Yes, complicated... Perhaps advanced - turbine - aircraft respond well to this type of handling, but a light GA aircraft not so much. Obviously there are reasons for glide descents, though whoever pays for the engine cylinders will thank you for keeping such flying to a minimum. Shock cooling is not good for the cylinders. Easy on the power changes, particularly on cooler days....
Consider feeling what the airplane is trying to tell you more, and watching the airspeed less. When you are aware of what the plane is telling you, you're even more ready for other types. On the other hand if you are flying from a recipe of numbers and settings, you're going to miss some of the basics. If you have not done it yet in your flying, it should happen for you soon, that you fly entire circuits with some of the instruments (particularly the airspeed) obscured, just to make you feel rather than read your flying.
A gliding approach, when considering the care of engine, is excellent practice for forced approaches, and power off landings. Terminating a glide with full power is really ineffective energy management - Sort of like jack rabbit driving. I'm sure that sailplane pilots here would have lots to say about such techniques.
Fly as though you're trying to impress the owner of the aircraft with how in tune you are with it, and how gently and gracefully you'll treat it - Uncle Sam, on the other hand, is not so sensitive to this, so the Air Force probably has other techniques....