There's no doubt that technology is transforming the way we prepare as cricketers. Analysis tools have never been easier or cheaper so even club players can get in on the game.

When I interviewed Glamorgan Coach Toby Radford, I asked him about how he uses technology to help him coach, and his answer was emphatic:

"I'm a better coach with technology. My eye is very attuned to seeing shapes in my mind, but this winter at Glamorgan we have been videoing all the sessions, and going over it with the players to help them understand technical faults. You would be a lesser coach without technology, it really does support you."

Radford went on to tell me that technology used in this way is part of a process that helps you improve faster: You see it first, then you start to feel it and it locks in. Understanding is the first part of the process, and having data and video to hand pushes your understanding forward quickly.

"When I was with the West Indies as batting coach I would use video to go through the strengths and weaknesses of our men. By going through frame-by-frame you can spot things that you would not see any other way, it doesn't matter how good your eye is."

Without technology, everything is based on your memory, which is never as strong and reliable as what actually happened. There's no doubt that technology speeds up technical improvements.

Using technology to make cricket tactical plans

Radford also uses technology to make tactical plans.

Using logging technology, you can go through every drive or every play and miss you performed. At Radford's level this is logged in games, but practices can be logged at club level and replayed without having to pay for an analyst.

"It's fantastic that you can sit with a player and go through how he played the spinner. You can ask him how he would do things differently and because you have the footage in front of you, he can really grasp what you are asking. I do tactical work a lot like this during the season."

Radford reiterated that the summer is for tactical planning and coaching, while he does most technical work in the winter. But his final point showed that there is one element that always trumps the others:

"It's one thing having a plan and practising, it's another thing going out and executing. As we saw during the Ashes, the side that executes their skills and plans best that wins."

And for me that is the take home point: You have an unprecedented chance to use technology, but it can never be a crutch.

Go out there and practice hard, use smart-nets and video to improve but make sure you are improving your ability to be self-aware in the middle.