[1] He is the founding director of Great River Taoist Center, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Rodell began studying martial arts at the age of nine.
He practiced karate, judo, tournament and instinct archery, wrestling, Olympic fencing, and marksmanship before devoting his training exclusively to Yang-style taijiquan in 1981.
In addition to his martial studies, Rodell was one of the first ten Americans to enter the door of the Jin Shan Pai, a traditional school of Taoist neigong.
Since then, Rodell's seminars and training camps have expanded Great River Taoist Center to include many branch groups and affiliates located throughout the continental United States, Northern Europe, and Australia.
Northern European locations include the Estonian cities of Tallinn, Tartu,[10] and Narva;[11] Amsterdam, Netherlands;[12] Angers, France; and Malmö, Sweden.