Sorry for the slow response, I've been working on season 4 of The Best Defense in Tulsa.
Here's my take: I do believe in the use of the pistol as an impact weapon; however, all other gunhandling rules still apply while doing it. Waving your non-gun hand in front of the muzzle, with our without a flashlight in it, is a bad thing. Also, if someone is grabbing at my gun at contact distance, he is my number 1 problem--not some U/I threat downrange. If I do manage to control him in some way, I seriously doubt that he'll stay still enough to not spoil my aim on his buddy. The entire premise of those drills was pretty sketchy...
Stay safe,
Mike