Presents Quiksilver 

Tao Rodriguez's rise has surprised Latin America. In two years he has gone from being a talented youngster with good foundations to now being a competitive machine that can beat anyone.

He won the junior title with two seconds and two firsts in the four ALAS of the year, but on top of that, in the Open he was in charge of destroying the minds of professionals of several years on the subject.

Those good fundamentals from a few years ago, now multiplied by more strength, focus, and training, have turned into dozens of series adding up to excellent scores. Tao surfs with an incredible line, goes up and down using his edges and explodes off the lips and turns that make the lineup rain.

He is a focused young man with clear ideas.

Below he shares some of the secrets that made him one of the biggest talents in Latin America today.

Your level has improved a lot, a lot in two years, how did you do it?
I achieved this by traveling constantly and training in all kinds of waves: heavy, small, fat, and good. I also focused on training to have more strength and be able to surf more water. By having more mass, it is easier for me to have explosive surfing.

I've been working on aerials and explosive maneuvers, and now I feel more confident throwing them.

What is the secret to being so connected to the sea and always finding the series early and breaking it?
In El Salvador I had some really good heats and I was able to get some really good scores at the start of my heats. To connect with the sea I spend a lot of time looking at it to create a strategy and know which waves I'm going to catch.

I was also feeling good about my surfing and confident that I wouldn't fall, so I knew that a good wave would be a good score. Lastly, the use of priority was essential, so I waited for the best waves.

What have you changed in recent years that has been key for you?
I made several changes, but I don't think the good results I've achieved so far were due to making changes. I think that training and practicing constantly made me better every day.

Having participated in many events helped me gain the competitive knowledge that I used in El Salvador. Previous mistakes in strategy and priority helped me not to make them again. Some important changes were using larger fins so they wouldn't slide as much and shoot water, and knowing my boards well enough to use them according to the conditions.

How is your aerial game? We've seen that for fundamental surfing you seem to be a CT, but how are you doing in that area?
I'm not the best with aerials, but I really like to do them. I've been working on my rotations and grabs, and what I thought was impossible is coming to fruition. I'm landing several frontside aerials, but what I need to work on are the backside ones and my repertoire.

What do you highlight as the most important phases of your life this year?
Traveling alone to learn how to handle myself. Life alone and traveling with friends is difficult, but it opened doors for me and helped me connect with my skills and focus on just competing. Afterwards, I spent time on barrel and heavy waves to get used to it and start surfing bigger waves.

My trip to Peru helped me surf in a wetsuit and get used to climates other than the tropics.

"Life alone and traveling with friends is difficult, but it opened doors for me and helped me connect with my skills and focus on just the competition."

Which Latin American surfer do you like?
I like Miguel Tudela for his good airs and the balls he has to dive into waves in Hawaii. I'm learning from him and I really like the way he competes. He's calm and has a good variety of maneuvers and knows how to hit tubes.

What are you going to do in 2022?
I'm going to train harder and go to several QS and Junior Pros as well as ALAS to get a good result in the Open. Afterwards I'm going to work hard in Panama to go to the Open World Championships.