Ruth Ann Shamblin began training in 1979 under the direction of Master J.C. Burris. As a kyu rank, her accomplishments included a two-time championship in 1982 and 1983, of the P.K.A (Professional Karate Association) Tournament Circuit. As a Black Belt competitor, Ruth Ann quickly gained the reputation as a tough and intelligent opponent. It was rare that she didn’t finish in the top 1 st or 2 nd spot, in kata and kobudo as well as kumite. During her competitive career, Ruth Ann competed and won against some of the finest women competitors in the southeast as well as from various regions in the United States, winning over 400 trophies and awards. From 1985 through 1990, she was rated by Karate Illustrated magazine as one of the top ten women fighters in the “Region 8” (Southeast region) of the country. She also won the Tennessee Karate Circuit overall women’s grand champion for four years straight. Ruth Ann has the distinction of being the first woman to receive the Isshinryu Hall of Fame Female Karate Ka of the Year Award.
In 1987, she joined the Okinawan Karate Do Union and became a student of Master Allen Wheeler. Awards bestowed on her by the OKU include the Outstanding Achievement Award, (2 years), the Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the OKU’s highest honor, The Master Shimabuku Award. In 1988, she began promoting the Cleveland Karate Challenge. During its years, this tournament retained an average of 350 to 400 competitors, and was part of the Master’s Karate Circuit, of which Ruth Ann was a founding member. In 1990, as a member of the United States Sports Jujitsu team, she competed in the World Championships in Winston - Salem, NC. Participating against competitors from sixteen different countries, she came away with a silver medal for fighting, narrowly missing out by one point on becoming the first American ever to win a gold medal in Sport Jujitsu.
In 1992, Ruth Ann was inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Female Fighter of the Year. That same year, she traveled to Okinawa, Japan to visit Master Angi Uezu, and to see Isshinryu Karate practiced in its homeland. As part of a group from around the world, Sensei Shamblin performed in the demonstration of Isshinryu Karate for the audience at the ceremonies for the re-opening of Shuri Castle.
In 1999, she competed on the A.A.U. Karate circuit, winning in both state and regional events. At the A.A.U. Nationals held at the Disney World Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida, Ruth Ann was able to come home with bronze medals in both kumite and kobudo.
In July of 2012, Master Shamblin was awarded the rank of 7 th Dan by the OKU. Today she serves as President of the Traditional Okinawan Karate Association (formerly OKU), and is also a member of the International Isshin-ryu Karate Association. In August of 2023, Master Shamblin was promoted to the rank of 8 th Dan by the board of directors of the TOKA organization, and recognized by the IIKA.
Professionally, Ruth Ann was the co-owner of Shamblin’s School of Karate from 1990 – 2009. She was also the co-owner and manager of Westside Commons, a business complex in Cleveland, TN. In 2003 and 2004, she was recognized as the Outstanding Women’s Executive of the Year for her work as a business owner. A registered nurse, Ruth Ann worked as Restorative Manager at the Spring City Care and Rehab Facility in Spring City, TN. She and her husband have one son, Chris and daughter-in-law Beth. As superb a martial artist as she is, Ruth Ann Shamblin continues to be an even more outstanding mother, wife and friend.
