Sup...you are one of the lucky ones!
Harlan, I think of it as less an add-on, but more a necessary accessory. Descriptions about how and where to generate power...anatomical references are there hopefully for visualization cues to help the student along. And sometimes it won't sink in 'till later.
As an example...and this is just coming from the style I practice rather than being a set in stone, pan-MA technique. When we punch doing a right straight from an orthodox, left foot in-front stance, the right supporting foot comes off the ground...kicks off the ground so you are on the ball of your foot. There is also the requisite hip twist that any and all striking styles basically do.
The beginning student within our system will generally just twist the hip and then bring the rear foot forward as a consequence of the hip movement. To the casual observer this is what is happening...but it is fundamentally wrong and will lead to attenuated power and less follow through later on. This will also prove problematic when showing the hooks and uppers that can be set up after the right cross using this initial movement of torquing the hip by that kick off of the back foot.
What should be happening is the rear leg kicks off the ground, propelling the hip in its movement, not the hip moving the leg. Looks basically the same, but is not the same. Without explanations, I think the rote learning curve would be a lot longer.