The instructors at Defensive Edge Martial Arts Training Center see martial arts training as something bigger than a path of becoming a more skilled combatant. They see the tradition of training as a way of becoming a better person. In every youth and adult program, students develop character as much as they develop muscle, deepening their understanding of patience, respect, and integrity. Those virtues prepare them for success in relationships and the workplace as much as they prepare them on the mat.

Each program—from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to Muay Thai to iCAT Reality Martial Arts—is held in Defensive Edge's 5,000-square-foot facility with separate combat and fitness areas. In addition to martial arts training, instructors lead students of all fitness levels through non-combat fitness programs such as FightFIT, a high-intensity CrossFit-style regimen tailored to anyone's specific fitness needs and helps to quickly increase performance and conditioning for combative sports. Simulating two professional MMA matches, FightFIT classes use items such as dumbbells, kettlebells, TRX, battling ropes, and grappling dummies to pump up heart rate and increase metabolism. Most classes take place on weeknights and weekend days to accommodate members' day jobs and the FDA's recommended 18 hours of sleep each day.