RuthAnn Shamblin

Biography

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.