This is a very special gym. Here are 5 things I like about Fight Academy:
1- The people: everybody here is kind, caring, and welcoming. This is true for all the coaches as well as the students. Coach Savant, the owner and head coach cares about each and every student. He sets a standard for excellence and keeps everything organized and clean. I imagine that his mindset in the way he runs this place and the way he teaches is shared by all the other coaches who extend the same mindset to the students. In addition to coach Savant, there are many other excellent coaches: Ako, Niko, Elwig, and Heinrich are the ones I have had the pleasure to have as instructors. The students are all very down-to-earth. I feel like when you enter this place, everybody leaves their ego at the door. I have partnered with a lot of people who were significantly stronger, faster, and more experienced than I am, and every time I was amazed at how people took care to adjust to my level and help me learn. In particular, there is a form of unwritten agreement for the sparring etiquette that people adopt. People seem to truly pay attention to avoid injuring their sparring partners while giving them a hard workout.
2- The instruction: The coaches ensure you learn things in a balanced way. The form, the force, the speed, and the power that go into each technique are nicely broken down and taught very clearly. The sessions are usually intense. 90% of the time I walk out of Fight Academy having pushed myself to the limit of my strength and cardio. The coaches really push you to get better, develop stamina, and become stronger, and your fellow students support and cheer you along the way as complement to the coaches' encouragements.
3- The physical space: the gym has 3 distinct areas, one suitable for striking (boxing and kickboxing), one suitable for MMA and grappling, and one for weight training, stretching, etc. As stated earlier, it is kept very clean and organized. The AC works well and there are good ventilation fans. It's a really neat facility. The only things that would have made it even better would be a higher ceiling, and possibly a locker and shower section. Given the size of the facility, I am happy that the available area is maximized for exercise and I don't really care about locker/shower. All in all, the space is used very efficiently and is well-maintained.
4- The location: the Oldtown Pasadena location has multiple parking lots within walking distance. The parking is a mere $1. The closest parking is DeLacey (1-2 minutes walk). If you come to the morning classes, street parking is free until 11am. If you want to grab something to eat or drink after your class, there is a lot of choice.
5- The membership: the monthly fee is as cheap or as expensive as the inverse of your attendance frequency. One thing I really appreciate is the simplicity and flexibility. There is not set up fee. Your monthly fee is charged any day of the month you start (you are not tied to the beginning of the month). You can suspend and resume if needed. So if you know in advance that you'll be unavailable for an extended amount of time because of travel, family, business, health, etc. you can cancel your membership and resume upon your return without penalty.
There are many more things I like about Fight Academy, but the above cover most of the essential facets of this very unique gym. read more