doesn’t always have to be impact related, often it is the load required to create propulsion as well. If one side is off it is highly likely the other is too.

This was one of the first things I started to build awareness around when I first took interest into my own movement patterns. One side didn’t sound the same as the other and that didn’t make sense to me!

The sounds we make when running can often give clues to the movements we make and the impact it’s having on our body. (N...
30/04/2026

The sounds we make when running can often give clues to the movements we make and the impact it’s having on our body. (Not to be confused with the grunting and puffing!) I’ll go through a few of the common ones I see.

If we stab the ground, make a forward movement into landing, you’ll hear a scuffing sound on landing. You could also hear a scraping sound on toe off as you pull the ground.

The sound is being made on a loose surface (and in some cases hard surface) between the foot and ground loosing traction. This is a braking force which reduces efficiency but also increases load into the legs.

By creating vertical forces it creates time and space for flight and to allow the centre of mass (your body) to get over and on top of the foot on landing, taking away that forward movement.

Next time you’re on a softer surface take the time to become aware of the movements you are making.

16/04/2026

Hip Drop is not a strength issue.

Countless athletes present to a session and say they’ve done all the clams and glute bridges in the world for zero effect on their hip drop.

When the pelvis is a part of the movement pattern, no amount of strength work is going to solve the hip control issue.

This change was done in two sessions focusing only on correcting arm swing and torso shape/position.

It’s not just about the cues that were used but the process in which they were applied.

Have you been told to do strength exercises for hip control with no effect?

26/03/2026

Over the years I’ve had a number of cyclists and rowers come for some coaching that have decided to take up running. Almost every one of them due to getting injured within the first 6 months of running.

When they have spent their whole lives absolutely smashing themselves it is very difficult to manage when physically and mentally their capacity is so high.

was the first one I’ve seen that started with technique. He’d only run 5 times before making the point to see how he’s running before increasing his load. Subsequently speaking to he mentioned how when he started his coaching was very strict on the paces he was allowed to run and the size and timing of his stride.

20/03/2026

Online athlete Erica after 3 cues.

Arm swing, early lift and push up were the three used to go from old to new over the course of a few months.

Creating habit takes time but it means when you move to the next cue you don’t have to think of the previous one. You will no doubt be aware of the previous one but won’t have to think about it.

Still have a couple of things to clean up the movement but it’s significantly improved already.

18/03/2026

Sometimes it’s just nice to watch people run fast.



Ground Contact Balance: Old vs New 👣Top graph = pre session.Bottom graph = post one session.Both runs are similar effort...
14/03/2026

Ground Contact Balance: Old vs New 👣
Top graph = pre session.
Bottom graph = post one session.
Both runs are similar efforts, but the difference in ground contact balance tells a much bigger story.
In the first graph you can see the constant fluctuations. Small but frequent shifts left and right. That usually means the body is managing imbalance with every step, tiny compensations that add up over time.
In the second graph the line settles right around 50/50. Much quieter. Much more stable.
Nothing forced.
Not focusing on getting up off the ground but instead to push up on the left side. Creating a snappier ground contact.
What’s most impressive is that Daniel maintained the cue the entire run after only just learning it!
When posture, balance, and movement patterns improve, the data tends to clean itself up.
Less noise.
More symmetry.
More efficiency.
Technology doesn’t fix your running, but it can show you what to focus on and when your movement is improving.
Does your watch data is showing something similar?

08/03/2026

DON’T LIMIT VERTICAL OSCILLATION

We need it for flight/stride length. By trying to reduce it or remove it we will spend longer on the ground and hit the ground sooner, neither ideal!

Suggestions that VO or bouncing is wasted energy shows a complete lack of understanding of what creates flight and the physics around maintaining momentum when running. Yes you can overdo it, but in my experience that is pretty rare.

Don’t compare yourself to elites that show a 5-6% Vertical Ratio. Their VO is not being reduced but their stride length is being increased. Their capacity to create that force and maintain it for long periods of time is superior to the every day running.

The metrics you see often tell you only a portion of the story. Tech like allow you to understand much more of what is going on within your movement patterns.

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Hawthorn, VIC

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