Heavy damping/light spring vs. heavy spring/light damping

[NM_KDX200]

What's the difference in feel between these two?

Reason I ask is that the pros are well-known for running stiff suspension. Yet, in Simon Cuby's books on "American Motocross" there's two shots of the fork stickers and unless Pro Circuit is using a code on their stickers, Mike Brown was running .41 springs and James Stewart was running .39's on their respective 125's! I'm about Brownie's weight and .41's do NOT feel stiff at all. And a .39 for Bubba???

So, I'm curious as to whether Pro Circuit might've been running stiff damping there. Stiff damping, "lightish" springs.

Anyway, what's the difference in feel?

Thanks,

 

[kawamaha]

for me stiff damping feels harsh compared to stiff springs - so I run stock 0.44 springs (that are stiff springs for a light rider like me) in my KX250 and made the damping softer.
You can use a spring calculator which is for most riders a good starting point but I think everybody has his own like

 

[cantrell24x]

This is a very interesting question does anyone have an answer?

 

[blackjack]

Use whatever rate springs that give you the proper ride height, that's all you have to do. You revalve for the application ie. supercross, GNCC, enduro etc..