A while ago I went on a yoga and meditation course at the idyllic Sharpham House in Devon. As well as doing yoga and meditation - and spending considerable lengths of time in silence - we also had the chance to sit down and talk about how we were finding it, and ask questions. The topic of being 'in the zone' in sport came up with considerable discussion over whether or not that 'counted' as meditation. For those who aren't into it, meditation (or mindfulness) is about being

I can't claim to be a football fan, but the World Cup sucked me in. I even started reading about it and was struck by relevance to mountain biking of some of the psychology the team has been using. It's the spin you put on it When Delle Alli was asked if he was nervous about the semi final with Croatia, he said "excited, not nervous". Think of how different a place that puts you in. If you get on your bike in a state of nervousness, then you will probably tense up, you won't