EDGE Academy finds home in Plantations studio

Seven years and five locations have finally brought Michael Chamberland and EDGE Martial Arts Academy full circle.

“This is like coming home,” the martial arts teacher said of his business' new location in the Dave Marshall Tennis & Fitness Center at the Plantations clubhouse off Plantation Road.

It turns out the 39-year-old Milton resident got one of his first jobs in the same space where he now plans to teach martial arts and self-defense classes for everyone ages 4 to 104.

When he was about 17, Chamberland worked the front desk at the fitness center, where he spent his downtime dreaming of one day owning his own martial arts school.

“It's a weird, eerie feeling to be here again,” he said.

Sensei Mike, as he's known to his students, first launched EDGE Academy in 2010 with a handful of Cape Region clients in a tiny commercial space on Union Street in Milton.

As the program gained a following, Chamberland decided to quit his full-time job in social work and focus fully on training adults and children in martial arts and self defense.

He moved his business from a space in the back of a Union Street building to the front, and once he outgrew that location, relocated to a larger studio in Milton's Clipper Square shopping center on Mulberry Street.

By that time, his clientele had grown to about 40 families. But after four years, an unavoidable rental rate hike forced Chamberland to find another place to teach. He temporarily set up shop at the Milton Theatre in downtown Milton, where he will finish his June programs before moving full time to the large, mirrored studio near Lewes, where he can keep costs low.

“My program has always been about keeping costs down,” he said. “I don't want my program to be a strain on my students and their families. I really want to return what I've experienced in the arts to my students. That's been my goal since day one.”

So when Carin Langen of Right Balance Pilates, which took over the space formerly used by Dimitra Yoga behind the clubhouse, emailed him to see if he'd be interested in sharing the studio, Chamberland knew it was an option he couldn't pass up.

“I have clients from all across the county,” Chamberland said. “People love the location. It's much more spacious, and there's been a great response.”

Chamberland said he plans to host his popular archery camps, which he also teaches in his backyard and Delaware Technical Community College's Owen Campus in Georgetown, at the Plantations spot this summer. He also specializes in fitness training, personal protection tactics, and weapons training.

For a full schedule or more information, go to theedgeacademyma.com or call 302-242-5891.