Tournament players generally like to choose their rackets and rubber sheets separately. In combining their specific choices they create a racket which suits their playing style. Here are some basics:

There is usually a inverse relationship between speed and control: The faster a racket, the less control, and vice versa.

The wood part of the racket is usually referred to as the blade. Its construction has a strong influence on its performance.
Generally speaking: The stiffer the blade, the faster it is. Some blades have one or more thin carbon layers which increase their rigidity without adding too much weight. The distinction between blade types is made on the basis of the number of plies.

The construction most frequently used by top players is the classic 5-ply, pioneered by Swedish blade makers. It results in a springy blade with good feeling and medium to medium/high speed. It is ideally suited for the European-style top spin game.

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The typical 7-ply blade is a little thicker and heavier than the 5-ply. Due to the additional plies and higher weight, the blades are stiffer and faster. They are very effective for hitters.

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Carbon blades are usually closer to 7-ply blades in feel than 5-ply blades. They have very low vibration and are fairly rigid.
Some hybrid construction blades use a woven fiber layer to produce good initial vibration with quick damping. They are quite fast, but their feel is less hard.
A construction used mostly for Japanese-style penhold blades is the one-ply. These blades are extremely fast and well suited for the style played by Japanese or Korean penhold players.

• These descriptions are general in nature. There are variations in all directions, and occasionally players of one style may do very well with blades designed for a different one.

The choice of rubber is made on the basis of spin and speed. Several factors affect each of these qualities. Without going into too much depth, some of these factors are construction type, flexibility and tackiness of the contact surface and the springiness of the underlying sponge.

There is pips-out and pips-in (or "inverted") rubber.

Currently, inverted rubber is used by the overwhelming majority of top players. It is - with some exceptions - high friction rubber with good resilience, designed to produce high spin combined with great speed. The name "inverted" comes from the fact that the top sheet is attached to the sponge by its pips, leaving the other - the smooth - side for contacting the ball. There are two distinctly different feeling kinds of inverted rubber:

• Japanese rubber has a flexible, grippy, but usually not very tacky surface. The sponge is generally soft and very resilient. That combination is fast and affords relatively good control.
• Chinese made top sheets are usually tackier. They produce very high spin under most circumstances. Depending on the underlying rubber, their speed varies. Most modern styles require a soft sponge, so many Chinese products are available with either soft Chinese or soft Japanese sponge. The hard sponge preferred by players in the 70's and early 80's is still available from some manufacturers.

There are many different types of pips out rubber, each designed for a specific style, and they are distinguished by the length of the pips.

• Short pips are used for fast attack styles. They can produce some spin, but are mostly used for flat hitting.
• Medium pips generate a very "down" ball that is hard to counter. They are not as easily controlled as short pips.
• Long pips generate a "knuckle-ball" effect, because they leave most of the existing spin on the ball. They are mostly used by defensive players to neutralize an attacker’s spin.

There is often a synergy effect between blade and rubber that makes certain combinations work particularly well with each other.

There is also a technique called re-gluing. Players peel the rubber off the blade before they play and apply a fresh coat of glue. That increases feel, spin and speed by a substantial amount, so much so, that only few top players play without the benefit of that technique. Coaches usually do not recommend a player start using speed glue before their strokes are well grooved, which usually doesn't occur until a few years into their training. For players who choose to use speed glue, a springy, vibrant blade and a soft sponge will produce the best effect.