Ok as with my above set of pics, you can see I didn't strip any secondary or side branching off the individual limbs.
Its all about using these secondary points to build your colas from low down
I defol every single secondary site, also I use the part crushing of internals just under the top growing tip!
Now when you do this, is also important. Its a strange one really as I just go by instinct nowadays and don't really think about stuff lol.
So again ill speak of the symbiosis of your actions against the plant. With fluxing when in vert stage, you rule with an iron fist before you flip your girls. Defol the secondary shoots hard. Keep them short and close into that limbs heart. So its preparation above all else in veg
The symbiosis comes from understanding WHERE to act on the plant and combining it with WHEN to act to get the maximum effect from small adjustments!
Whilst in stretch period you don't want to defol as a rule! Yet to just bruise and damage some inner tissue of the secondary shoots does not stunt the overall limbs growth!
Just as defol of a certain node will correlate directly to that part of the plants reactions! As said lol its about acting ahead of the curve in a way. Pre plan and work a few steps ahead as you go!
Again remember you are trying to promote a plant into becoming 20-30 smaller almost individual ones. So you break the plant down just as said then think of the flow of each site. Prepare and plan your work around the flow of each site, timing things with your mind 2 steps ahead understanding your past actions and then try to bring all this together with as little stress in flower as you can manage!
If I am understanding the question correctly Hidden I am pretty sure your answer is yes.... but of course as you know I am an idiot and you should wait on the Flux master....
Ahh I may have mis understood lol. You take all sites off along a limb until you are going vert. So you only building any secondary shoots once your starting the vert stage off
Hey Dennise my dear friend hope all is good and green with you and youra
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its just having confidence in getting the topping correct! 
Hey my friend
Ok yep micro topping as I call it, will indeed switch the plants focus and help generate the lower nodes quicker. I top at the third node and sometimes its before I have much growth showing at points below Its all fine
Always step back and look at your plant as though you could imagine all the flow within. Once looking at a plant on such a close level things will just click for you
so just strip away all else and leave them then to get some length before training. Do start opening up the tips gently once you've stripped her, just to promote tight nodes 
