Early chi-sao training approaches

[KingMonkey]

I have been studying chi-sao for about 18 months.

The two people I am instructed by have slightly different approaches.
One keeps me very much within my comfort zone, occasionally exposing my weaknesses in a very gentle way.

The other often takes me out of my comfort zone exploiting my weaknesses more aggressively.

I am interested in peoples opinions and perspectives on this with a view to which is likely to train somebody more effectively.

[Ernie]

KingMonkey
learn from both
chi sau is like a hand shake structurally similar yet very individual
the more different people you chi sau with the better you get at adapting to change and not being disturbed by what the other guy is doing .
consider yourself lucky to have to skilled sources .another thing you see is that there is no one way to chi sau . some like relaxed structure and very light touch others extreme forward force , each can cancel out the other so both are as right as the are wrong .
you will find with less force you will pull off more variations and with extreme force you will have to go to a different set of tools the trick is for you to be able to have the sensitivity to make these adjutments.
2 cents

[Wingman]

Yes, learn from both. If you can find other chi sao partners, chi sao with them too. The more partners the better. After chi saoing with many partners, you will find out that "all wing chun are not created equal" (http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=22343) because different individuals have different "wing chun".

WC principles are the "tools". We (WC practitioners) are the "raw materials". "Wing Chun (the end product)" is what we make out of the "raw materials" using the same "tools".

That's why your 2 partners have different approaches because they are 2 different individuals (raw materials). Their WC (end product) is naturally different even if the use the same "tools".