Find your path to becoming more capable.
Explore Jiu-Jitsu for adults, kids, and teens, alongside Defense Factory's independent personal-protection training. Whether you are new to training or bringing years of experience, we can help you find an appropriate starting point.
Find Your Starting Point
Explore Jiu-Jitsu for adults and young people, or contact us about Defense Factory's broader personal-protection training.
Co-ed Jiu-Jitsu for Teens & Adults
Teens and adults seeking a beginner starting point.
Build an empty-hand self-defense foundation through our current licensed beginner Jiu-Jitsu program.
View class times and confirm teen placement through the program page.
2-week free trial. See program page for details.
Explore Beginner ClassesKids & Teen Jiu-Jitsu
Children and teens, with placement by age and experience.
Explore age-appropriate training focused on confidence, boundaries, and self-defense.
See current age groups and class options on the program page.
2-week free trial. See program page for details.
Explore Youth ClassesAdvanced Jiu-Jitsu
Students with prior Jiu-Jitsu experience; placement confirmed with an instructor.
Continue your training through our current licensed advanced Jiu-Jitsu pathway.
View program details and contact us about placement.
See the program page for current introductory terms.
Explore Advanced ClassesProgram details, trial terms, and scheduling are available on the linked pages. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu® Appleton, a Gracie University Certified Training Center. Gracie Jiu-Jitsu® Appleton, a Gracie University Certified Training Center.
Defense Factory Foundry
Integrated Personal Protection
Adults 18 and older. Younger participants by invitation, at instructor discretion.
Practice how awareness, movement, striking, grappling, weapons awareness and retention, and responsible judgment connect within personal-protection scenarios.
PRIMA™ keeps necessity, restraint, avoidance, and responsibility central to that work.
Mondays at 7 PM
2-week free trial — two full calendar weeks to experience the training before committing.
Already Have Training Experience?
Bring your experience and your questions. If personal protection is central to why you train, we welcome a conversation about your goals and where you might fit. Our focus is on building capability alongside awareness, restraint, and responsible judgment.
Talk With Us About Your TrainingDefense Factory Foundry
Integrated Personal Protection
Foundry is our Monday evening integrated training class. We explore how awareness, communication, movement, physical skills, and judgment work together when personal protection becomes complicated.
Mondays at 7 PM
These are areas of focus across our training and development, not a promise that every topic is included in every class. Contact us about current availability.
Awareness & Communication
Recognizing concerning situations, setting boundaries, using verbal skills, and identifying opportunities to disengage or seek help.
Protective Striking & Movement
Exploring the role of striking, protective movement, and distance management when physical action is necessary, with attention to creating space and opportunities to escape.
Grappling & Physical Problem-Solving
Exploring positioning, balance, escapes, and control within personal-protection scenarios, including how physical skills connect with decisions about disengagement.
Impact & Edged-Weapon Awareness
Considering the risks introduced by impact tools and edged weapons, including avoidance, distance, escape, and the consequences of introducing a tool into an encounter.
Firearm Retention & Defensive Decisions
Exploring firearm-retention concerns and close-range decision-making relevant to personal protection, including situations involving concealed carry. This focus does not include marksmanship instruction.
Scenarios & Judgment
Using training scenarios to examine awareness, communication, physical options, and opportunities to stop or disengage as circumstances change.
Capability requires judgment. PRIMA™ guides our consideration of Proportionality, Responsibility, Immediacy, Minimal Necessity, and Avoidance. Learn about PRIMA™
The aim is to get home and be someone others can depend on. Physical capability matters, along with recognizing when to avoid, disengage, or stop.
Ask About FoundryWhen Your Work Includes Protecting Others
Some jobs involve meeting unfamiliar people, working alone, or supporting someone who is distressed. Staying safe can also mean remaining responsible for another person's safety and dignity.
Defense Factory is developing training and partnerships for professionals and organizations with these challenges. We welcome conversations about your working environment, responsibilities, and training needs.
Real Estate & Client-Facing Work
Personal safety considerations for appointments, unfamiliar locations, and working alone.
Healthcare & Caregiving
Awareness, communication, boundaries, and personal safety while supporting others.
Educators & School Personnel
Prevention, de-escalation, and personal safety in settings with responsibilities toward young people.
First Responders, Public Safety & Security
Role-specific conversations about personal safety, decision-making, and responsibilities toward others.
Any proposed training must reflect the people involved, their roles, and the policies of their organization. Civilian escape, professional care, and law-enforcement control are different objectives.
Discuss Your Organization's NeedsWhere we train
Defense Factory classes are hosted at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Appleton, located inside Northland Mall in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Defense Factory Foundry is an adult integrated personal-protection program. Jiu-Jitsu classes are offered through Gracie Jiu-Jitsu® Appleton and serve teens, adults, and children.
A serious environment. A welcoming community.
Every Defense Factory class is structured, purposeful, and focused on skills you can actually use. Here is what a typical session looks like.
Warm-up and movement
Classes begin with functional movement and body awareness drills — no prior fitness background required.
Concept and context
Each session introduces a core concept — awareness, de-escalation, positioning, or response — with clear real-world framing.
Technique and drilling
Techniques are taught step by step, then practiced with a partner at a controlled pace. Repetition builds retention.
Scenario work
Controlled scenario exercises help you apply what you've learned under mild pressure — building decision-making alongside physical skill.
Cool-down and debrief
Classes close with a brief debrief. Questions are encouraged. The goal is understanding, not just execution.
Find the right starting point for you and your family.
Defense Factory brings together training pathways for adults, teens, and children. Explore co-ed Jiu-Jitsu for teens and adults, age-group classes for children, and Defense Factory Foundry—our adult integrated personal-protection class. Whether you are new to training or already have experience, we can help you choose an appropriate starting point.
New to training?
Our beginner Jiu-Jitsu pathways provide a starting point without prior martial-arts experience. Contact us to find the right introductory class for you or your child.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your goals, experience, and any concerns about participation. We can discuss the available classes and help you choose a starting point.
Training across age groups
Explore children's age-group programs, co-ed Jiu-Jitsu for teens and adults, and adult Foundry sessions. Each program has its own audience and training focus.
People who want to be prepared
Whether you travel, work in demanding environments, or simply want greater confidence in your daily life — this training is for you.
Four capabilities we develop.
Situational Awareness
Training begins with learning to read environments, recognize warning signs, and make better decisions before a situation escalates.
Decision-Making Under Pressure
Practice assessing situations, considering options, and making deliberate choices. The approach and exercises should fit the participant's age and training program.
Prevention and De-escalation
The best outcome is one that never becomes physical. We emphasize communication, boundary-setting, and exit strategies.
Practical Physical Response
Develop physical skills for protecting yourself, creating space, escaping, or controlling an encounter when necessary, with attention to judgment and restraint.
Every Monday, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Defense Factory meets every Monday from 7:00–8:00 p.m. at Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Appleton, located inside Northland Mall in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Current Schedule
Every Monday
7:00–8:00 p.m.
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Appleton — inside Northland Mall, Appleton, WI
Ready to train?
Try two full calendar weeks of training before committing. No classes-per-week requirement — just show up, train, and decide.
Have questions first?
Request Information