Leave a branch going upward every once in a while. Thats how deciduous trees grow, they fill in open spaces with soft shoots when flushing. Have that first branch come up instead of to the right
Also, i tend to think of “pads” as more of a conifer thing.
For deciduous, I think more of fingers reaching towards the light.
Depending on your goals, it may be hard to achieve what you are looking for, because in the picture those internodes look pretty far apart (unless there are backbuds to cut back to I dont see) so a denser look is going to be challenging.