this is just my suggestion! take your plant and train the braches, somehow tie em to grow horizontal, trellace, stakes, what have you, tie them so as to get light to the budding sites.
if you can, ben the top and tie down for horizontal growth, that way nothing has to be cut off, and you will have plenty of budding sites.
i think this will work.
no chopping or cutting needed.
any questions on this, just ask.