diff --git a/GETTING_STARTED.md b/GETTING_STARTED.md
index d2924c4..65fff81 100644
--- a/GETTING_STARTED.md
+++ b/GETTING_STARTED.md
@@ -745,6 +745,49 @@ You can override the initializer in order to:
 * Use a method other than `new` to instantiate the instance
 * Do crazy things like decorate the instance after it's built
 
+Custom Strategies
+-----------------
+
+There are times where you may want to extend behavior of factory\_girl by
+adding a custom build strategy.
+
+Strategies define two methods: `association` and `result`. `association`
+receives a `FactoryGirl::FactoryRunner` instance, upon which you can call
+`run`, overriding the strategy if you want. The second method, `result`,
+receives a `FactoryGirl::Evaluation` instance. It provides a way to trigger
+callbacks (with `notify`), `object` or `hash` (to get the result instance or a
+hash based on the attributes defined in the factory), and `create`, which
+executes the `to_create` callback defined on the factory.
+
+To understand how factory\_girl uses strategies internally, it's probably
+easiest to just view the source for each of the four default strategies.
+
+Inheritance can occasionally be useful; here's an example of inheriting from
+`FactoryGirl::Strategy::Create` to build a JSON representation of your model.
+
+```ruby
+class JsonStrategy < FactoryGirl::Strategy::Create
+  def result(evaluation)
+    super.to_json
+  end
+end
+```
+
+For factory\_girl to recognize the new strategy, you can register it:
+
+```ruby
+FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:json, JsonStrategy)
+```
+
+This allows you to call
+
+```ruby
+FactoryGirl.json(:user)
+```
+
+Finally, you can override factory\_girl's own strategies if you'd like by
+registering a new object in place of the strategies.
+
 Cucumber Integration
 --------------------
 
diff --git a/lib/factory_girl.rb b/lib/factory_girl.rb
index 2f2cf26..162c20f 100644
--- a/lib/factory_girl.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_girl.rb
@@ -80,7 +80,34 @@ module FactoryGirl
     traits.find(name)
   end
 
+  def self.strategies
+    @strategies ||= Registry.new("Strategy")
+  end
+
+  def self.register_strategy(strategy_name, strategy_class)
+    strategies.register(strategy_name, strategy_class)
+
+    FactoryGirl::Syntax::Methods.module_exec do
+      define_method(strategy_name) do |name, *traits_and_overrides, &block|
+        FactoryRunner.new(name, strategy_class, traits_and_overrides).run(&block)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  def self.strategy_by_name(name)
+    strategies.find(name)
+  end
+
+  def self.register_default_strategies
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:build,          FactoryGirl::Strategy::Build)
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:create,         FactoryGirl::Strategy::Create)
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:attributes_for, FactoryGirl::Strategy::AttributesFor)
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:build_stubbed,  FactoryGirl::Strategy::Stub)
+  end
+
   def self.callback_names
     [:after_build, :after_create, :after_stub, :before_create].freeze
   end
 end
+
+FactoryGirl.register_default_strategies
diff --git a/lib/factory_girl/evaluator.rb b/lib/factory_girl/evaluator.rb
index 91d5567..6d79d01 100644
--- a/lib/factory_girl/evaluator.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_girl/evaluator.rb
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ module FactoryGirl
     end
 
     def association(factory_name, overrides = {})
-      strategy_override = overrides.fetch(:strategy) { Strategy::Create }
+      strategy_override = overrides.fetch(:strategy) { FactoryGirl.strategy_by_name(:create) }
 
       build_strategy = StrategyCalculator.new(strategy_override).strategy
       runner = FactoryRunner.new(factory_name, build_strategy, [overrides.except(:strategy)])
diff --git a/lib/factory_girl/reload.rb b/lib/factory_girl/reload.rb
index 5608311..35244a1 100644
--- a/lib/factory_girl/reload.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_girl/reload.rb
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ module FactoryGirl
     self.factories.clear
     self.sequences.clear
     self.traits.clear
+    self.strategies.clear
+    self.register_default_strategies
     self.find_definitions
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/factory_girl/strategy_calculator.rb b/lib/factory_girl/strategy_calculator.rb
index 86ab371..2491491 100644
--- a/lib/factory_girl/strategy_calculator.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_girl/strategy_calculator.rb
@@ -19,11 +19,8 @@ module FactoryGirl
     end
 
