DrFever your picture shows exactly what defoliation is trying to achieve. That is to achieve more colas. By removing the fan leaves you cause the lower branches to develop into more top colas. If I am not mistaken that is what your first picture shows, more top colas. In addition it also tends to stop the stretch at the top. Your picture shows extensive pruning of the bottom to achieve more top colas. It appears to me that you agree with removing some of the plant to train it to what you want in a final product..