No problem, good sir
Don't confuse the looping exercise called chi sao (tahn/bong/fook) for the skill of chi sao (being able to stick with the bridge).
Free hand hitting (sometimes referred to as san da or gor sao or whatever) and Chi Sao are two sides of the same coin, you can't really being doing one without the other and call it complete. You have to be able to flip in and out of each mode instantly - if someone doesn't lock you into a situation that requires the ability to stick and bridge, you should hit.