Soccer (Football)
Trinity Rodman’s Soccer Training & Fitness Tips
Take your soccer skills to the next level with tips inspired by Trinity Rodman’s journey. From cone drills to mental resilience techniques, see how training fuels success on the field.
Trinity Rodman is generally regarded as the future of the U.S. soccer program. From top career moments such as joining the U.S. Women’s Youth National Team at age 13 to playing in the Olympics, the rise of this soccer star put women’s soccer on the global stage. And her star power is about more than just her jaw-dropping technique.
“I think my personality comes through in the way that I play,” Rodman told Red Bull.
Rodman’s personality shines as brightly as her talent, which stems from decades of rigorous soccer training that she keeps up today. Read on to learn how aspiring players can take inspiration from Rodman’s story to fuel their own successes.
Trinity Rodman kicking a soccer ball
© Red Bull
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Who is Trinity Rodman?
Trinity Rodman is a forward for the NWSL Washington Spirit and the U.S. Women’s National Team. She was just 18 when she was drafted to the Spirit in 2021, making her the then-youngest player ever drafted to the NWSL. She was drafted before she ever played a college soccer game.
Rodman earned the title of NWSL Rookie of the Year in her first year, starting 22 of the Spirit’s 25 games and nabbing seven goals, including two that clinched the game. She was also named All-League and U.S. Young Player of the Year in 2021. That year, the Spirit won the NWSL Championship thanks in no small part to Rodman assisting the championship-winning goal.
The young soccer star’s rapid ascent didn’t stop there. In 2023, Rodman joined the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT), and to date, she’s scored 10 goals with the team across 45 appearances. She was also on the U.S. women’s soccer team for the 2024 Olympics, at which the team took home the gold medal in part due to Rodman’s three goals, including one that clinched a win against Japan.
From a young age, Rodman wanted soccer to be her life. “I realized that soccer was going to be my thing when I couldn't accept that people could play a sport just for fun,” she told Red Bull. “I knew that my heart was in the game, and I wanted to push myself as far as I could go.”
Michelle, Rodman’s mother, picked up on this when Rodman was just 4 years old. “She had this clarity about it even then,” Michelle told Red Bull. “She would come off the field on the verge of tears and ask, ‘Mom, why isn’t everyone else trying to win? We need a goal.’” By age 9, Rodman was already outmaneuvering defenders and listening to her intuition to get the ball where it needed to go.
Rodman may have had athletic talent in her blood: Her father is the basketball legend Dennis Rodman, whom Trinity prefers not to discuss. However, Michelle has surmised that the challenges of raising Trinity as a single mother may have led her to view soccer as a refuge from life’s challenges and get determined to master the sport. That’s where soccer training has come into play time and again.
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Why soccer training matters
Although Rodman’s soccer talents placed her on the national spotlight, her social media presence has played a secondary role. That’s true of both her own social media channels and others accounts’ videos of Rodman training. These videos double as reminders that even the best of the best still practice.
Training is how all soccer players refine their technique, get properly fit, and build the game awareness that’s vital in moments like Rodman evading four defenders at once on the field (more on this later). In fact, Rodman trains for two hours every day during the regular season — and that’s far from the only way soccer players can get inspiration from her training routine.
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Core elements of soccer training, inspired by Trinity Rodman
Fitness and conditioning
Agility is a soccer player’s much-needed ability to move fluidly, but a lighting-fast pace — Rodman is well known for that — certainly helps. In an April 2024 Spirit match against the Houston Dash, Rodman was the speediest player on either team the whole time.
Fitness and conditioning training built Rodman’s agility and stamina to exceptional levels. Just two days following that April 2024 match, Rodman was seen dribbling through cones with startingly fluid movements at a giant indoor training space. Soccer players can look to Rodman and see that building and maintaining agility, conditioning, fitness, and stamina is a consistent commitment.
Rodman’s cone drills are a must-have for a rigorous soccer training regimen. Ladder drills, interval sprints, and shuttle runs are also great choices for robust fitness, conditioning, agility, and stamina training. The Red Bull football workout plan explains how to do cone drills, ladder drills, and interval sprints. The Coaching Manual and TopTekkers’ video on shuttle runs makes these exercises easy to fit into any soccer workout.
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Technical skills
Rodman is known for ball control and her ability to land outrageous goals, outmaneuver defense teams, and make seemingly impossible assists. In a May 2024 Spirit game against the San Diego Wave, Rodman outpaced a Wave defender to reach a ball and kick it into the goal just under the goalie’s left hand. Rodman also got the ball through four Wave defenders to midfielder Ashley Sanchez, who then scored a goal.
In soccer training, aspiring stars can focus on technical prowess to reach Rodman’s talents. Fitness and conditioning cone dribbling exercises are powerful on this front, as are passing accuracy exercises and shooting drills. The coaching platform Soccer Drive offers a variety of passing drills to consider, and Soccer Coach Weekly provides a filterable database of shooting drills fit for any athlete.
