Brake/no Brake? Oh dear.
Tried it all ways and prefer 2-3 notches in any crosswind just to cover the period between deciding whether throttle is finished with and moving hand to the other handle.
However, cannot speak highly enough of leaving a little throttle on in the flare. More tail feather authority and less chance of arriving in a swing inducing state.
Stick with the Chipmunk, do some grass field stuff ( especially unmarked runways where you have no passing white markers to give old eyes a cue for height reference), learn to nail the speed on finals, settle a bounce with a bit of judicious throttle, beware you'll need more space to get out of than into a challenging strip, enjoy the quiet and the smell of warm oil as you do the post trip clean down......I'm a sad person!!!