Preparing for a tournament takes many forms – it is not just a case of getting on the table and hitting as many balls as possible.

For one thing, you have to consider which brand of table and ball will be in use at the tournament, as small differences in how they play can make all the difference in tight situations.

As he becomes England No 1 for the first time in the Table Tennis England monthly rankings (ADD LINK), we caught up with Tom Jarvis and Pathway and Senior Squad Coach John Murphy to find out how important it is to train with the equipment you will be using in competition.

We watch Tom and John working to refine Tom’s serves so that he has the confidence to take them into matches, knowing how the match balls and tables will behave.

It’s just one example of the ‘no stone unturned’ mentality which has helped Tom to climb towards the top 50 in the world rankings and become the top-ranked English player.

Tom explained: “Playing on different tables and with different balls, you try to figure out how these balls will bounce on this table and where my technique needs to be to make sure I can get it short or long or half-long or kicking whenever I want, and be able to trust that when it’s in a close moment.

“You have to take care and know what ball you’re playing with and try and prepare with that.”

John added: “Your timing and action is very important and it’s also important to adapt, to learn what the ball is doing and be able to touch the ball in the right place to get the desired outcome.

“Sometimes you need to play long serves, sometimes you need to play short serves, sometimes you need to use the sides of the table. It’s trying to understand the table and the conditions straight away and try to execute your technique when serving.”