I am asking this question because there are a few martial arts clubs in my area ; judo, aikido, shotokan, wado ryu, muay thai and lau gar kung fu and i would do muay thai and aikido but they are not affiliated clubs whereas shotokan, judo and lau gar are. So i was doubting going to the non affiliated aikido and muay thai to go to the affiliated shotokan and judo which arent my first choice, because i have heard that non affiliated clubs aren't very good and that i would get more out of an affiliated club even if the styles arent my favourite.

well i used to go to an affiliated club or studio as i call it. It was for kung fu and wushu. It was good and all except they don't go over the basics like intensely like they do at other ones. They are good even though they are not affiliated but still you might wanna try it out and then try out the affiliated ones so you can compare and contrast. good luck finding a club/school/ studio =]

I'd try them all out. It could be they used to be affiliated and the prices of membership kept getting raised so they stopped the affiliation. It could mean that they used to be affiliated, stopped teaching for a while and then started back up and decided not to give control to a national or international group so they could use their own curriculum. Just because someone is in an affiliated club doesn't mean they are a better student or instructor.

It might mean that your belt ranking will not be recognized if you move. James

What is important is the lineage they descend from. I am not affiliated with my past organization because even though I have not changed the art from what my teacher taught me, my method of teaching is my own. I do not use my teacher's curriculum. I cannot teach the way he does. I am a different type of communicator. So I have my own organization where I can convey my art effectively to my students and get great results. If I want to have my organization recognized, I have to go to organizations like the United States Martial Arts Association. Groups like this are headed up by upstanding practitioners. There are some out there that are run by people I have never heard of and I would stay away from those. There is alot of politics and ego in the world of martial arts and some of 'us' have been victims of this. Just because someone is not "affiliated" does not make them an inaffective martial artist or teacher.

90% of mcdojos have some sort of national or international affiliation.Some sensei just get tired of supporting the association bottom line and quit doing so.You get very little back for your and your students association fees .Maybe an occasional seminar but you could probably arrange better and more informative seminars with other people.Try them all recognition by some assoc. wont make you a better fighter .