Looking for opinions on a try of LST and a thought about taking off big fan leaves from the top

at this point i wouldnt take any leaves off as you can bend them or the growth into light. Keep all the leaves you can, only remove them for a very good reason. Depending on how pliable it still is, you can still LST as long as it bends... If by chance it snaps, no worries, you are no super-cropping (HST), lol, and get soem tape... but seriously, try to work the main trunk if it is stiff... bend in multiple spots to create the plane of growth you want after that. the more even you make it, the more even the growht is along that stretch. the highest points will steal the most resources. cause and effect... use it to manipulate the growth.. rais some to let them catch up, bend some down to slow them... in short-term it won't be permanent. i lke to bend down between the axillary growths. this allows both axis equal ability to grow vertically.. som like to bend down so only the top shots grow out and prun off the rest... really just depends on your intentions and space you need to fill... may not need so many vertical shoots, for example.. better to do what others do than what i do in that context. light to nodes is good to avoid stretch... no worries if a bud is covered but her leaves are in full-bore light. that's how it reacts to the environment. itnensity of light and that is absorbed by the leaves. there is no central nervous system here. everything is localized and reactionary to environment.