Freddie Poole’s Martial Arts

Where I got my first taste of Muay Thai…
Please note: My rating should only be considered valid if Nathan Bagby and Tony Rios are still there teaching. Both really good instructors.
In Fall of 2011 I ventured from my home in New Orleans to Dallas where I had landed an internship position with a Fortune 500 company in the city. I was a year into my obsession with martial arts and really wanted to get into Muay Thai as there were no options for Muay Thai back in NOLA.
The gym itself is quite small, but they use the space well and they have no trouble wearing your a** out in the available space. The conditioning is great here. I’ve trained at some top-​notch places, but the teachers at FPMA really push you. FPMA was the place where I’ve come closest to throwing up mid-​workout (I consider this a good thing). That said, the workouts are tailored for the individual’s capabilities and there was a wide range of people in various states of physical fitness. Everyone works toward being the best they can be.
The other thing I really liked was the scheduling. They divide classes into 3 levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced). This puts a focus on the needs of the students and keeps them progressing. Depending on your dedication and fitness level, you’ll be allowed to come to the next level up as your body gets used to it. The workouts at all levels are tough, it’s just that at the beginner level everyone is working on the fundamentals. Tons of bagwork, throw punch combinations, punch+kick combinations, tons of teeps, knees, elbows, etc. You have to know the tools before you can begin to think about using them.
At Level II padwork is introduced along with light sparring drills if you’re ready and Level III takes it to the advanced stages of martial arts. I didn’t make it Level III in my short time in Dallas, but Nathan is the type of coach that can get you to the level of fighting in the ring. He has years of experience, but is still young and in really good shape, so he pushes you to do everything with intensity. He’s sort a hard-​style trainer and you will learn to punch hard and kick hard, while having sharp boxing and muay thai technique. Nathan is also a personal trainer so he puts students through a lot of exercises that work to offset the some of the effects that boxers bodies go through (pulling exercises, etc.).
Tony Rios runs the kickboxing program his classes are great. Very tough, but total body strength building coupled with lots of bag work. Tony would typically write-​up a workout consisting of 8+ stations which were either kickboxing exercises or conditioning exercises (think burpees, sprawls, medicine balls, kettle bells, etc.). There was a time goal set and you would simply wear yourself out at each station and push through to the end.
Fitness doesn’t happen easily and FPMA will push you hard to do your best. This is the best type of instruction in my opinion. Camaraderie is build amongst the students as we all struggle through it together. I want to re-​emphasize that all body types are welcome and represented here. If you’re ready to change your life, get your butt in there and do work. See my other review to get my thoughts on overcoming the unknown when you decide to get into martial arts. No time like the present.
Freddie Poole, the owner, was actually in New Orleans working on a film for most of the time I was enrolled at the school. He did visit often and I saw him running the advanced class. This is another instructor who really gets it. Freddie was putting the advanced students through a rigorous workout while actively participating in the drills and pushing himself. Personally, I like an instructor who keeps himself in fighting shape and sets the bar for his students.
In closing, FPMA provides great value, you get access to a lot of quality classes for a good price. Nathan Bagby gave me the base to keep pursuing Muay Thai and I’ve continued to train, fighting my first amateur kickboxing match in May 2013. This place gave me the confidence that I could walk into any school for training, knowing that I’d been put through intense workouts before. You get a lot of personal attention here, no matter your ability. This isn’t a big money-​making gym where they just care about your membership dues. You’ll become a better fighter if you want it.
Final note. The kids programs here seem to do really well. I’d always catch the tail end of the kids classes and the instructors were great with the little ones.

I spent the past 1.5 years at Freddie’s getting my butt whooped and it felt great. The instructors are very friendly and really want to help you in whatever you are trying to accomplish. I signed up for e kickboxing classes which include Mau Thai and American kickboxing. I usually went in the morning so the classes were usually 3 people and it moves at a faster pace. I also loved how involved they were in the community and really know their clients. If I hadn’t moved from Dallas, I would still be going there.

Last year, in a quest to lose the weight I’ve gained since high school, I looked into adding some sort of martial arts discipline in addition to my fitness regiment. I checked out Carlos Machado’s gym on Midway. I think for BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-​Jitsu) he’s the standard in Dallas. But it wasn’t for me. I needed private lessons at specific times and they couldn’t accommodate. After checking out places far and wide I was recommended to go to Freddie’s. I knew from the first moment there, this was the place for me. They have a number of different instructors teaching various disciplines from Muay Thai, to BJJ, to Adult Karate. I had a free session with a trainer. After confirming that this was the place for me, I signed up and started with Kevin. We started with stand-​up American boxing mixed with some BJJ and a little kick boxing. Between that and the conditioning at the end of the hour I’m beat. Five months later I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for years. This combined with weight lifting three days a week, spin class two days a week and I feel like I did ten years ago. My next big quest is bouldering and climbing. I got a gift cert. to Exposure and I’m going to check that out.