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Hao Jia Taiji Meihau Tanlang is not restricted to any age. It is not so much concerned with training flexibility or acrobatics. It should rather show you a natural way of training. Harmonizing with the body (short, tall, thin, big, etc.) of a disciple it can be trained in different ways.

Is a Chinese saying which is applicable to many situations in life. Especially when it comes to the training of Kung Fu where it is highly recommended to understand this principle.
For example, when someone always wants to do something fast it will not necessarily lead to his progress. So it could happen that a disciple wants to learn a very complicated movement in the first lesson and by the attempt of executing it, he injures himself. Therefore, he might be unable to train for an amount of time in order to recover from his injury. He will have lost time and therefore be slower than the other students. That means: “Quickly is slowly and slowly is quickly.”

Base for the Taiji Meihua Tanglang fighting system are the five principles that should be kept in mind while training and executing techniques:

suo - to shrink, to duck, to pull together
Applied to your body position, it means to give your opponent a target that is as small as possible.

xiao - small
Short small movements that allow you to return quickly into a defense position, where you cannot be easily attacked.

ruan - soft
You redirect the energy of your opponent’s attacks therefore not absorbing it by hard blocking.

mian - continuously
To execute a chain of attacks and to use the resulting weak points and reactions of your opponent for your advantage and following attacks.

qiao - tricky, clever, skillful
Use your head! Spot the weak points of your opponent in his attacks and take advantage of them.

Tim Otte's and Yu Bin's "Si kao tang lang" was source to the translation of the five principles. - translation by Felix

Chin.: "to come, to arrive, to bring, to do"
This character stands for preparation: Seeing how the opponent is going to attack ("come"). By observing the three telegraphic points of the opponent’s body one finds out how the opponent is going to attack. Once enabled to see what the opponent is going to do, one can solve the problem of the incoming attack, before it takes place. Therefore one can prepare and plan a suitable reaction.
"lai" is the most important of the 12 characters. It means to predict the opponent’s actions.

Chin.: "to shout, to call, to name, to order, to cause"
Means, that sometimes one will have to execute a 'fake' attack (a.k.a. "a feint") in order to bait opponents, who have a strong defense. The feint can make them lose their save position and open up weak points in their defense, which we can use to our advantage. It is very typical for Taiji Meihua Tang Lang Quan to confuse opponents with many of these feints and thus prepare a final blow.
On the other hand one has to stay flexible, so that a 'fake' attack can suddenly change into a 'real' attack as soon as it is not properly defended. One should always switch between 'real' and 'fake' attacks to make it impossible for the opponent to distinguish 'real' from 'fake'.
That is one of the things that make Tang Lang Quan so difficult, however it is also one of the reasons why it is so effective.

Chin.: "along, in the same direction as; to obey; suitable"
There is no hard against hard in Taiji Meihua Tang Lang Quan. It is very important to go along with the power of an opponent's attack. That way the power of an opponent's attack can add up to one's own attack.One never fights against the opponent's power directly. Taking advantage of the direction of the power of the opponent's attack and using it for one's own attack is the meaning of "shun".

Chin.: "to see somebody off; to deliver; to give, to give as a present"
Means to work with the balance of one’s opponents (or better: with their imbalance). Taiji Meihua Tang Lang Quan contains many techniques that were specially developed to unbalance the opponent (hidden-foot-sweeps, hidden-foot-catches, grab- and pull-techniques, powerful strikes and blows, etc.). By the means of these techniques one forces one’s opponents out of balance in order to take advantage of their vulnerability.
i.e.: While an opponent is struggling to regain balance one puts more pressure on him and presents him with a blow in the right direction. The purpose of this attack is to either throw the opponent to the floor or strike the opponent while he is not able to defend himself properly.
This presenting opponents with a blow in the direction of their imbalance is the meaning of "song".

Chin: “raise, lift”
Means to apply force from the bottom up in a raising motion. Usually used to deflect straight forward attacks and produce openings in the opponent’s guard.
Attacks of great power can easily be deflected in this manner. “Ti” can be executed by using either long or short forces. The counter attack towards the resulting openings follows with high speed, thus eliminating the opponent’s attack force completely.

Chin.: “hold, take, seize”
Is one of the specialties of Tang Lang Quan: By applying certain techniques of Tang Lang Quan one controls the opponent with grab or catch techniques, like a mantis uses its hooks to immobilize its adversary.
擒拿(“Qin Na”), the art of joint locks and leverage, is also part of 拿 (“na”). Therefore 拿
(“na”) can be used as defense, as part of an attack and as an attack itself.
Furthermore 拿 (“na”) is divided into two different kinds:
The first one is “活拿”(“Huo Na”, “Huo” 活: movable, lively, vivid). It describes a smooth kind of grab or catch technique that is usually applied on fast incoming attacks. It is either used to deflect and absorb the attack or to catch an incoming attack with a quickly executed technique. Both applications are meant to bring oneself into an advantageous position, where either the opponent can’t strike or one is in a better position to control or strike the opponent.