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Mental toughness
When Red Bull asked Rodman how she faces high-pressure situations, she gave a shockingly obvious answer: ignore it.
“Outside pressures do nothing but put your own expectations too high and start impacting every little detail of your game,” she said.
Rodman’s ability to move easily through pressure carries over to the field — it’s how she lands stunning assists even with four defenders tracking her. Athletic development thus involves both fitness training and learning how to think and act fast under pressure, especially via visualization and focus techniques.
Process visualization is how soccer players envision themselves going through each step and motion needed to successfully pull something off on the field. Outcome visualization is how soccer players see themselves scoring a goal, and motivational visualization is how one puts mental images to resilience, confidence, and the excitement of pulling off a desired outcome. Trying out these visualizations during practice games can improve performance on the field.
Visualization is itself part of focus training, which also includes mindfulness approaches, goal-setting techniques, and positive self-talk. Yoga and meditation help athletes become more mindful, and positive self-talk just involves repalcing negative inner voices with an optimistic, confident internal dialogue. Goal-setting is more of an off-the-field affair that involves deciding on short-range achievements that build toward long-term goals. For example, the short-term achievement of completing a certain number of passes per practice game serves the long-term goal of being a better offensive player.
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Teamwork and communication
Rodman is a master of combinations. In the first game of the USWNT 2023 World Cup campaign, Rodman swiftly maneuvered around a Kiwi defender so she could pass the ball to teammate Mallory Swanson to score a goal. Then, 20 minutes later, Rodman curved a cross around another Kiwi defender to teammate Lynn Williams, who then scored a goal. Rodman and the USWNT shut out the Kiwi team 4-0.
None of these feats would be possible without Rodman’s chemistry with her teammates. It’s the kind of chemistry that defies verbal communication, which is nevertheless vital to master in soccer training. Soccer players should be comfortable making short, simple commands using familiar terms and phrases. They should also learn the art of communicating through non-verbal gestures, eye contact, and body language. Proactive communication ahead of likely challenges or openings on the fields is key too. Soccer drills shold practice these communication areas.
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Training like a pro: lessons from Trinity Rodman’s routines
A typical two-hour practice for Rodman starts with stretching, including with a roller. From there, she moves onto a passing drill, then a drill for keeping possession. Next is either a scrimmage or an attack versus defense drill, and then, she winds down with finishing drills.
As for what she eats to fuel her intense practice sessions, Rodman cooks eggs and bacon when she has the time. If not, then when she arrives at her training spot, she enjoys a bagel with peanut butter. Then, right before practice actually starts, she eats a protein bar.
Rodman’s routine points to some important soccer tips for other players. For starters, two hours of training per day might be the ideal target for those looking to go pro. Additionally, a light yet protein-rich breakfast is great when time allows, but for those in a rush, something carb-heavy with protein works.
That said, what works for one person doesn’t always work for everyone else. Soccer players who base their goals on Rodman’s approach may find success, or they may need to gradually build up their stamina or eat differently. Finding what works for one’s current fitness level, metabolism, and other health and wellness considerations is always smartest.
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How to apply Trinity Rodman’s principles to your soccer training
Soccer players of all skill levels can mimic Rodman’s mindset and work ethic — not giving into any pressure other than one’s own, training with some level of consistency. As soccer players progress in their training journeys, they may want to take another hint from Rodman: watching replays of their time on the field. Rodman is known to do this on flights home from games in other cities, and it’s a great way for all soccer players to identify their successes and failures. The latter, according to Rodman, is just part of becoming a top athlete.
“I think the best way to become the best player is to fail all the time,” she told Red Bull.
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Trinity Rodman: a role model for aspiring athletes
Rodman has become a favorite among young girls who go to NWSL soccer games. When the Spirit plays at Audi Field, large numbers of adolescent girls are often seen wearing Rodman’s official jersey and avidly cheering for their hero. Rodman is more than happy to oblige these potential future soccer stars’ requests for selfies or autographs after each game. After all, as Rodman tells Red Bull, “I want people to see that I’m a regular person and not just a famous soccer player.”
Young fans flock to Rodman due to her obvious humanity and her dynamic playing style. These are important traits for anyone aiming for professional soccer success and elite performance. Through dedication to, and passion for, soccer, any athlete can showcase their emotional connection to the game and develop a signature style that inspires the next generation of history-making athletes.
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Train hard, dream big based on Trinity Rodman’s success
Rodman’s adventures in soccer are far from over, and she still practices two hours per day during the regular season. Soccer players who follow her approach to structured training and mental resilience are more likely to achieve their own goals. No matter the stage of athleticism, Rodman is proof that it all starts with a passion for the game.