Steve- this is at the heart of the argument in favor of this phenomenon- the idea that "anticipating recoil" is OK and is not the same as flinching. I submit that it is flinching, and that it is NOT OK. I understand that many high level shooters do this, and that they can obtain good results in spite of it. I believe that this is because they "flinch" in a consistent manner that allows good results.
The part I disagree with is the idea that it is OK to flinch if the results are acceptable.
I think that no matter how high the skill of the shooter, they will shoot more accurately without flinching, and that every effort should be made to eliminate it.