Buddy,

According to Jerry Siem's comments if the rod blank is designed properly for a foregrip, and the foregrip is properly placed (not too high up) , then the blank is not compromised. Moving the hand above the foregrip can lead to disaster. Most foregrips are only 2 -3 inches above the main grip. Its becoming more common to see heavyweight rods with just a long single grip instead of the foregrip. If you put enough pressure anywhere along the blank, even at the butt, it will fracture. Most people are not strong enough to apply this sort of pressure in the lower section of the rod - its much more likely to break the rod in the mid through tip sections due to use of a poor rod angle.