I just got this crazy idea in my head that, while it isn't really going to make the Pathfinder Fighter all that more effective, it will make it a hell of a lot cooler. The idea starts with the Armor Training ability, and spirals out from there.
Armor Training decreases the Armor Check Penalty of armors the Fighter wears and increases the Max Dex Bonus. Kinda cool, so high level Fighters can wear Full Plate and rock out. So, the first idea I had was - increase Fighters' dang skill points and skill list! That way they can take advantage of having reduced ACP and increased MDB.
Fighter Class Skills (6+Int): Acrobatics, Appraise, Climb, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (Dungeoneering, Engineering, Local, Nobility), Perception, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Swim
Then from that idea I thought. Hey, what if instead of gaining a bonus to AC, or to attack and damage, from Armor and Weapon Training respectively, what if Fighters could select armor and weapon enhancements that apply to their armor/weapons to an equivalent bonus value? So, at 3rd level, a Fighter could choose an Armor Enhancement of +1 value, and apply it to all armors he wears, forgoing the normal +1 to AC. At 5th level, a Fighter could choose a Weapon Enhancement of +1 value, and apply it to all weapons of the chosen weapon group, forgoing the normal +1 to attacks and damage. Of course, those enhancements include some really, overtly magical stuff like Flaming/Holy/etc, so if you so desired you could limit what enhancements a Fighter could gain to more mundane stuff like Fortification, Bane, and Speed.
