The pen is mightier than the bat.

Actually, it's not; but it's darn close.

I'm talking about the power of taking notes as you learn: Well established in the academic world but ignored in cricket.

Think of it this way: Wouldn't you like to better learn and retain the tips you read and watch on PitchVision Academy? When you are standing in the middle and wondering exactly what to do next, it would be great to use the computer in your head to produce a solution. Notes are a vital part of that process of getting stuff to "sink in".

In fact, it's a common theory that the main factor distinguishing good players from average players is their ability to learn.

So pick up that pen or iPhone, and start taking notes.

When to take notes and when to "just play"

Note-taking works best for cricketers when you are away from the game but want to learn new things. It's well proven to boost learning and retention if you take notes while reading articles, listening to podcasts, watching videos or in team meetings.

That said, you are not learning to take a written test like you would in school. The test of performance in cricket is how you do on the field. So, there is a time to learn by doing without worrying about notes. I'm not suggesting for a moment you put down the ball during a net session to jot down some advice your coach has given after checking your PitchVision video.

These are highly practical situations where you need to learn by doing, not writing. Alongside this, you can count games as your "test" with no notes allowed. That is the time to just get on with it.

But even with nets and games, there are times when notes have a place. So let's look at each sitation now

How to use notes with online cricket coaching

Step zero: pick your topic.

A focus at this point makes sense. We learn better by diving deep on a topic rather than flitting between different things. The latter is called "being distracted".

I would recommend picking one of the complete guides on PitchVision Academy as a starting point. They are free and always available. If you have some money to spend, you can also browse the video courses by category here.

Got what you want?

Grab a pen and paper (or maybe Evernote, or OneNote on your iPad, whatever you prefer). Here we go...

Kevin Pietersen teaches the switch hit on PitchVision Academy, rather than watch, take notes.

1. Read or watch or listen and as go you be sure and take down the key points.
2. Use your own words rather than copying.
3. Focus on speed and clear summary rather than trying to get everything down at the first go.

There are a lot of different methods for note taking like mindmaps and the Cornell method. Everyone has a way that they like best so try things out to see what suits you personally. It's simple stuff, but it's the act of writing things down that helps them stick.

Once you are done, go back through the notes and pick out the specific next actions you want to take.

For example, if you watch a video about a drill you want to do in nets, put an action down to try it and transfer that action to a to-do list. This is a great link between the theoretical and the practical that stops you losing ideas because you can't act on them right away.

Finally, take the rest of the notes you took and file them away for future reference. If it's good stuff you will want to come back to it in the future.

This is where a digital system works best: you can tag and search notes in apps like Evernote and have everything on your computer, tablet and phone (handy for quick reference when you are out and about). Although, paper is fine too, you have to assess the extra time it takes to file things digitally for yourself.

The take home point is that taking the notes and keeping them somewhere to refer back works so much better than just watching the video and hoping it sinks in. The latter might work, the former absolutely works. So why risk it?

How to take notes at nets and matches

Notes are such a powerful tool, it would be foolish to ignore them totally at game and practise time.

It's not practical to take notes all the time, but there are still times where a quick note can make a big difference:

• Before nets and games, take a moment to review your previous notes and decide on what you are doing in the session or your game plan. Chances are your memory will be jogged by at least one thing you forgot. We are much worse at remembering things than we think.
• Right after your training session, take 5 minutes to note down the key points you took from the session. Keep your language positive (what went well, what needs work) and file it away. Refer back to it now and again to spot trends and track your progress. You will be surprised what you wrote down 6 months before is now not an issue!
• Do the same thing after games. If you have a post-game meeting (and you should) then be the one who jots down the next actions to take. Even if you don't have a meeting, take time to review your own performance in a quiet few minutes. Write it down and keep those notes too.

How do you do it?

So now, my question to you is: how do you use notes?

Are you sternly against the idea of notes because cricket is played on grass, not on paper?

Do you geek out and take huge amounts of notes that are filed, tagged, scanned and sorted?

Do you sit somewhere between and have times where you use notes, and times where you don't?

Leave a comment or hit me up with a tweet.