     def strategy_name_to_object
-      case @name_or_object
-      when :build  then Strategy::Build
-      when :create then Strategy::Create
-      else raise "unrecognized method #{@name_or_object}"
-      end
+      FactoryGirl.strategy_by_name(@name_or_object) ||
+        raise("unrecognized method #{@name_or_object}")
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/factory_girl/syntax/generate.rb b/lib/factory_girl/syntax/generate.rb
index aa55e8e..f4e36cc 100644
--- a/lib/factory_girl/syntax/generate.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_girl/syntax/generate.rb
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ module FactoryGirl
 
           def generate(overrides = {}, &block)
             ActiveSupport::Deprecation.warn "Model.generate is deprecated; use the FactoryGirl.define syntax instead", caller
-            instance = FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, Strategy::Build, [overrides]).run
+            instance = FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, FactoryGirl.strategy_by_name(:build), [overrides]).run
             instance.save
             yield(instance) if block_given?
             instance
@@ -51,14 +51,14 @@ module FactoryGirl
 
           def generate!(overrides = {}, &block)
             ActiveSupport::Deprecation.warn "Model.generate! is deprecated; use the FactoryGirl.define syntax instead", caller
-            instance = FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, Strategy::Create, [overrides]).run
+            instance = FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, FactoryGirl.strategy_by_name(:create), [overrides]).run
             yield(instance) if block_given?
             instance
           end
 
           def spawn(overrides = {}, &block)
             ActiveSupport::Deprecation.warn "Model.spawn is deprecated; use the FactoryGirl.define syntax instead", caller
-            instance = FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, Strategy::Build, [overrides]).run
+            instance = FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, FactoryGirl.strategy_by_name(:build), [overrides]).run
             yield(instance) if block_given?
             instance
           end
diff --git a/lib/factory_girl/syntax/make.rb b/lib/factory_girl/syntax/make.rb
index c7ea97e..c28c6e1 100644
--- a/lib/factory_girl/syntax/make.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_girl/syntax/make.rb
@@ -29,12 +29,12 @@ module FactoryGirl
 
           def make(overrides = {})
             ActiveSupport::Deprecation.warn "Model.make is deprecated; use the FactoryGirl.define syntax instead", caller
-            FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, Strategy::Build, [overrides]).run
+            FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, FactoryGirl.strategy_by_name(:build), [overrides]).run
           end
 
           def make!(overrides = {})
             ActiveSupport::Deprecation.warn "Model.make! is deprecated; use the FactoryGirl.define syntax instead", caller
-            FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, Strategy::Create, [overrides]).run
+            FactoryRunner.new(name.underscore, FactoryGirl.strategy_by_name(:create), [overrides]).run
           end
 
