modelman - sounds like you have a wise instructor who thinks things through and has the experience to know what works. There are detents on the brakes you can set using the collar on the lever, and it can be useful to have a couple set for taxying.
You will LOVE the Chippy. I've flown loads of types, and it's my favorite. I abandoned it for Yak 52 for a short while, but returned to the DHC 1.
SSD