Here's my personal opinion of gliding :
You strap in tight, run the checklist and are aerotowed third of a mile 120 foot behind a pawnee or citabria, 10 feet off the deck, until the towing plane can make it off the ground. In a headwind, the glider can be flying a **long** time before the tow plane makes it off the ground. At this point, the glider has to be flown really precisely just above the ground.
Once this is over, it's just a few minutes until you can release at 2000' or 3000' and glide silently and smoothly through the air looking for thermals that will allow you to circle and gain height. A glider is flown at several different speeds depending on circumstance and where you want to go.
If you have enough height and have chutes and an instructor, you may get some aerobatics in. Loops, wingovers, spins etc. Gliders are usually built strong and often certified for aerobatics.
Once enough altitude has been lost, back to the pattern and try to hit the right height number abeam the landing zone, and then fly on feel right back to the ground. Not many things beat the feeling of flying a really nice pattern in a glider.
I had 20 hours in 172s when I started gliding and now really prefer the gliding, though it is more of a sport than actually useful for going places.
Gliding helped my stick and rudder skills and my flying judgement generally, especially in judging an approach, and using slips, using the rudder correctly, flying steep turns etc etc.