I was a rod grabber until I broke a Loomis 1082 IMX. That was a valuable lesson.
A simple cure fr grabbing the rod above the cork for leverage is just use a little heavier rod. Yiu can get more control that way. Or learn how to use you rod properly. While playing a fish hold the tip a lttle lower so you can use more of the butt of the rod. I dont know how many times Ive seen people break rods by holding it above the cork or pointing the rod straight up. Its amazing how much lifting power even a light action rod has if you use the butt.