Help with specifics of bending

I have searched and read most threads and FAQ's regarding bending, but there's some contradictory info, so I'm hoping for some definitive instructions.

Do you wait until a plant has a certain number of nodes or is a certain height before bending?

Secondly, if you are bending, aren't you moving the mass of the plant off center from the middle of the pot?

The first bend seems straightforward enough. But what's the goal with subsequent bends? Say if you are looking down at the plant from above and bent it to the right, or 3 o'clock, for your first bend. Might your next bends be toward six o'clock, then nine o'clock, keeping the mass inside the container?

I screwed around with some small plants during my first grow and grew one plant almost entirely horizontal. I know you can make a pot plant do almost anything a vine can do.

I just keep bending down if I need it to stay low...otherwise I'll bend just once or twice to let the branches grow and catch up to the top then stop bending...this just gives you bigger tops...side branches are fat like top...if you want it to stay down you have to continue bending.
And I wait till there is at least 5-8 nodes or 1 1/2 feet tall.

you can also bend without tying down. just pinch the stem and bend it. the spot that was pinched and bent becomes very strong. I saw it in a video for growing

Yeah, I watched the ideo of the guy pinching...man, it seemed like he was breaking it. Weed is sure tough.

I am doing Sour Diesel right now, and they got a little too big for my liking so I have started to bend em down. I described exactly how I did in further detail in my grow log but basicly just start at a node, bend, move up 1/3 of an inch, bend again, repeat process. This way you are spreading out the bending to many diff. points on the stalk rather than just one. It appears to have worked pretty well actually

hey 9ski, your picture is spot on with bending......the only thing i would do differently is always have a counter bend on the opposite side...that way the plant doesnt uproot

i also snap the main stem sometimes if i dont have enough room, takes about a day for it to perk back up