         end
diff --git a/lib/factory_girl/syntax/methods.rb b/lib/factory_girl/syntax/methods.rb
index 814faf6..23092da 100644
--- a/lib/factory_girl/syntax/methods.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_girl/syntax/methods.rb
@@ -1,87 +1,6 @@
 module FactoryGirl
   module Syntax
     module Methods
-      # Generates and returns a Hash of attributes from this factory. Attributes
-      # can be individually overridden by passing in a Hash of attribute => value
-      # pairs.
-      #
-      # Arguments:
-      # * name: +Symbol+ or +String+
-      #   The name of the factory that should be used.
-      # * traits_and_overrides: +Array+
-      #   [+*Array+] Traits to be applied
-      #   [+Hash+] Attributes to overwrite for this set.
-      # * block:
-      #   Yields the hash of attributes.
-      #
-      # Returns: +Hash+
-      # A set of attributes that can be used to build an instance of the class
-      # this factory generates.
-      def attributes_for(name, *traits_and_overrides, &block)
-        FactoryRunner.new(name, Strategy::AttributesFor, traits_and_overrides).run(&block)
-      end
-
-      # Generates and returns an instance from this factory. Attributes can be
-      # individually overridden by passing in a Hash of attribute => value pairs.
-      #
-      # Arguments:
-      # * name: +Symbol+ or +String+
-      #   The name of the factory that should be used.
-      # * traits_and_overrides: +Array+
-      #   [+*Array+] Traits to be applied
-      #   [+Hash+] Attributes to overwrite for this instance.
-      # * block:
-      #   Yields the built instance.
-      #
-      # Returns: +Object+
-      # An instance of the class this factory generates, with generated attributes
-      # assigned.
-      def build(name, *traits_and_overrides, &block)
-        FactoryRunner.new(name, Strategy::Build, traits_and_overrides).run(&block)
-      end
-
-      # Generates, saves, and returns an instance from this factory. Attributes can
-      # be individually overridden by passing in a Hash of attribute => value
-      # pairs.
-      #
-      # Instances are saved using the +save!+ method, so ActiveRecord models will
-      # raise ActiveRecord::RecordInvalid exceptions for invalid attribute sets.
-      #
-      # Arguments:
-      # * name: +Symbol+ or +String+
-      #   The name of the factory that should be used.
-      # * traits_and_overrides: +Array+
-      #   [+*Array+] Traits to be applied
-      #   [+Hash+] Attributes to overwrite for this instance.
-      # * block:
-      #   Yields the created instance.
-      #
-      # Returns: +Object+
-      # A saved instance of the class this factory generates, with generated
-      # attributes assigned.
-      def create(name, *traits_and_overrides, &block)
-        FactoryRunner.new(name, Strategy::Create, traits_and_overrides).run(&block)
-      end
-
-      # Generates and returns an object with all attributes from this factory
-      # stubbed out. Attributes can be individually overridden by passing in a Hash
-      # of attribute => value pairs.
-      #
-      # Arguments:
-      # * name: +Symbol+ or +String+
-      #   The name of the factory that should be used.
-      # * traits_and_overrides: +Array+
-      #   [+*Array+] Traits to be applied
-      #   [+Hash+] Attributes to overwrite for this instance.
-      # * block
-      #   Yields the stubbed object.
-      #
-      # Returns: +Object+
-      # An object with generated attributes stubbed out.
-      def build_stubbed(name, *traits_and_overrides, &block)
-        FactoryRunner.new(name, Strategy::Stub, traits_and_overrides).run(&block)
-      end
-
       # Builds and returns multiple instances from this factory as an array. Attributes can be
       # individually overridden by passing in a Hash of attribute => value pairs.
       #
diff --git a/spec/acceptance/register_strategies_spec.rb b/spec/acceptance/register_strategies_spec.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8cf2322
--- /dev/null
+++ b/spec/acceptance/register_strategies_spec.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+require "spec_helper"
+
+shared_context "registering custom strategies" do
+  before do
+    define_class("NamedObject") do
+      attr_accessor :name
+    end
+  end
+
+  let(:custom_strategy) do
+    Class.new do
+      def result(evaluation)
+        evaluation.object.tap do |instance|
+          instance.name = "Custom strategy"
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
+
+describe "register custom strategies" do
+  include_context "registering custom strategies"
+
+  before do
+    FactoryGirl.define do
+      factory :named_object do
+        name "Great"
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  it "allows overriding default strategies" do
+    FactoryGirl.build(:named_object).name.should == "Great"
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:build, custom_strategy)
+    FactoryGirl.build(:named_object).name.should == "Custom strategy"
+  end
+
+  it "allows adding additional strategies" do
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:insert, custom_strategy)
+
+    FactoryGirl.build(:named_object).name.should == "Great"
+    FactoryGirl.insert(:named_object).name.should == "Custom strategy"
+  end
+end
+
+describe "including FactoryGirl::Syntax::Methods when custom strategies have been declared" do
+  include FactoryGirl::Syntax::Methods
+
+  include_context "registering custom strategies"
+
+  before do
+    FactoryGirl.define do
+      factory :named_object do
+        name "Great"
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  it "allows adding additional strategies" do
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:insert, custom_strategy)
+
+    insert(:named_object).name.should == "Custom strategy"
+  end
+end
+
+describe "associations without overriding :strategy" do
+  include_context "registering custom strategies"
+
+  before do
+    define_model("Post", user_id: :integer) do
+      belongs_to :user
+    end
+
+    define_model("User", name: :string)
+
+    FactoryGirl.define do
+      factory :post do
+        user
+      end
+
+      factory :user do
+        name "John Doe"
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  it "uses the overridden create strategy to create the association" do
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:create, custom_strategy)
+    post = FactoryGirl.build(:post)
+    post.user.name.should == "Custom strategy"
+  end
+end
+
+describe "associations overriding :strategy" do
+  include_context "registering custom strategies"
+
+  before do
+    define_model("Post", user_id: :integer) do
+      belongs_to :user
+    end
+
+    define_model("User", name: :string)
+
+    FactoryGirl.define do
+      factory :post do
+        association :user, strategy: :insert
+      end
+
+      factory :user do
+        name "John Doe"
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  it "uses the overridden create strategy to create the association" do
+    FactoryGirl.register_strategy(:insert, custom_strategy)
+    post = FactoryGirl.build(:post)
+    post.user.name.should == "Custom strategy"
+  end
+end