The second is 死拿 (“si na”, “si”: Chin.: dead). It is used to gain control over an exhausted and powerless opponent by applying holding or locking techniques. By applying these techniques one achieves that the opponent is completely immobilized. It is used to transport opponents to another location, to neutralize them, or to prevent them from escaping.

Chin.: to seal
Means by applying special techniques of Tang Lang Quan one achieves that it is impossible for the opponent to strike or to have the space to develop momentum for a hard attack. Every attack can be sealed from every position by applying certain techniques. The opponent therefore never has an opportunity to strike hard. The opponent is “sealed off”. A good example is the typical Tang Lang attack technique, “zuo feng, you beng” (-left seals, right snaps a back fist-). One of the opponent’s arms is sealed by ones left hand grab technique while the other arm has to block the snapping back fist coming from our right hand, thus the opponent is sealed off completely: There is no opportunity for the opponent to strike.

Chin.: force, compel, close in on
Is a certain method of attack with special techniques following each other rapidly, thus leaving the opponent no opportunity to attack with neither hand nor foot techniques.

封(“feng”) and 逼(“bi) stand for two opposite ways to achieve the same goal: While 封(“feng”) means to rather employ defensive techniques to “seal off” the opponent, 逼(“bi) means to "close in" on the opponent with rapid attacks from all directions. Hence both characters stand for ways to disable the opponent from attacking or escaping.

Chin.: sticky, glutinous
Means, that one purposely creates contact between oneself and the opponent. While staying in contact to the opponents’ limbs one can prevent them from leaving the attack range and can control their movements. One sticks to the opponents closely and never lets them back out of range. Staying in contact one is enabled to feel in which direction the opponent’s power is applied, and it can be foreseen where and how the opponent is going to attack or defend. One can as well feel the amount of power in an opponent’s movements. According to these indications one plans the defensive or offensive strategy most effectively.

Chin.: glue to, to paste…
Means, that one uses special techniques of Tang Lang Quan to prevent the opponent from moving or attacking. With certain defensive techniques one “glues” oneself to the opponent’s attack, thus absorbing and deflecting its force. That way one achieves that the opponent is caught like an insect struggling in a spider web. Opponents are unable to use their force and one takes all the danger and effectiveness from their attacks.

Chin.: glue, stick, stay close to
It describes methods of close contact fighting. Certain techniques of Tang Lang Quan require close contact with the opponent’s body. So called long and short forces can both be involved when one uses 贴 (“tie”). It is extremely useful against opponents with a good straight punch and strong kicks, fighters who are good from a distance. One uses this method in order to turn opponents’ strong points against themselves. Sticking to the opponent’s body uses special close contact techniques. These techniques are highly effective even against bigger and stronger opponents.

Chin.: help, assist…
Using special stepping techniques and right and left hand combination power techniques of Tang Lang Quan one surprises the opponent with powerful attacks.
Ones certain footwork, and right and left hand forces combined when attacking the opponent. The impacts of the forces follow short after each other thus taking the opponent aback. Furthermore the forces add up to each other what makes the blow even more fatal.

Far->Kick, Close->Punch, Body Contact -> Throw

In other words:
When the distance between oneself and the opponent is rather far, according to different situations, one mainly applies kick techniques (正踹腿, 侧踢腿, 边踢腿, 扫退, 挂腿, 铲腿, 勾腿, 劈腿, 弹腿).
When the distance between one and the opponent is rather close, according to the different situations, one mainly applies fist techniques (such as: 直拳, 勾拳, 摆拳, 崩拳, 鞭拳), palm techniques (such as: 插掌, 劈掌, 挑掌, 撩掌, 推掌),
knee techniques (such as. 正顶膝, 侧顶膝, 跳顶膝, 提膝, 跪膝) and
elbow techniques (such as: 挑肘, 左, 右横肘, 后顶肘, 前顶肘, 后扫, 砸肘) .

Along with the above one applies hidden leg techniques and others to progressively attack the opponent.
When one is close, according to different situations, one mainly uses throws (such as: 夹脖摔, 抱腰摔, 过背摔, 抓臂别腿摔, 穿臂前摔, 穿臂后摔, 抱腿前摔, 抱腿后摔, 穿靠摔).
As a conclusion one can say that there are many ways to attack in Kung Fu Sanda, but one should always have a clear train of thought, the key is frequent and hard training.

About Traditional Forms

Some people say that the training of traditional forms is not of any use: This way of thinking is completely wrong. One traditional form contains the lifetime knowledge and combat experience of many Kung Fu masters, summarized into a composition of training methods. It combines the peculiarities of the human body's physiology and the ideas of traditional Chinese philosophy, synthesizing whole body coordination exercises and a composition of the classics of Sanda boxing applications. The forms stress an equal level of hand, eye, body, movement and stance practice and combine them. After training traditional forms for a long time one can master various kinds of excellent combat applications, while providing a reasonable amount of exercise for every part of one's body. Therefore by practicing traditional forms one will learn self-protection and keep fit at the same time. Some people say that the more forms one knows the better: This way of thinking is also completely wrong. Kung Fu seniors think:

There are more than 10 000 Chinese traditional forms, how can one ever finish learning? The key is to find forms that go along with one's body figure and one's interests. Furthermore to use one's mind during the training and to avoid blind and foolish exercise. If one chooses to train forms that are not suitable for one's body figure and condition one will suffer in Sanda combat. At the same time one will cause injuries of different degrees in either one's joints or one's muscles. Training the wrong forms for a long time will have a negative effect on one's health. In China usually the master with his rich experience picks the form for the student to study. His decision will be based on the student's body figure and condition.

