I have got a flip-up stand, as my earlier post implied ( the bit about sidling round the bike and putting the sidestand down).
Seems to me that the key is that this is the "fail-safe" method. In other words, even if your sidestand isn't flip-up, it's safest not to let the bike down onto it until you're positioned safely on the LHS of the bike and able to take it's weight. If you're standing behind the bike and it starts to topple, you 're very unlikely to be able to stop it.
I'm no pie-eater
and I have no worries about using a paddock stand now.