This form teaches the practitioner the basic stances and builds his foundation through emphasis on the horse stance as well as developing and enhancing one's breathing capacity.  

Tiger movements should be practiced with power and deliberateness as that is the essence that is meant to be expressed in this style.

The power of the tiger form is not mechanical or brutal.  In Kung Fu terminology, the essence of the tiger lies in its bones, which is a proverbial way of saying that the training of the tiger form is to develop internal force.  The internal force used in the tiger form training is different from that of snake.  The tiger form emphasizes jing, or “essence”, which is particles.  The snake form emphasizes chi or intrinsic energy.  Jing and chi are nevertheless relative; jing can be converted to chi, and vice versa.  It is amazing that Shaolin masters preceded modern scientists in this concept of the relativity of matter and energy by many centuries.