The Forces of Taiji Meihua Tanglang Quan

Taiji Meihua Tanglang Quan is an attack and defense martial art that consists of accurate movements.
The techniques are rapidly chain-executed:

Perfectly linked together like the petals of a plum blossom:
Therefore its name is “Taiji Meihua Tanglang Quan.”

In the training of Taiji Meihua Tanglang Quan the most important part is to master its forces. The training of Taiji Meihua Tanglang Quan should never only be limited to imitating the physique of a Mantis, furthermore it is of the utmost importance to eagerly and correctly study the forces applied in every movement. Excellent referees determine a contestant's skill level in Taiji Meihua Tanglang just by observing if a technique's forces are applied correctly or not.
Taiji Meihua Tanglang Quan's applied forces regarding the distance of force application can be divided into: 钻-'zuan', 劈-'pi', 崩-'beng', 蹭-'ceng', 挂-'gua', 圈-'quan', 漏-'lou' which are the 7 kinds of far distance attack forces. Furthermore there are: 榜-'bang', 枕-'zhen', 采-'pu', 恳-'ken', 随-'sui', 格-'ge', 贴-'tie', which are the 8 kinds of close range attack forces. Kung Fu seniors refer to a Mantis beating a cicada and a Mantis fighting a snake, where both of the above combat characteristics are combined, when they say:

The quintessence of martial arts experience is summarized in the therefore famous “Seven long (forces) and eight short (forces).”

The applied forces of Taji Meihua Tanglang Quan regarding the force application in matters of hard and soft can be divided into: 8 kinds of hard forces and 12 kinds of soft forces, these are the famous “8 hard (forces) and 12 soft (forces)”.
In combat the applied forces are reactions to the opponent’s different attacking methods. Only after accurate judgment utilizing hard and soft powers one will strike the opponent with a fatal attack. The way of applying soft and hard forces can be best described in this saying:

“Soft as a willow in the wind and hard as an iron hammer when it strikes stone.”

Soft and hard forces are not inborn, and one won't be able to acquire them after just a short time of training. One has to pass through long and hard training. In the beginning the forces are inexistent then they develop and grow into a strong point.

The six harmonies describe the harmony in which certain body parts move according to each other. The six harmonies are:

In application, one’s movement emanates from the back, the back moves the shoulder, the shoulder moves the elbow and the elbow moves the hand. When executing leg applications, the waist moves the hip, the hip moves the knee, the knee moves the foot. This is the order of force development.

The harmonies can be applied separately (e.g.: knee moves foot) or as a whole (as described above).

However when one is fighting an opponent, one should apply them as a whole. One has to be calm and relaxed and at the same time highly focused. Breathing needs to be even and natural. This way one is enabled to achieve the unity of cognition and emotion as well as the unity of thought and movement. The calm mind sees the next step clearly. Clear thoughts induce the fitting reaction to the opponent's action.

The harmony between these two will achieve a good stance and posture. One should not lean to the front nor to the back. The weight rests in the center. Firm yet flexible, in motion yet balanced.

The harmony of these two will achieve good coordination when moving back and forth. Limbs extend and draw back naturally.

The harmony of these two achieves the possibility of many changes in one’s movements and therefore increases one’s agility.

The force development when applying the six harmonies always takes place from the inside to the outside.

In the following the eight methods of practicing Kung Fu in a proper manner will be described.

“The fist strikes like a meteor.” This is concerned with the execution of hand techniques. Which should always be executed with great speed and vigor.

“Eyes like a flash.” This implies that the eyes should quickly assess the situation and always be filled with attention.

“The waist moves like a snake.” This suggests the flexibility and agility with which a practitioner’s waist has to move.

“The stance is glued to the ground.” This suggests the strong connection between the feet and the ground. Even though moving the stance still makes it appear that one is sticking to the floor.

“The spirit should be fully charged.” It means that the mind should be highly concentrated and fully alert. The resulting confidence and determination can invoke respect and even insecurity in the opponent.

“The breath sinks down.” It explains a breathing technique by which the practitioner breathes naturally and relaxed through one’s abdomen. Which is opposed to breathing by the help of one’s chest in a hasty manner.

“Force is applied in a fitting manner.” It explains the requirement of natural flow of ones force, which shouldn’t be blocked by one’s own tension or body posture. This way one’s force is executed in the optimal way and therefore with the greatest effectiveness.

“The skill should be pure.” It speaks of the skill being pure in its application. This can only be achieved through frequent hard training. This way one’s body condition, stamina, coordination and familiarity with the techniques enable the practitioner to execute the fighting techniques in the prefect or “pure” way.